The Exploders Blow Up Rock ’N' Roll

If there was ever any doubt that The Exploders are a good band, two topless women who went virtually unnoticed at the band's CD release party earlier this year, proving the audience wasn't easily distracted from the stage. "Apparently one guy noticed or something," says Craig Daniels, the band's songwriter and guitarist. "I think they just pulled their shirts back up because no one noticed. I think they were more embarrassed about that than anything…It was like a non-event." Anyone (topless or otherwise) in the Toronto area who likes energy-fueled, high-powered rock ’n' roll are well-advised to check these guys out Saturday night at the Horseshoe Tavern when they open for Montreal's Tricky Woo. It will be their last show for a while since these Toronto guys are planning to go on a bit of a break. Daniels describes The Exploders' live show as "just fun, sweaty, rock ’n' roll." "We don't want to be exactly like Motorhead where you feel like you've been injured by the end of the set," he says. "We want to have a good, hard-rocking, fun, driving show." Their debut full-length album, New Variations, was released in September on Teenage USA Records and has been getting good reviews. Before coming together in 1998, Simon Pius (vocals), Johnny La Rue (drums), Greg Tymoshenko and Craig Daniels were involved in other projects like The Leather Uppers, The Stinkies, The Starkweather Fix and Smallmouth. Drummer La Rue explains that The Exploders is the natural evolution of their talents as combined musicians. "This is definitely a continuation, a growth… We're having a hell of a lot of fun," he says. Daniels adds that people are still having trouble pigeon-holing the band. "When we started as a band, each member had a style that they brought in and we all morphed towards a common goal."That goal was taking their diverse musical backgrounds and creating their own unique, unified sound. Daniels says that he hopes their music is unpredictable. The Exploders are itching to record that unpredictable sound again. They already have plenty of songs to release another album, but it will have to wait until the money is there. There are also plans for a journey to Europe next summer. —April Labine