Strobic Axe

Strobic Axe (1979-1981) Were it not for The Sex Pistols, this might not have happened at all…import copies of Anarchy In The UK and God Save The Queen were almost contraband at the local Sam The Record Man in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada in 1977…and four high school students, with different motives and agendas, were trying to sort it all out. And so Strobic Axe was born in the halls of Adam Scott C.V.I.. A David Bowie freak, an Ace Frehley wannabe, and two Rush –aholics, who all shared an ambition to be rock stars, and fit more power chords, bass notes and drums fills within a bar of music than might be decently possible. It was a stirring underground noise… In February 1979, Strobic Axe came out of the basement. Michael Bell/vocals, John Crown/drums, Rick Kemp/bass and Alex Stangl/guitar played a raucous set of original songs, peppered with just enough Cheap Trick and David Bowie to mesmerize a captive audience at an assembly in the school gymnasium. The boys were hooked. From that gig until their last in December of 1981, the band played the bars and outdoor summer festivals of Southern Ontario. In February 1981, Strobic Axe, managed by Rob Franke, released a 11 song vinyl LP titled Hor Einmal Zu!. (You can listen to the album in the player above). They were turbulent musical times. John Lennon was tragically taken from the world. Somewhere in their minds the boys felt history and the universe were positioning them for world dominance. It never happened. Or did it? In many ways they achieved a lasting and convincing cult status. During their 3 years together, the band developed a devoted following that recorded their many live shows and rehearsals. Each gig was an event. A life altering experience…so they say... As 1981 came to a close, the band played one last midnight dance in Hastings, Ontario to a packed pavilion. Drugs, underage drinking, unrestrained egos and manic-depressive illness were shutting down the dream, whatever it was. The Strobic Axe story was over. Or was it? Through the years there would be many from the society of Strobic Axe revivalists that would attempt to coerce the band into another show, but the issues of old would resurface. And the legend in the minds of many would loom even larger. Michael Bell went on to publish an underground leftist entertainment magazine; John Crown became a drum teacher, session musician and producer; Rick Kemp became a newspaper editor; Alex Stangl navigated the world of mania and depression on a steady diet of lithium pills, though he continued to write and produce songs in a poorly lit basement, making ends meet by driving a taxi. Their paths did cross on occasion, but there was always too much baggage from the past along for the ride.