Sex work, the "oldest profession" has always been one of those tricky jobs made into a languid moral debate that places practitioners into the dangerous no-mans land of legal limbo. Like the war on drugs, prostitution is never going to disappear, and attempts made to its further criminalization only make sex work extremely dangerous for those who do it.
We're putting out "Year of the Pig" in June, which will address some of the issues brought up in 2007 surrounding of sex work, specifically the trial of Robert Pickton in British Columbia, following the disappearance of more than 60 prostitutes. All too often victims are made the scape goats, chosen to characterize and wear the sin or moral outrage society chooses to place on particular activities. While it is prostitutes who are arrested, raped and murdered trying to make a living, they are also made to internalize and launder our own guilt and shame surrounding these issues.
SPOC, the Sex Professionals of Canada, work to make prostitution (which is not illegal in Canada) a safer occupation for its practitioners. They work to decriminalize those aspects of sex work that remain illegal (read the article), work to organize prostitutes toward activism and maintain a "bad date list" as a safety measure against bad johns.
Hard issues like sex work, drugs, poverty are issues that people are often afraid to face head on, yet usually have direct effects on people who they make live or work most closest to. SPOC deals with these issues every day, and we are proud to make this attempt to support their work. So please flood the block for this benefit:
SATURDAY JUNE 2 2007 AT THE TRANZAC CLUB (Corner of Bloor and Brunswick) 7pm ALL AGES $10
ALSO: We haven't cancelled any shows from the summer tour - we just haven't announced the ones that aren't completely booked yet! We are not playing Denver, and we are never playing Seattle again.
Also here is a real quick UK update - some of the details are still "spotty". There may be a Bristol or Brighton show added.
Thu May 17th London UK @ The Old Blue Last 39 Great Eastern Road FUCKED UP
Fri May 18th Sheffield UK @DNR Bar 25 Arundel Gate FUCKED UP
Sat May 19th Leeds UK @ The Fenton161 Woodhouse Lane 8pm All Ages £6 FUCKED UP GEOFFRY OICOTT GODS CHOSEN DEALERS DEATH HAND APPROACHING Tickets at http://www.outofstep.co.uk
Sorry for the delay in this update, we've been busy with Year of the Pig.
First of all - everyone who is planning on buying plane tickets to get to the Hidden World shows at the end of May, just hold up, because we might have to postpone them. More info later please.
Likewise, we are no longer playing with Art Brut in Brooklyn or Manhattan next week - sorry!
Here are a bunch of shows we've confirmed - if the town you live in isn't one of these, please complain about it either as a comment or by emailing Hexamander at vibrationandhum @ hotmail.com
Thu June 21 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania @ Lawrenceville Moose 150 51st St 6pm All Ages $10 FUCKED UP THIS IS HELL BLACKLISTED CAUSTIC CHRIST KIM PHUC
Sun June 24 Nashville Tennesee @ The Muse 8pm All Ages $10 FUCKED UP HOLLYWOOD COWBOY DYNAMITE DOLARHYDE
Wed June 27 Las Cruces New Mexico @ The Farm 500 Belen FUCKED UP SHANG A LANG DESPOTIC ROBOT
Fri June 29 Los Angeles California @ 1269 E 6th 8PM All Ages $6 FUCKED UP HIT ME BACK CARRY THE CASKET
Sat June 30 Berkely California @ 924 Gilman FUCKED UP LORI AND THE CHAMELEONS
Fri July 6 Olympia Washington @ Manium 421 4th Ave 8pm All Ages $7 FUCKED UP SEX VID ADAM SKY
Sat July 7 Vancouver BC @The Ukranian Cultural Center 805 Pender Vancouver 8pm All Ages $10 FUCKED UP THE TRANZMITORS CARPENTER
Sun July 8 Edmonton Alberta @ Teddy's 11361 Jasper Ave 7pm All Ages $8 FUCKED UP HI JINKS SECRET FIRES IN IRONS
Mon July 9 Regina Saskatchewan @ The Exchange 2431 8th Ave 306-780-9494 8pm All Ages $8 FUCKED UP FATTONY AND THE SHITHEADS DEADPOOL LIFE IN HAND INVISIBLE LEADER
Tue July 10 Winnepeg Manitoba @ The Collective Caberet 108 Osborne St 7pm Doors FUCKED UP UNDER PRESSURE ARCHIGRAM
Wed July 11 Minneapolis Minnesota @ The Triple Rock 5pm All Ages $8 FUCKED UP LA BELLE EPOQUE
Thursday July 12 Chicago Illinois @ The Beat Kitchen 2100 W. Belmont 60618 FUCKED UP REGRESS DISROBE
Fri July 13 Cedar Falls Iowa @ The Boathouse Corner of 1st and Center 50613 6pm All Ages $6 FUCKED UP MODERN LIFE IS WAR SO LONG HOLY FUCKING GHOST
Sat July 14 Lawrence Kansas @ The Jackpot Saloon 943 Massachusetts St 7pm All Ages $7 FUCKED UP DARK AGES HAIRY BELAFONTE (get it?) SPOOK LIGHTS Mon July 16 Chamblee Georgia @ The Shop 3875 Green Industrial Way 6pm All Ages $10 FUCKED UP DOWN TO NOTHING VERSE I RISE ALLEGIANCE LET DOWN
Lastly, we've recorded two new songs, and both will appear on a strictly "gig-only" 45 rpm that will be available for purchase at the following show:
(the fine print at the bottom reads: "If we come to the show with a mustache the Brits will think its hilarious". Also this is called a "pass-out", not a flier.) Full update on the UK dates in May as soon as Jase finished watching football.
