Hardcore in the Valley: Spotlight on punk sound emerging from outside Ottawa

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Hockey. Fiddle music. And trucks.

For Orrin Alexander, it seemed like that's all anyone in the Ottawa Valley cared about — at least when he was growing up in the tiny community of Beachburg, near Pembroke, Ont.

In fact, he says the area's lack of "creative endeavours" prompted him and many of his friends to leave after graduating — in his case to pursue his love of film by studying in southern Ontario.

That is until about three years ago, when he noticed something different was happening.

"Right around the time of the pandemic … it seemed like suddenly there was this burst of creativity," he recalled.

Specifically, he noticed a new kind of music in an area known for rock, blues and traditional fiddle music: hardcore punk.

"It was a cool thing to see that there was people doing it back in my hometown. Kind of a shock, I guess."

Alexander decided he wanted to document the community's growth, and that juxtaposition, in a piece for CBC Ottawa's Creator Network called Hockeytown Hoedown.

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Sparked at the skate park

Alexander turned his camera on a group of young musicians from several hardcore and metal bands that sprung up thanks to a combination of the pandemic and skate park connections.

For example, Qwan is made up of friends who either skate together or met at a local street and skatewear shop. The band had its first show at — where else — Pembroke's skate park. 

Bassist Graham Pinkerton said he was surprised by how open the crowd was to the new sound.

"I'm only 25, right? So I don't know the history of music here," said Pinkerton, "but we were like, 'I've never seen a hardcore band play here.'" 

Once they started playing, lead singer Quinton Kennedy said the reception was "awesome."

"There was a mosh pit at the skate park and people were throwing down and it was just something we'd all dreamed of, but never thought would really happen in Pembroke. And it was happening right before our eyes. It was magical."

Pandemic sound

Kennedy credits the pandemic for getting him into hardcore music, explaining he moved in with friend and fan Jeremy Bouchard to protect his parents from potential exposure to COVID-19 while he worked at a local pizza parlour.

After the two became roommates "then Qwan started becoming a thing," he said.

Fellow musician Levi Post credits COVID-19, which shut down classes at Humber College, for sending him back home to the Valley and rekindling his connections with fellow hardcore musicians.

He's now involved with two local groups, Post and Mach Zero, and has become the de facto booker for many metal shows.

The groups say local venues including a country bar called Lasso Live and a newly renovated basement venue called Legends with giving them a space to perform.

"The owner saw how many people came out for our first show there and he's like, 'Yeah, you guys need to come back,'" said Pinkerton.

Local reaction

Kennedy admits there's an interesting dynamic when the new hardcore bands bump up against an audience of regulars, or those who prefer country or blues.

"You'll get the random local showing up for a country night, they're in their cowboy boots and they look around and they're like, 'Oh, what have I walked in on?'" he said.

"But it's cool, because a lot of them do stick around and seem to enjoy the music anyway."

Kennedy said by the end of most shows the crowd has started to dance and mosh.

"We even had my grandma in the pit one time. I was terrified to watch it, but it happened."

All in a Day12:50Hardcore in the Valley

Orrin Alexander was surprised to learn about a new punk community popping up in his hometown of Pembroke. He documented the emerging sound for CBC Ottawa’s Creator Network.

It's a sentiment echoed by local musician Randa Teschner, who says for her, one of the great things about the Valley is how the community of musicians works together across genres.

After meeting some local hardcore musicians at a show, the folk-rock musician says she immediately found herself with a backup band, the encouragement she needed to release a debut album and an appreciation for a new kind of music.

"I really can't understand what they're saying, but I get lost in the music, just watching. It's insane to watch, and I can't take my eyes off of it."

More going on in the Valley

For Alexander, the growing community has softened his stance on life in the Valley.

"I had a narrow kind of focus on my hometown when I was growing up," he said. Now he finds when he goes home, there's music to see and a creative community to connect with.

"I would say there's things happening in the Valley for sure. You just kind of have to look for it." 

These hardcore musicians say they have one piece of advice for the growing number of younger people who've been approaching them after their shows: If you want to start a band, just do it.

"Make it your own. That was my biggest thing about being in the Valley," said Post. "We're the ones putting on the shows cause no one else is going to do it for us."

"There's nothing else to do around here, so you might as well give 'er a go," added Kennedy.