Armed and Hammered

Armed and Hammered was a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, spawned from the Kensington Market, BFG (Bunchofuckingoofs) scene. They played their first show June 7, 1989, and their final show on April 19, 2003.[1][2] Originally formed by singer Mopa Dean, the bassist for Masochistic Religion, a gothic rock band from Toronto Ontario, Canada,[3] and drummer Kyle, the earliest lineup also included Lamo, Philphee and BFG's Thor.[4] By the time of Armed & Hammered's first release in 1991, the Fully Loaded cassette the latter three had given way to Hardcore Dave (guitar) and Kieran (bass), beginning the long revolving door of membership.[5]

Armed & Hammered
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresHardcore punk
Years active1989–present
LabelsRansom Note Recordings, Subvert & Deny, Obese
Associated actsThe Restarts, Bunchofuckingoofs, The Varukers, Jaww, Suckerpunch, The G-Men, Masochistic Religion
Past membersMopa Dean, Kyle, Big John, Kurf, Cindy Beattie, Mark Dickinson, Rick Giroux, Hardcore Dave, Doug McLarty, Kieran, Dorian Wilde, Philphee, Thor, Lamo

Armed and Hammered briefly reunited to play a set in support of GBH for their tour visit to Toronto in July 2010 and reformed in May 2012

In 1992, guitarists Big John and Dorian Wilde had replaced Hardcore Dave. This line-up was featured on the next several releases: the split 7-inch records with Suckerpunch and Oppressed Logic and tracks on the various artists compilations Dead on the Road and Living in Fear.

They were once banned from a repeat performance on Much Music. It was when they were playing Live at the Kumbaya festival in 1995. Kumbaya was a festival held at the Molson Amphitheatre to benefit people living with aids which was broadcast live across Canada on Much Music. They were removed from the rebroadcast the next day and their performance was replaced with an REM video.

Over the course of the mid-1990s, the band's line-up would change several times. Guitarist Wilde left in 1994 and was replaced the following year by Kurf. Soon after, Kieran moved to the UK where he toured with The Varukers and formed The Restarts. He was replaced by Rick Giroux, who was in turn replaced in 1997 by former Heatseekers and Suckerpunch bassist, Cindy Beattie.[6]

The debut full-length, "It's About Fucking Time", was recorded over much of 1996 and 1997 and features both Rick and Cindy. The CD also features re-recordings of many of the songs from earlier releases. It also spent some time in the independent charts in Canada.[6]

In 1998, Kurf left the band and in 1999 was replaced by former Abalienation guitarist, Mark Dickinson. In 2000, following the release of The Negative Aspect of Positive Thinking CD, Mark returned to the US, leaving Armed and Hammered once again with one guitarist. In 2000, Mopa left the group to be replaced by Jaww singer, Doug McLarty. After Mopa's departure the group became mostly inactive, playing only a handful of gigs before their final shows in early 2003. Mopa formed The G-Men in 2002,[7] who played at least one gig with Armed & Hammered, on November 15, 2002, at Sneaky Dee's in Toronto.[2] These final shows featured the return of former members Kurf and Rick.

Current (2012)
  • Kyle – drums, member of Murder Squad, former member of Ulcer, Fuck Knuckles and PolitiKILL inCOREct
  • Mopa Dean – vocals, also member of Masochistic Religion, The G-Men
  • Big John – guitar, member of Murder Squad
  • Jamie "G" – guitar, member of The G-Men
  • Preston "Wounded Paw" – bass, member of Terminals, Murder Squad, former member of Spasms and Ulcer

Past
  • Thor (BFG) Hammersen – bass, member of Bunchofuckingoofs, Perdition, Ride at Dawn and Blast Furnace
  • Steve "Lamo" – guitar
  • Phil "Philphee" Saunders – bass
  • Kieran Plunkett – bass, member of The Varukers, The Restarts
  • Kurf – guitar, former member of PolitiKILL inCOREct, Yeti
  • Doug McLarty – vocals, former member of Jaww
  • Rick Giroux – bass, member of The G-Men and Son of Bronto, former member of Sinking Ships
  • Cindy Beattie – bass, former member of Suckerpunch, The Heatseekers, Sharkskin
  • Dorian Wilde – guitar, former member of Suckerpunch
  • Mark Dickinson – guitar, member of Others, Bloodsucking Freaks, former member of Abalienation
  • Hardcore Dave – guitar, Former member of Bunchofuckingoofs, Nunoyerfuckinbizznizz, no ID, land fill, other side projects
  • Allyson Baker – guitar, member of Dirty Ghosts, former member of Teen Crud Combo, Shuttlecocks
  • John Grove – bass, member of Bunchofuckingoofs

Discography
  • Fully Loaded (Cassette, Independent) 1991
  • Armed & Hammered / Suckerpunch Split 7-inch (7-inch record, Independent) 1993
  • Armed & Hammered / Oppressed Logic Split 7-inch (7-inch record, Ransom Note Recordings, USA) 1995
  • I'm More Punk Rock than You (7-inch record, Subvert & Deny Records, USA) 1996
  • Don't Mess with Punk (Cassette, Independent) 1995
  • It's About Fucking Time (CD, Obese Records, USA) 1997
  • Negative Aspects of Positive Thinking (CD / Cassette, Independent) 2000

Various Artists Compilations
  • Dead on the Road (CD, Raw Energy Records) 1994
  • Living in Fear (CD, Ransom Note Recordings, USA) 1995
  • Raw Energy Records (CD, Raw Energy Recs./Shock Records,Australia) 1999
  • Disease Control: Vol. 1 (CD, MUCK Records) 1999

References
  1. Canadian Indie Band Database. . Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  2. Random Killing Show Listings. . Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  3. Masochistic Religion – Bio Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Punk History Canada. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 24, 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link). Retrieved August 23, 2007.
  5. Armed & Hammered Discography. . Retrieved from the Internet Archive August 23, 2007.
  6. Armed & Hammered. MAXIMUMROCKNROLL No. 185 (October 1998).
  7. Torontomusicscene.com – GMen Archived May 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
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