LOCAL MOTION: MIKE USINGER

Original Article

There’s no shortage of hipster-approved hot spots on Main Street, so it says something about Joey Only that he chooses Duffin’s Donuts as a meeting place. When the Georgia Straight sits down with the ex–squeegee kid turned anti-folksinger, there’s not a white-belted scenester to be found. At the tables out front, 40-something labourers slurp coffee served in white Styrofoam cups. Inside, pensioners who moved to Main decades before it was cool occupy tables that, two years from now, will no doubt be packed with the same indie-rock kids who line up at Bon’s Off Broadway. For now, though, Duffin’s is the domain of the poor and the working class, which is why Only likes it.

If the Ontario expat identifies with those who don’t have a lot, it’s because he’s been there. A few years back, he spent time thumbing rides on Canadian roads and highways. That taught him a valuable lesson: we’re not all created equal. It’s no surprise then that Only’s debut disc, Radical Folk of the Great White North, finds him coming down passionately on the side of the world’s socially and economically disenfranchised.

“Hitchhiking all over the place in my teenage years taught me a lot about the class system in this country,” says the singer, wearing a military-green baseball cap and sporting a variety of crudely inked tattoos. “The people in silver SUVs were the ones that would never pick you up. It would always be the poor and the working people. Those are the same people who support you when you’re busking or squeegeeing.”

Radical Folk of the Great White North casts Only as a wry social commentator who sets often-personal stories to ragged-ass acoustic guitar, footstomp percussion, wheezy harmonica, and, occasionally, back-porch fiddle. The album’s standouts—which include “The Best Years” and “Song for a BC Fightback”—sound a bit like a defiantly DIY version of a young Bob Dylan, this being partly because of Only’s world-weary voice and partly because of his phrasing. Indeed, “The Best Years” is more than a bit indebted to “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, making it a great mix-tape companion to the beat-generation classic. Bring this up, though, and Only isn’t necessarily flattered.

“I like Bob Dylan, but in a lot of ways he pisses me off,” he says. “I mean you hear his music in Starbucks commercials and bank commercials. That’s really horrible. But Bob Dylan once said, ‘Trust the art, not the artist’ and that’s probably the only reason I still listen to him.”

Raised in Madoc, Ontario, Only didn’t set out to become the next Dylan—or, for that matter, the next Utah Phillips, Woody Guthrie, or Billy Bragg. Nonetheless, his journey to the frontlines as an activist started early. Although Madoc’s local record store wasn’t exactly stocked with records that turn wide-eyed small-town kids into political agitators, there were outlets for those who didn’t fit the big picture. For the past 15 years, the crustiest of Canada’s crusty punks have descended on a nearby property known as Spiderland Acres for an annual event called Punkfest.

“This guy Spider, who turned 69 this year, puts on this totally wild party,” Only says. “The craziest punk bands in Canada ever play it. You name them, and every year they are there.”

The festival made an impact on Only, who attended his first one as a kid. By the time he was in his teens, he was solidly into Toronto gutter punks like Random Killing, Bunchofuckingoofs, and Armed and Hammered. From there, Only got truly hardcore, playing in bands, living on the streets, becoming pissed off at the world and not afraid to show it.

“I was a youth who came from poverty, so I was really angry about a lot of things,” he says. “When you’re bitter, the punk scene is a good place to go. The gutter-punk scene was where I fit in—I squeegeed and all that shit, led that totally nasty life. For a long time I was killing myself with drinking.

“Eventually I went back to the country with nothing but an acoustic guitar,” Only continues. “That was about five years ago, and I found myself playing Johnny Cash songs. Next thing I knew I was doing acoustic-type stuff and, thanks to my involvement with radical groups, singing at protests across Canada.”

He ended up living in Vancouver by accident. After moving out West to take part in the Woodward’s squat a couple of years back, Only ended up with pneumonia. Forced to cancel a trip back home, he grew to like the West Coast, which is where he recorded Radical Folk.

At the moment, the future is a bit unclear for Only; arrested in Montreal in 2004 at an Anarchist Bookfair march, he was charged with smashing out the windows of a Ferrari. In a couple of weeks, he’ll head back East for the court case. What Only—at Under the Volcano on Sunday (August 7)—does know, however, is what he’d like to do with the rest of his life.

“The only reason that I wanted to be a folksinger was, with things like this big nasty trial coming up, I couldn’t be on the frontlines anymore,” he says. “So I needed to find a new way to speak my piece to the world. What people like about me is that I’ve been there. When I started singing and playing at benefits, I didn’t go ‘This is what I want to do for the next 20 years.’ But now I see that it’s very possible.”

According to Ontario-expat Joey Only, a former-squeegee kid turned country-singing workingman raconteur, the best thing to happen to his music was that he got arrested in Montreal in 2004.

Only was a piss and vinegar-filled anarchist activist who happened to play a little music before he was picked up by police at a Montreal Anarchist Bookfair march and was charged with smashing car windows. While he maintains his innocence, the conditions of his release included restrictions on attending protests.

"Once I had all those conditions where I couldn't protest, I went right towards music and put all my energy into that and recorded my first CD," says Only. "I had to go back a few times to fight the case so I just built my tour on it. In that sense it was good for my music because, before I was arrested, I never put as much effort into my music as I should."

What happened when all that angry anarchist energy got turned towards music? A kind of outlaw folk that edges on country, bluegrass, and anything else that Only's "world-weary" voice and foot-stomping acoustic guitar work can do. Oh, and at least a few Johnny Cash covers.

The result has been a pleasant buzz and comparisons to the likes of Billy Bragg, Arlo Guthrie, or even an anarchist version of Stompin Tom Connors.

With his legal worries finally dealt with, Only isn't planning to forget about his music to return to full-time activism. In fact, he feels that he's been able to connect with people better since he's become less aggressively political.

"When you are an activist you aren't on everyone's level, and not everyone can relate to you. Now I walk into small towns and there is a crowd of average Canadians and we talk and it's a very good experience for all of us."

As a former-punk now playing the folk/country genre, Only says his style caters to a wider variety of audiences than he ever did when he was in punk bands.

"One night I am at a punk show, the next night an activist show and then a redneck bar," he says. "When I used to play at punk rock shows 10 years ago there was only one audience and maybe people who weren't there would like it."

While this shift to reaching people with music rather than shouted words or street marches may indicate that Only isn't as angry as he once was, it doesn't mean that he's lost the fiery desire for change. He still sees himself as an anarchist, just a laid back one instead of intense and pushy.

"The Sun always rises every day and we still have a chance to make things better. We still have the day to seize."

"This album is for the working class people.  The country people.  The simple people," said Joey.  "The record is a real tribute to all of the radicals and rebellious people I see organize. A lot of the songs on the record are stories about that things that have happened to people across Canada involved with revolutionary activity," he explained.  "I'm am an anarchist. I believe in cooperation and problem solving and that record is a tribute to a lot of problem solvers who want to get  issues (such as poverty, deportation, homelessness and cuts to services) resolved."

Last Saturday, Joey Only spread his message to listeners at the Wilno Tavern and with only the sounds of his voice, acoustic guitar and stomping board, he shared with the community some of the stories that have really impacted the lives of those around him.

With an edgy start, Joey dedicated his set to Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke MP, Cheryl Gallant who he referred to as "a reactionary revolutionary."

It became clear right from the get go the Joey Only was not afraid to voice his opinions.  He has been doing just that for several years now and is not at all concerned if members of the audience share his view points.  However, he has found that some of his songs do strike a chord with listeners.

"One time I was playing the song Working Poor  (with lyrics that say) 'I deserve more I am the working poor', and this crowd of guys just started yelling after the song 'you're right I do deserve more. I hate my boss. I hate my job,'" said Joey. There is something amazing about that kind of response."

Growing up as an only child in small town Cooper Ontario (north of Madoc), Joey found out at an early age that he would have to entertain himself. With a family full of musicians and the support of his mother, Joey began learning to play guitar at the age of 14.

"I really got a guitar when I was 14. My mom said I should try bass guitar first because everyone needs a bass guitarist. Then I began jamming with my buddy right away and we eventually started a punk band called The Persecuted," he explained.  "I am still playing drums for a punk band here and there called The Arrested but for the last five years I have just kept with my acoustic guitar because I could be a one-man-band."

Joey, who refers to himself literally as Joey Only has been trying to get an album made for quite some time now but until recently, he was faced with too many financial burdens to overcome.  Finally, after many years of searching, he found enough people to help him make his dream come true.

"It took me a long time to make an original, creative CD," said Joey.  "So many people helped to sponsor the album like the Mohawk Mid Winter Society, the Tenant Action Group and the Industrial Workers of the World Vancouver.  They really helped me. They believed in it. That was the only way I'd ever make a CD," he concluded.   "That's why (the album is by) Joey Only and the Comrades...(the Comrades are) the people who came and helped and also the people who sponsored it."

There are many things that Joey learned while recording his first CD, things that he believes will make his next recording even better.

Currently, his is getting ready for several upcoming projects including his second album called Joey Only Oversimplified, some live recordings from performances in Montreal and gigs in his new home of Vancouver British Columbia.

"I'm doing a compilation (CD) against Gordon Campbell (The Premier of British Columbia) called Citizens Rule and it's going on sale next week," explained Joey.  "The message is 'One Thing Loud and Clear Screw Campbell." According to Joey, Campbell is a very viscous man with his policies. "He cuts out hospitals in small towns and forces people to drive two hours to get to an emergency room. That kills people. He also cuts off welfare by the tens of thousands and (then recipients are forced) to go on the streets."

Joey will also be performing at the Industrial Workers of the World's (an anarchist labour union) 100th anniversary party as well as the Under the Volcano festival, which will feature political workshops, speakers (from organizations like the Black Panther Party) and other musical acts.

"Things are really opening up for me a lot more now than ever before," said Joey.  "One thing I'm finding is that there is a lot of folk musicians who are lefty but there is not very many Woody Guthries to ever grace Canada who just went out and spoke the way it is. That's kind of been my goal to be a working class folk singer," he continued.  "Maybe I'll never make a lot of money but I speak my mind and I feel good about what I do because of that."

Now preparing to head back to the west coast, Joey looks back at his trip to Wilno with fond memories.

"I loved Wilno. It was a highlight of my trip," he said.  "I loved Rick Reimer and feel honoured that he came and played.  Barney McCaffrey was also great."

Every time you travel you get to bring some new stories home.