Charlotte Briedé, Anita Smith, Janet Martin, Kathleen Robertson, Michelle Breslin, Donna Dresch, Torry Colichio, Don Pyle, Joel Wasson, Charlie Salmon, Anne McLean
The band took the name Fifth Column from their interpretation of an alleged military manoeuvre by fascist Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War, in which Nazi-aligned nationalist insurrectionists within besiegedRepublicanMadrid, called the Fifth column, aided the four columns (north, south, east and west) outside the city's perimeters.
Soon after forming, the group became involved in the Cassette culture of the 1980s. Their first release was a selection of songs on the cassette compilation Urban Scorch released by Some Product in 1981. GB Jones, Caroline Azar and Candy Parker released an underground xerox art/social commentary zine named Hide, of which they published five issues. After its first issue, they came out with audio cassettes that were compilations of music by their punk, post-punk and experimental contemporaries, like Anti-Scrunti Faction, The Dave Howard Singers, Mydolls, The Party's Over, Really Red, Rongwrong, and Michael Phillip Wojewoda, as well as Fifth Column. It is important to note that mainstream local media/middle-of-the-road maligners of the group, were a mix of music reporters/columnists who were both female and male, uncomfortable with the sound and performance, not considered palatable at the time. The trend behind the attacks were based on the band's approach to their genderific sketch of themselves as Second Wave feminists, disrupting populist ideas of being, songwriting, language and image. The commercial and careerist alternative scenes made of hetero-normative and gay assimilationists were also most threatened. The few Canadians in the media championing were: Radio Hosts/Journalists; CKLN's Denise Benson, The Eye's Chris O'Connor, The Sun's John Sakamoto, The Globe and Mail's Liam Lacey, CBC Brave New Wave's hosts Brent Banbury and Kevin Komoda. The Fifth Column sound forged on Vinyl, would not be, without the deftness of Producers/Engineers: Peter D. Hudson (Dundrells), Walter Sobczak (Sturm Group), MP Wojewoda and the elusive Jack Freimanis. The aforementioned actualized the sound that Jones and Azar were aiming for. There were no female producers available or interested at that innate time in Toronto history and culture. There were many girls close to the group who were inspiring friends/muses, and many of them appeared in the music video "Donna", like Jena Von Brucker, Mic Hell, Norma Jean LeFebvre and Ottilie Mason.
Their first vinyl release was the 7" Boy-Girl EP produced in 1983 by Voicepondence Records.
A song from this LP, "The Fairview Mall Story" was based on true events concerning media publication of the names of men arrested after being entrapped by police and was instrumental in paving the way for the emergence of the queercore scene. Their video for the song, directed by indie feature film director Steven Rumbelow, involved 50's images of men cruising in their new cars, shopping malls, and car crashes, was intercut with the band and go-go dancer Bruce La Bruce. A video for the song "Where Are they Now?" was also made, directed by Marc de Guerre.
Their live shows often included films played overtop of the band and a 'go-go' boy dancing. They were frequently accompanied by guest musicians who played instruments as varied as saxophone, trumpet, flute, or violin.
Independent-minded, they released their recordings, including their second full-length recording All-Time Queen Of The World, themselves. A video for the song "Like This" from the album was directed by Bruce LaBruce with the band. The band also appeared on a number of compilations.
In 1992 they released a single, "All Women Are Bitches", on the independent record labelK Records. "All Women Are Bitches" was produced by Walter Sobczak and Fifth Column.[1] Despite being controversial and receiving little airplay, the recording was reviewed by Everett True and voted "Single Of The Week" in the UK music publication Melody Maker. This song was included as well on their last full-length recording, 36C, released in 1994. That same year a video for the song Donna was also released. It was the flipside of the 1992 single and was also on the album.
Caroline Azar again teamed up with G.B. Jones to create the installation/performance The Bruised Garden in 2013 at The Theatre Centre in Toronto, Ontario, which included music composed by the pair and credited to Fifth Column, making this their last song written together.
Band members have performed with other groups as well. Caroline Azar has recorded with Kickstand from New York, and Jolly Tambourine Man, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, Greek Buck and Hidden Cameras from Toronto. Since the breakup of the band: Azar produces her librettos/compositions for her dramatic musicals MAN-O-REXIC and D.I.N.K and other musical commissions. In 2015, Azar combined Wilfred Owen's anti-war poem Anthem for Doomed Youth with original music she composed for Peter Hinton's play The End at Theatre 20. Azar surprised audiences with her (2018 and 2019) two-part one-woman comedy stand up walking tour/lecture on the absurdity of civics, expressly written for actress-comedienne Jamillah Ross as PEO Rita Mae Nelson entitled "St. Peon Of The People and St. Peon of Parkdale. The third installment was entitled St. Peon Of The Planet and was slated to go to The Edinburgh Festival, also starring GB Jones and Joel Gibb.
Beverly Breckenridge toured with The Spinnanes and was also a member of Phono-Comb.
Prior to her involvement with Fifth Column, Jones was part of the electropunk band Bunny and the Lakers. She has collaborated with the Italian dark ambient group Mariae Nascenti and appeared on the single "Party With The Devil" by Agnoema. Jones now performs with Opera Arcana. In 2015, Caroline Azar teamed up with Opera Arcana to create a theatrical performance called The Bruised Spirits of Southern Ontario, an adult gothic folk musical experience based on the music of Opera Arcana, featuring Jones and Minus Smile (formerly of Kids On TV). Azar wrote the story (inspired by Jones' and Kerr's trance-based meditations) and directed and produced the experimental multi media event for Opera Arcana at Videofag (run by Jordan Tannahill and William Ellis). Opera Arcana appeared as guest musicians on UK artist Nick Hudson's 2016 release Ganymede In A State of War. In 2017, Opera Arcana recorded an original soundtrack for the film Downroad by Kelly Wydryk, released on CD in 2019.
Merrill Nisker, better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electroclash musician and producer.
Queercore is a cultural/social movement that began in the mid-1980s as an offshoot of the punk subculture and a music genre that comes from punk rock. It is distinguished by its discontent with society in general, and specifically society's disapproval of the LGBT community. Queercore expresses itself in a DIY style through magazines, music, writing and film.
Gordon is the debut studio album by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. It was released through Sire Records on July 28, 1992. After The Yellow Tape was certified platinum in Canada, the group won a contest hosted by a local radio station. With the winnings, Barenaked Ladies were able to hire producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda and record the album at Le Studio, north of Montreal, Quebec, Chalet Recording Studios, and Reaction Studios. Though most of the album was recorded without incident, difficulty with "The King of Bedside Manor" caused the band to record the track naked—a tradition they would continue on other albums. Horn parts, guest vocalists, and nods to other bands including Rush allowed Barenaked Ladies to expand on the sound they had developed while touring. "They had a real clarity about what they wanted [the album] to be ... I just captured what it is they do", said Wojewoda.
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the other core members of the band are Justin Peroff (drums), Andrew Whiteman (guitar) and Charles Spearin (guitar).
Michael Phillip Wojewoda is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has been nominated for eight Juno Awards and has received one for Recording Engineer of the Year and one for Producer of the Year.
The Trinity Session is the second studio album by Canadian alternative country band Cowboy Junkies, released in early 1988 by Latent Recordings in Canada, and re-released worldwide later in the year on RCA Records. "Working on a Building" and "Blue Moon Revisited " did not appear on the Latent Records release. "Blue Moon Revisited" was originally released on It Came from Canada, Vol. 4 (1988), a compilation of Canadian independent bands.
Don Pyle is a Canadian record producer and musician, who has also been a member of multiple bands. Pyle is openly gay.
Caroline Azar is a director and playwright. She was the lead singer, keyboardist and co-lyricist/composer of the band Fifth Column.
Robert Neil "Bob" Wiseman is a film composer, songwriter, author and music teacher. Wiseman discovered or produced many artists including Ron Sexsmith, The Lowest of the Low, Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall, Anhai, and former Canadian member of parliament Andrew Cash. He is a founding member of Blue Rodeo with whom he won 5 Juno Awards.
Kurt Swinghammer is a Canadian singer-songwriter and visual artist based in Toronto.
Donna Dresch is an American punk rock musician, perhaps best known as founder, guitarist and bass guitarist of Team Dresch.
Fucked Up is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band consists of guitarists Mike Haliechuk and Josh Zucker, bassist Sandy Miranda, lead vocalist Damian Abraham and drummer Jonah Falco. From 2007 to 2021, the band also included guitarist and vocalist Ben Cook.
36C is the third studio album by the Canadian post-punk band Fifth Column, released in 1994 by K Records. The album cover features a photo of Jena von Brücker in a scene from the film The Yo-Yo Gang. The song "All Women Are Bitches" has been covered and sampled by Lesbians on Ecstasy as "Bitschy" in 2004 and by Kids on TV in 2005.
Beverly Breckenridge is a musician, composer, and actress from Toronto, Ontario. She played bass for the bands Fifth Column and Phono-Comb.
Timber Timbre is a Canadian music group, featuring Taylor Kirk. The moniker refers to an early series of recordings made in a timber-framed cabin set in the wooded outskirts of Bobcaygeon, Ontario.
Bruce Peninsula is a Canadian indie rock band, whose style has been described as "a near indescribable and rousing potpourri of prog, gospel, folk, rock, pop and country." The band consists of core members Matt Cully on vocals and guitar, Misha Bower on vocals, Neil Haverty on vocals, guitar and metallophone, Andrew Barker on bass guitar and lap steel and Steve McKay on drums.
G. B. Jones is a Canadian artist, filmmaker, musician, and publisher of zines. She is best known for producing J.D.s and her Tom Girls drawings.
All Women Are Bitches is a single by the Toronto band Fifth Column.
To Sir With Hate is the debut album by Canadian post punk band Fifth Column, released in 1985 on Hide Records. Considered a classic of Canadian music, it was named a shortlisted nominee in the 1976-1985 category for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize, the 2017 Polaris Music Prize, and the 2018 Polaris Music Prize.
She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Kevin Hegge and released in 2012. The film centres on the history of Fifth Column, a punk rock band from Toronto, Ontario, who were early innovators in the queercore movement.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
