Adios Choke, Fare Thee Well… April 5th, 2007
So it’s official. Choke have decided to end their amazing career. This incredible band has been with us since 1996 and have played countless shows across North America. We have loved working with them, and love them and their music. It is a sad day for us, but only because we love to see them play. Perhaps over the next few days we’ll post some of the great stories ...although they may only be funny to us.
They’ll be doing one big tour of Canada to wind it down. See below for our official press release:
After thirteen years of blood, sweat, and forty-hour drives, Smallman Records stalwart, Choke, has announced their final tour. Beginning May 2 Choke will be hitting the road for an extensive good-bye tour that will take them across Canada from Moncton, NB to Victoria, BC. Joining them on this tour will be label-mates Ghosts of Modern Man for central and eastern dates and Daggermouth for the west.
Critics and fans alike have praised Choke for their incomparable, innovative, and experimental approach to post-hardcore and punk. Intricately layered, complex and technical, Choke’s sound managed to remain distinct and original throughout their entire discography.
Originally forming in 1994, Choke released Lotion in 1995, followed a year later by Give’er. Choke signed to Smallman in 1997 after sending a cassette that had been lodged under the seat of their car for what must have been months. Crinkled, covered in mud and barely audible, that cassette was enough to seal the deal and Smallman released Needless to Say in 1998. Foreword followed in 1999, There’s A Story to this Moral in 2002, and Slow Fade OR: How I Learned To Question Infinity in 2005.
Now, thirteen years later, this seminal force in Canadian punk has sadly come to an end. Choke’s drummer Stefan Levasseur explains,
‘After a handful of videos, six full-length albums, and countless tours, stories, and new friends we have decided to officially announce the end of the band.
‘The Choke experience has been incredibly fulfilling. Not only have we managed to skip out on working real jobs and growing up for a decade longer than what is socially acceptable but, in being given the opportunity to live out our dreams, we have experienced and enjoyed life to its fullest. Through our travels, we have explored the continent on an intimate level and have subsequently met a wealth of people of whom many are now close friends. We thank those of you who have shared unforgettable moments with us for the friendship and inspiration.
‘In the end, it seems that, as is too often the case, life is getting in the way of living. It would be impossible for us to dedicate the time necessary to write another album we could be more proud of than Slow Fade: or How I Learned to Question Infinity and we feel that touring one last time across Canada and celebrating the last thirteen years with all of you is more befitting the end of this stage of our lives.”
Choke’s Final Tour
May 2 - Winnipeg, MB @ The Collective
May 4 - Thunder Bay, ON @ Kilroy’s
May 5 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ Glow
May 6 - Barrie, ON @ The Foundation
May 7 - Hamilton, ON @ Underground
May 8 - London, ON @ Call The Office
May 10 - Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club
May 11 - Quebec City, QC @ L’Anti Hall
May 12 - Halifax, NS @ The Attic
May 13 - Halifax, NS @ The Pavilion
May 14 - Moncton, NB @ The Paramount
May 15 - Trois-Rivieres, QC @ Maquisart
May 16 - Ottawa, ON @ Maverick’s
May 17 - Montreal, QC @ TBA
June 1 - Victoria, BC @ Lucky’s
June 2 - Vancouver, BC @ The Waldorf
June 3 - Whistler, BC @ Garfinkel’s
June 7 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange
June 8 - Calgary, AB @ Broken City
June 9 - Edmonton, AB @ Starlite
Category: Choke
