Rehab For Quitters

S

o-called "Music for the hearing impaired..." made Rehab for Quitters plan clear enough.

In the mid 1970s punk rock seemed to have a goal in a sort of do-it-yourself ethos but somewhere between that time and the modern time the style of punk got lost in translation to the point that spiky haired teen and twenty-nothings masquerade as punks while making music that is only a baby step higher than bubble-gum teeny pop.

Rehab For Quitters came on the market to perform for the old-school disillusioned punk rock fans that were thinking of "quitting" the punk rock scene. Sonically, they would be loud, fast and aggressive with plenty of hooks and memorable sing-along choruses, while their stripped-down guitar, bass and drum attack combines fero and technical skill.

Having formed around 2003 the Toronto, Canada based band featuring Dan Lobalsamo (vocals/guitar), and brothers Mattand Chris Gee on drums and bass respectively quickly set about to make a loud impression on the local scene by playing dozens of shows, including gigs at the Reverb, Kathedral, El Mocambo, Club 279, a the open aired public Dundas Square, and even the Molson Indy yearly auto racing event.

As songwriters, they've amassed an impressive body of work in a short amount of time.

Their aptly titled 3-song demo EP, Leave 'Em Wanting More (2006), proved to be a good indication of their strengths as a band. It was fast, loud, uncompromising rock and Roll, with lyrics that run the gamut from heartfelt to humorous to in-your-face aggression (as in the lead off song Homewrecker). While the influence of bands such as the The Misfits, Social Distortion and the Ramones can be heard, they have not been afraid to branch out and shades of 60's vocal groups like the Shangri-Las can be heard in tracks like Punk rock Girl.