The Cause...If Anything

Punks not dead.

A battle cry once heralded by the likes of The Exploited and other vitriolic punk rockers looking to change the world, the term punk rock took off all too fast, burning out before it got a chance to fade away but now the words have all but lost their meaning with current carbon-copied bands regurgitating mindless pop for the masses.

Until now.

Keeping the fundamentals of the true punk rock movement alive by challenging preconceived ideals of the world, Dresden, Ontario's THE CAUSE...IF ANYTHING (C.I.A.) are out to reclaim the danger, drive and deliberation of punk.

Sounds like a heavy task?

They're up for it. Just listen to the music. There's no avoiding the bombastic fury and primal essence of THE CAUSE...IF ANYTHING, especially when accented by opinionated, intelligent lyrics that force you to see what the hell is happening around you.

Achieved through acerbic songs, adrenaline-pumping rhythms and a direct blow to your thought process, THE CAUSE...IF ANYTHING's goal to alter the state of punk rock is made with a solid first step. Their debut effort P(B)LEEDING HUMANITY (Jamstar Recordz) proves to both revitalize the true spirit and ethics of punk rock as well as endeavour to educate the masses about the realities of this harsh life. Or as Kramer puts it,

Our main drive is to educate people about the way society works and how we're getting screwed over by corporations and the government. We tackle issues regarding human rights and politics, but our main forte in corporations in how much they make and take. We make a point of having people read the lyrics, not just listening to the music.

But the music is a VERY important aspect of what we do, he adds. It's not just a means to an end. We're all huge music fans so we understand that as a band, you need strong tunes to catch people's attention.

Then, he grins, You drive the point right fuckin home.

Proven as many fans relate through fast as fuck with thought-provoking lyrics, THE CAUSE...IF ANYTHING have ensured that even their name relates to this all-encompassing aura of caustic awakening.

There are your problems, the cause and the solution. We're the cause, certainly not the solution.
Sure it sounds harsh, but Kramer rationalizes his sentiment.

That's how people look at us, he sneers.

He speaks, of course, about not only the band's confrontational political stance, but also of their storied creation. Formed as the members discussed their disgust with the current state of music while completing a debt to society, C.I.A. instantly agreed to twist/amalgamate the hypersonic elements of punk rock and hardcore to create a unique sound that harkens to the influence of politically-charged outfits such as Propagandhi, NOFX, Pennywise and No Use For A Name.

But only if it meant maintaining old school ethics, something C.I.A. has most certainly ascertained with P(B)LEEDING HUMANITY. Blazing and guttural, there is no escaping this steadfast, in-your-face fury, something Kramer assures will never change. Despite rising popularity and a vehemently obsessed fan base, C.I.A. refuses to give in to the temptations of the evils they have challenged.

We're not willing to compromise our integrity,� Kramer warns while adding a sly, but if some asshole wants to hand us millions of dollars to make an album, we certainly wouldn't turn it down. I don't think anyone in their right mind would, but we're not about to let money become the main focus and drive behind the band. If it came down to being in it for the money, then I wouldn't wanna be in it at all."

However, we don't follow the bullshit bands just to be on the radio and have people hear us, he concludes. We're gonna keep it hardcore and educational. We're not gonna follow suit because it cheapens the goal we're trying to achieve. You can hear that in what we do and that will never change.