At the intersection of Nassau and Augusta throughout the 90s was this little super crusty record store called WHOS EMMA. I didn’t like buying records there because there was a guy with a tusk through his septum working the cash. This store definitely had a very PC feel to it (you know … WHOS EMMA, if you don’t know who that is just google “emma”). Anyhow, my friends and I liked Integrity and that wasn’t cool apparently because dwid punched out some girl. But I heard she was trash and deserved it so what’s the big deal. So one thing was for sure, you could always find an Ignite release there and that was not a bad thing, until you went to an Ignite show and saw what a bunch of assholes those guys were. Fuck that band! At the back of WHOS EMMA there was this trap door which lead … TO A DUNGEON. Just kidding. It lead to the basement which was all cement and was totally dank and when bands played there it got so hot the paint came alive and got all over you.
The one thing that stands out most to me about WHOS EMMA as a venue for shows was that I hated watching bands but loved playing there. The best part was all you needed was 40 people to show up and the place was fucking packed. And as much as I say I hated going to shows there, I seem to remember some pretty memorable ones that came through. Definitely (although I wasn’t there) Trial playing to Gavel and Haliachuk must have been a great time. But off the top of my head, in this pretty much 10X18 (roughly?) space Shai Hulud, Ten Yard Fight, Time Flies, Ire, Dilligner Escape Plan, Botch, Day Of Mourning, A Death for Every Sin, Overcast, Skycamefalling, Twelve Tribes, Good Clean Fun, only to name a whole bunch. I’m sure I’m missing lots so lay them out in the comments.
So to sum it up: WHOS EMMA – great cuz it was pretty much free and you could put on a show any day of the week. Not so great because Lisa Lionleg would always try to sell you stale cookies or you’d have to listen to some crappy pc vinyl record when all I wanted was MY CALIFORNIA TAKEOVER CD FUUUUUCK! MORE SONGS WITH TONY VICTORY SINGING!
9 comments:
Dude, I don't think those cookies were stale. I'm pretty sure they were vegan, and supposed to taste like shit.
Oh yeah and the Swarm played there with Shai Hulud I think, and maybe Dillinger? My show memories start to blur together. We definitely played there with somebody.
Hmmm I know that Shai Hulud was on tour with Overcast. Confine played the Dillinger/Botch show, so maybe it was the former.
there was also that 'secret' swarm show there, but it might have been after the burlington posers got tossed out for never showing up to practice.
are to the lions a christian band?
due to photographic evidence (via the grade poster) I think Gavel and Haliechuk were at the Grade show at Erin Mills United Church the night of Trial at Who´s Emma.
Not sure what grade poster you mean. The one with all the people finger pointing? That was at club shanghai. I'm 99% sure they were at that Trial show because they put it on.
Some other shows to remember: Braid, In/Humanity, some crazy motherfuckers from Winnipeg (two of them looked like twins?) who had a good ol' tyme clearing the room with guitar swinging, and I wish I could remember the name of the band who started spouting pro-american nonsense and the so-called politically active crowd just stood there and took it. Every time I visit toronto I go by this space to see if it's come back to life and am disappointed every time. It is missed.
The Bonaduces, that was the band from Winnipeg. Good stuff.
I saw countdown to oblivion there and got a 2 litre bottle of root beer dumped on my head....that was after the full thing was thrown at some guy in the crowd.
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