The Cardboard Crowns

There are treats, there are triumphs, and there is undiluted devilry, and in the case of Global Citizen there are irrepressible riots of combining all three. The album comes from Canadian rockers The Cardboard Crowns, a band creating a mischievous maelstrom of adventure from the raw tenacity of punk, the majestic swagger of ska, and the sultry charm of reggae, not forgetting a very healthy dose of pop. Formed in 2009, the band has been a relative secret outside of their home borders but it is easy with a little bit of luck to see that changing thanks to the thrilling stomp of Global Citizen.

Hailing from Aylmer, Quebec and now Ottawa based, The Cardboard Crowns’ seeds begin in high school with Joel “Rat” Kuehn (vocals/guitar), David “Tokyo” Speirs (drums), and Matthew “Googles” Megannety (lead guitar), the first two already strong friends before meeting the third in that place of learning. They formed a trio of garage bands, The Madd Fizz, The Fog Pilots, and The Rocket-Propelled Space-Fish along the way of their musical journey, potent steps which have laid the seeds for what they offer today. It was with the link-up with bassist Franks “Mystery Skunk” Cuningham around five years ago though that the spark for Cardboard Crowns was ignited, and from that point it has been full steam ahead for the band and its insatiable revelry.

It does not take long to realise the eclectic and inventive expanse of sound and imagination which fuels the album, the first three songs enough to reveal the wonderfully unpredictable and infectious variety at play. Opener Pulling Teeth sets things off, its opening and immediately engaging acoustic caress and alluring vocals folk like with a summery breeze to their relaxed temptation. It is just the gentle coaxing to bigger and bolder things though, energy building towards a rampant stride of punchy rhythms and tangy grooves driven by equally tenacious vocals from Kuehn and band. The song reminds of British band Knots, its emerging instinctive and anthemic stomp inescapable flirtation for feet and passions. The track is exceptional, fiery blazes of raw guitar only adding to the drama and power of the brilliant encounter.

Its might is soon backed up as the album’s title track and the following Hats Off unveil their distinctive and diverse designs. The first of the two strolls in on a smiling stride of reggae seeded Album Cover (Small)riffs and a rhythmic swing which soon has body and imagination swaying in unison. There is a just as vibrant pop punk enterprise to the song, bands like Smashmouth and Reel Big Fish coming to mind as it swerves and entices with vivacious melodies and bubbly chords, though the track ultimately evolves a unique identity. It’s smiling gait and devilry is matched by its successor, ska bred stabs igniting ears within seconds as a punkish air sets in motion another contagious persuasion. The song though not flawless, the band shouts not working for personal tastes, manages to smoulder and bounce simultaneously, like an exotic temptress with seductive curves and voracious appetite.

Sun And The Stars winds around ears next; its tone equipped with a country twang aligned to smoky keys and Southern kissed sonic flaming. Again sound and vocals provides a seriously catchy and excitable devilry and even though it lacks the final persuasive spark which ignited its predecessors, the track leaves appetite hungrier and satisfaction fuller. It is a level of pleasure straight away thrust to new levels by the outstanding Shut My Mouth, another incendiary romp of piercing hooks and devilish enterprise allowing pop punk and ska to collude in a virulently infectious rascality which might even have the power to bring the feet of the lifeless to dance.

The thrilling adventures and diversity just keeps coming as Olé brings its Latin ska tempting to tease and excite ears and imagination. The cosmopolitan shuffle is a festival of swarthy rhythms and rosy faced melodies, a lively footed canter merging the rebellious charm of Mano Negra with the seductive zeal of Les Négresses Vertes. At the song’s end its gentle hug allows a breather to be taken before the rugged brilliance of Your Son has body and emotions leaping again. Adding new causticity to vocals and chords, the track switches its roars and croons for the album’s most ferociously captivating offering. Pop and punk collide, virtually brawling throughout as they breed some of the sharpest appetising hooks and rhythmic provocation you are likely to devour this year.

The release is brought to an end by firstly the seriously magnetic Bounty On His Head, a part punk and part folk romp, and lastly through the carnival-esque tempting of Generations. The final song is a mix of gypsy punk and folk vaudeville, like a mix of Tankus The Henge and Flogging Molly, and a sensational end to one scintillating tapestry of sound and invention.

It is hard to imagine The Cardboard Crowns remaining a relatively unknown proposition once Global Citizen works its alchemy around the world. The album offering music just as it should be; imaginative, passionate, and pure fun. - by the Ring Master uk

I’ve been listening to The Cardboard Crowns quite a bit recently. Their new(ish) album, Global Citizen, has me hooked. Long train journeys have passed by in a flash. I’ve simply plugged my headphones in and allowed myself to drift off into the exuberant ska pop punk world that they inhabit. Here I ask one of my new favourite bands ten questions by way of introduction….



(1) Many readers of Sonic Breakfast might not have heard of ‘The Cardboard Crowns’. In less than 100 words tell them what they need to know…

The Crowns are a four piece blast of something different. We really try to deliver high energy, high involvement entertainment. There’s a lot of boring archaic convention in show business these days… that’s something we try to blow to pieces. We’re also really big on (as the title of our new album Global Citizen would suggest) trying to get people to identify themselves more with the human race than it’s sub sects. We’re all humans, lets have a good time together, and also try to think about those of us who are in rough spots as though they were our family.

(2) What have been your highlights and lowlights of 2014?

We’ve had some really awesome times this year. This is the first year we’ve really had an opportunity to drop the gloves and hit the road. We’ve played some awesome festivals: Ottawa’s Sparks st. new years eve event with K-OS, Beer Fest in Toronto with Wide Mouth Mason, Hope Volleyball With Matt Good, and we’ve been lucky enough to play a couple shows along the way with one of our biggest influences The Planet Smashers. That said, we REALLY loved our album release mini tour through Montreal Ottawa and Toronto. The support was really out of this world! As for lowlights… I guess we had one fiasco show (I won’t say where…) but my (Joel) throat was infected so I tried some REALLY COOL mime intro… miming is clearly not a forte of mine I guess. At any rate we made It through the set, and my car tow bill was only $250. Nasty business.

(3) You’re from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Is it a city with a good music scene? What are the best and worst things about living there?

The scene in Ottawa is interesting… it’s a bit of a lazy little town when looking from the outside. But the most packed shows we play are always there. The support in Ottawa is unreal, and there’s something so cool about having a nearly fully bilingual crowd. There are some REALLY talented bands from Ottawa as well, our good Buddies Finding Chuck and Mosquitos for starts… but I could really go all day with awesome Ottawa acts. Great town for music, it has a great attitude and support system for it’s artists, and great artists for it’s fans.



(4) In the past month you’ve released the terrific album, Global Citizen. Apart from the fact that Global Citizen is also the title of one of your songs, why did you settle on this title for the album? Is it important to be a Global Citizen and why/why not?

We titled the album Global Citizen for a few reasons: A) we really love that crowd hook at the end, B) (more seriously) it kinda sums up a lot of what we’re about. The lyrics talk about human fragmentation, and how we relate more strongly to a kinda silly national identity (beavers + maple syrup + “thank you sorry eh”) than we do to the suffering and state of affairs outside of our immediate field of vision.

(5) Bits of the album suggest an anger (or at least a frustration) with the music industry. What’s wrong with it and what would you change about it if you could?

I suppose you’re PROBABLY asking about Pulling Teeth. Really I wrote that song about advertising and the culture that’s sold between the satirical one-liners in our commercials. That said… the state of the industry has a lot of similar goofiness as well. We’re bombarded every day with the same 4 chords and lowest-common-denominator “sex n’ money” lyrics; Pulling Teeth is about how selling the idea that you’re not good enough unless you have X amount of dollars and intercourse, at the cost of our confidence and self respect, is REALLY destructive to our humanity.






(6) Who are your influences?

Main influences I guess are Toots and the Maytals, Sublime, Planet Smashers, Against me, all our friends, and global events.

(7) The video to ‘Hat’s off’ is a pretty entertaining watch. What was the thinking behind it when you made it?

Ahhhh the Hats off video haha. A few of our dear friends at Prototype D invited us to an abandoned factory to shoot some sort of video. It was all very loosy goosy show up and see what happens, so that morning the boys and I decided we’d surprise them by dressing up like super (idiots) heroes! They were certainly surprised as we showed up over an hour late (we’re real divas when it comes to superhero costumes). So feeling a little bashful we apologized for the late arrival, and followed that up with “And no we don’t have a clue what to do for this video”. I don’t even think we knew we were going to shoot hats off. We basically had to turn a somewhat uncomfortable situation around visa vi running around like clowns, jumping, and climbing whatever we could find. Luckily the city workers and our good pals at Prototype D forgave us, and all in all the video came out quite well!


(8) Is it obligatory to wear a cardboard crown at a ‘Cardboard Crowns’ gig? Who typically wears the best one?

It’s not mandatory or anything… but it can be lucrative! Originally our hardcore friend-base started wearing crowns to our shows to show their support. We then tried to reciprocate the love (and start a wicked gimmick) by offering discounts ticket rates at the door for people wearing home-made crowns. We’ve seen SO many awesome crowns at our shows over the years it’s hard to pick the best. We had one gentleman with a castle for a crown, complete with working draw bridge, we’ve seen Lord Sauron’s crown carefully constructed over at least several hours… personally I love it when people incorporate egg cartons. Those ones are just hilarious for some reason.



(9) What are your plans and dreams for 2015 (and onwards)?

The Crowns want to do it. We want to be a self sufficient, fully independent band that tours and meets cool new friends and have a great time. We want to try to get people onboard with global thinking, and we want to, frankly, make a positive change in the world. It’s a tall order, but with the amount of awesome people jumping on board every day, be it by donating to doctors without borders, at our album release shows, showing solidarity with crowns, making AWESOME cover videos (montreal boys!) it feels like it’s happening, and we couldn’t be more excited and thankful!

(10) And finally – energetic humour isn’t far from the surface with ‘The Cardboard Crowns’. What’s your current favourite joke?

Hmmm… I feel like the best jokes the crowns know are usually when we actively try be funny on stage. Every time we plan any sort of gag, or joke or whatever we always get a TON of laughs… The kind of laughs that manifest themselves 2 years down the line in one of those “hey remember how DUMB that idea was?! MAN are we lame” kinda conversations. I think our favourite jokes are one ones where everyone ends up laughing at how bad we SUCK at being funny lol. Anyone who’s been to a crowns show will know our banter is always ripe with this kind of “comedy”!



I don’t know about you – but I can’t wait for these guys to be able to tour Europe. They’d make a pretty decent festival band… - by seantizz - SONICBREAKFAST

The Cardboard Crowns: what to say about this silly-sounding band? Well, I have to say, they’re actually quite talented and likeable. The Cardboard Crowns consist of four members who go by the names of Rat, Tokyo, Googles and Mystery Skunk. The band considers itself to be a mixture of ska-beat, reggae, punk-rock, and community service. Despite the varied genres, their music comes together remarkably well, and it shows in their debut album Global Citizen.

TheCardboardCrownsGlobal Citizen is an interesting album to listen to; it almost made me feel as if I was listening to a classic punk-rock CD. The songs make you actually stop to think about what is wrong with society. Yet, at the same time, it’s easy to lose yourself in listening to the instrumentals and letting the lyrics just slip by without a thought (I listened to the album about eight or nine times without really hearing the lyrics, I found the instrumentals that good).

On the album there is one song that sticks out as different from the others: ‘Ole’. The song, like the rest of the album, is quite enthralling yet it’s like an entirely different sound.

Global Citizen seems to explore a variety of themes, from family issues, to the different issues facing new generations and foreign people.

If you want to reach out and listen to a new sound that will keep you interested, I suggest you check out The Cardboard Crowns. - by Kyle Monych - Raz Mataz Mag

If you look at The Cardboard Crowns’ Facebook photos, they look like a bunch of jokers. It looks like they’re just on stage to have an audience. You’ll see spandex, costumes and, yes, crowns made of cardboard. Don’t let this fool you. Their sound is epic and cinematic. They’re the reminder that the music that sounds the best can be the most fun to perform. You’ll want to keep their album “Global Citizen” on repeat.


The most impressive bit of this album is the fusion of multiple genres. “Hats Off” is a pop song with a fast, driving ska guitar riff in the background that propels the song forward. It’s complete with moments of horns and reggae-inspired drums. It’s got another guitar bridge that sounds like something you’d hear in an alt-indie song with vocals like those of fun. Lyrically, it’s a positive thank you: This one’s for Mom and Dad. You know I love you guys.

This album is clean with moments of rawness. “Sun and The Stars” begins with an almost folk-like sound, but adding in the other instrumentation and vocals, it becomes a pop-rock song. It continuously merges a folk with pop-rock and the transitions are absolutely seamless.

Scratchy and honest at times, the vocals are in key with a seemingly effortless accuracy. However, not one ounce of joy and fun is lost in the process. These guys know what they’re doing. - by Geneva Toddy - Creative Control Mag

The party was well worth the wait as The Cardboard Crowns, Ottawa’s ska punk darlings and Big Money Shot winners, finally released their debut album Friday night at Maverick’s.

Maverick’s was jammed packed with people sporting homemade crowns and their dancing shoes Friday night. Not to be outdone, the boys of The Cardboard Crowns were all wearing their crowns and three of the four were wearing one-piece spandex suits. The night was a blast as The Cardboard Crowns played a great set full of tracks off their debut album Global Citizen.

They played with so much energy and were such great showmen. The Cardboard Crowns opened with two new tracks “Your Son” and “Bounty on His Head.” They then informed the crowd that all sales of their new album at the show were being donated to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), to help with their efforts in Africa to fight Ebola. The Crowns cover some serious political and world issues in their lyrics, but also find time to have fun by getting everyone to whistle with them as they cover songs like the Robin Hood theme song and the Arthur theme song. Their new single, “Pulling Teeth,” quite heavy lyrically, was also quite the crowd-pleaser.

The entire set felt like a party, especially when what seemed like half the crowd was on stage with them as they played “Hats Off” a second time, much dancing and singing ensued. (video above) As the crowdleft the stage, the boys launched into “Root Radical” by Rancid and instigated quite the mosh pit. They crowned the night a success closing with a Sublime and Maytals medley. It may have been a brisk fall night outside, but inside Maverick’s it was a big sweaty celebration of another great local release. - Ottawa ShowBox

Natif d'Aylmer, Québec, le groupe Cardboard Crowns vont sortir leurs tant attendu premier CD intitulé “Global Citizen”. De retour au bercail vendredi 17 octobre 2014, le groupe se manifestera au Maverick's du 221 rue Rideau à Ottawa. Les billets sont disponibles chez Vertigo Records pour $13. Le lancement du CD des Cardboard Crowns aura lieu vendredi 10 octobre 2014 au club Les Bobards, 4328 boul. St-Laurent à Montréal.

Qui sont ces Cardboard Crowns?
Un mélange rythmique-ska, reggae et punk-rock auquel ils rajoutent une performance excentrique avec des couronnes de carton, des habits de spandex et beaucoup trop d'énergie! Motivé par l'injustice sociale et un bouillonnant zeste pour la vie, les Cardboard Crowns commencent à être connu pour leurs concerts live ainsi que leurs paroles socio-politiques menant à la réflexion.

Rat et Tokyo ont grandi ensemble dans la petite ville d'Aylmer (Québec) passant la plupart de leur temps à "jammer" sur des pots de cuisine et une vieille guitare familiale. C'est à l'école secondaire qu'ils ont fait l'heureuse connaissance du plus fou des guitaristes métal de la planète, aux cheveux longs et au pic agressif, ce jeune homme baptisé Googles se joint au rang des Cardboard Crowns grâce au recrutement convaincant de Rat.

Ils débutèrent leur expérimentation avec plusieurs ingrédients musicaux, essayant chaque permutation, donnant naissance à 3 groupes de garage; The Mad Fizz, The Fog Pilots et The Rocket Propelled Space-Fish. Chacun de ces derniers ont laissé un impact sur leur musique jusqu'à ce jour. Ce n'est que plusieurs années plus tard qu'ils découvrirent l'élément déclencheur qu'il leur manquait : un petit bassiste au grand sourire possédant une énergie punk-rock incomparable sur scène! Avec l'ajout du surnommé Mystery Frank les Cardboard Crowns étaient complets et prêts à tout.

Le groupe a gagné le 88.5 Big Money Shot de la station de radio Live 88.5 à Ottawa. Ils ont eu l'honneur de partager la scène avec des artistes tels que K-OS, Planet Smashers, Matthew Good ainsi que de jouer au Folk Fest d'Ottawa et au Festival de bière à Toronto.

Ils comptent conquérir la scène d’ontarienne et Québecois, un humain à la fois, avec leur charme habituel et leur nouvel album ''Global Citizen'' qui sort ce 10 octobre à Montréal et le 17 octobre à Ottawa. Sur l'album, on y retrouve une chanson francophone, Olé Olé, tous vont adorer!

Tous les profits de la vente durant la soirée de lancement seront distribués à des œuvres de charité. Nous sommes excités de jouer dans la belle ville de Montréal et dans notre petit coin de pays d’Aylmer. - Mario Lamoureux publié mardi, le 7 octobre 2014

Une foule frénétique éreintée d’un excès de bousculades de danse garrochée, des pintes de Bobards en spécial dilapidées et une cinquantaine de couronnes en carton éparpillés au sol plus tard, le lancement de l’album Global Citizen du projet musical aylmerois The Cardboard Crowns, qui a eu lieu le 10 octobre dernier au bar-spectacle Les Bobards, s’est avéré un franc succès.

Ils sont talentueux, énergiques et très attachants. Originaires de Aylmer, les quatre musiciens ô combien géniaux déplacent de l’air. Une belle carrière musicale se dessine pour eux, je le sens. Charismatiques, c’est débordants d’entrain qu’ils sont allés rencontrer les spectateurs entre les premières parties et entractes, avec en guise de casquette sur la tête des couronnes bien distinctes (parce que oui, chacun porte sa propre création en carton) : plus classique, à la manière d’un chevalier, en hauteur, avec ou sans fioritures… Tout le monde avait la sienne ! Un esprit de fête s’est rapidement installé dans la salle ce soir-là.



Des couronnes en carton ?

À la suite de cet événement, plusieurs questions me trottaient en tête. J’ai donc eu envie d’assouvir ma curiosité à l’aide d’une entrevue. Une semaine après leur lancement d’album à Montréal, j’ai eu le plaisir de converser plus longuement avec trois membres du groupe, soit Joël Kuehn, Matthew Megannety et Francois Cuningham. David Speirs, pour sa part, ne pouvait être de la partie, mais on a pensé fort à lui.

Tous dans la mi-vingtaine, les gars font dans le punk rock, le reggae, le ska-beat… Mais peu importe le style musical dans lequel on essaie de classer ce qu’ils font, Frank a tenu à préciser que c’est bel et bien l’énergie qui en ressort qui importe, car c’est ce qui transparaît le plus à travers leur musique.

Pourquoi The Cardboard Crowns ? L’idée est d’abord venue à Dave de donner ce nom à leur formation lors d’une soirée dans le sous-sol d’un des membres. Les musiciens s’étaient alors fabriqué des couronnes de cartons, entre une séance musicale et une partie d’Age of Empire, un jeu vidéo de stratégie en temps réel (m’ont-ils confié en ricanant). Puis, c’est en pleine répétition, couronnés de leurs chapeaux de carton, qu’ils se sont mis à essayer de trouver un nom pour leur band. C’est alors que The Cardboard Crowns est né. Farfelu, vous dites ? Eh bien ça colle avec leur personnalité, et c’est ce qui fait leur charme.

En terminant, le groupe sera en concert le 17 octobre (ce soir!) dans le cadre de leur lancement d’album, cette fois-ci à Ottawa. Généreux, le quatuor trouve important de s’associer à des causes nobles, raison pour laquelle ils ont décidé que l’argent des ventes des disques (à quinze dollars l’unité) sera versé à Médecins Sans Frontières. Ce n’est par ailleurs pas la première fois qu’ils profitent de leurs concerts pour soutenir une cause. Le titre de leur album, Global Citizen, prend ainsi tout son sens.

«Now I know that there are different homes
And a billion types of different folks
And that for each one there’s a way to be.»

Ah, et en terminant pour vrai de vrai, il y a une pièce cachée à la fin de l’album qui se trouve à la suite de la pièce« Generations ». C’est une version davantage acoustique du morceau « Hats Off », pour lequel le groupe a également produit un vidéoclip, filmé dans un bâtiment abandonné à Ottawa, que je vous invite à aller voir au bas de l’article parce qu’il est mourant. - par Geneviève L’Heureux - les Meconnus

Cardboard Crowns are Quebec natives, relocated to the nation’s capital, who are making a name for themselves. Recently we saw Rat Kuehn, Googs Megannety, Mystery Skunk Cuningham, and Tokyo Speirs (we are thinking stage names and are looking forward to finding out!) tear up the stage in an energy packed set at Ottawa Folk Festival in September. They had the crowd on their feet with an up beat blend of ska-punk rock infused with positive and thought provoking lyrics.

It seemed as though the smaller stage couldn’t contain their energy. The drummer, who wore a bright orange tights bounced around the stage without missing a beat.

Winners of 2013 Live 88.5 Big Money Shot, there was no question in our minds why Cardboard Crowns came out in the forefront. Influenced by Mischief Brew, Black Flag, and Blackbird Raum, there is no question why many have labeled them as, “a band to watch.” We can see why as they mix their love of music with raw talent and stage antics bring just the right mix of hilarity to their unique set complete with cardboard crowns most often fashioned from opportune cartons of empty beer. - Canadian Tapped Productions

U of O alumnus’ band returns to Ottawa to promote local music!

The Cardboard Crowns are four roommates who live in East York, Toronto. Inspired and motivated by social injustice and community service, these young men are paying it forward through music.

From Aylmer, Que., bassist Francois Cuningham describes the band as having a “strange zest for life.”

Having completed a master’s degree in economics in December at the University of Ottawa, he says he chose the U of O because it is bilingual. Because his first language is French, Cuningham appreciated that he could take half his courses in English and half in his first language, something he says is lacking in the Canadian universities.

This incarnation of The Cardboard Crowns has been around for three and a half years, but the band has existed under different incarnations (The Mad Fizz and The Rocket Propelled Space Fish) since the band members were about 13 years old.

“We were just kind of clowns,” says Joel Kuehn, who sings and plays guitar.

“I was going to say that we’re the grown-up version,” adds lead guitarist Matt Megannety. “But we’re not grown up at all.”

On their website, The Cardboard Crowns describe themselves as “a mighty clash of ska-beat, reggae, punk-rock, and community service.” Listening to any of their songs, one can hear the first three of these qualities, but the fourth quality has interesting roots.

“We used to donate half the revenue we made from our shows to a charity owned by Joel’s dad,” explains Megannety. The band members all seem to have a genuine inclination to do good in the world, which is why their songwriting revolves around issues of social justice and responsibility.

Kuehn says the song “Global Citizen” expresses a need for people to “associate more as a global race rather than in little compartmentalized pieces.” He adds, “Obviously, taking care of your neighbour is the key element in community, but if you stop at your borders, you’re not doing your job.”

The prosody of the Cardboard Crowns’ music is also worth noting. Dave Speirs, the drummer for the band and a student of music industry arts, explains that prosody is “the marriage of words to music.”

“When you have music that fits the theme or emotion of the lyric,” he says, “you get a more congruent message.”

The Cardboard Crowns believe in the Ottawa music scene and what it could be. Their show at Zaphod’s on March 1 is an attempt to promote local up-and-coming bands in the nation’s capital. - by Tara Mahoney -The Fulcrum 2014/02/27