5 Questions with Rags #86 - Eli Surge

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I take a lot of new people to wrestling – Friends, siblings, parents, acquaintances, work associates, people I yell at on the street. I can say for near-certain that there is no one who connects with the crowd more instantaneously on a consistent basis than Eli Surge. BIRDS AREN'T REAL. The tinfoil hat (always with extras to indoctrinate the crowd). You know what this guy is about and from the moment he steps out from behind the curtain, it's entertaining as fuck. And this is before he gets into the ring with his very excellent wrestling – a hard-hitting and technical style, replete with flourishes like out-of-the-ring moonsaults. (It would be weird if a guy into aliens didn't have a moonsault in his arsenal right? Good call, Eli.)

I've only ever known Eli Surge as the Conspiracy Man – aliens, birds-as-surveillance, Bigfoot and whatnot – but, it wasn't always so, and the story of how it kinda came to be is now one of my favourite stories. “ The conspiracy gimmick started out of frustration, honestly. There was a company that formally ran in Vancouver that had a big show. Three of my friends were in a match with a fly-in talent and I was frustrated as to why I didn’t even get an opportunity on that show,” says Eli, talking to me while taking care of his laundry. “'Fuck you' to gender roles,” he says emphatically. Fuckin' eh, Eli.

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RAGSLANDIA - 5 Acts at Rifflandia 2024 that are (probably) going to get me out of the house

I can't fucking believe it's September. Wha happen?! But whatever, it's alright because I'm in Victoria and September means Rifflandia 'round these parts. It's tradition. We can have a long talk about the changes it's gone through since it came into our lives 16 years ago, (And please, send me a message or an email if you have thoughts about this. I love to talk about this.) but no matter what, it remains one of the biggest spots on the west coast music calendar. These days I have a hard time dragging myself out of the house most nights – I barely remember what FOMO feels like any more – but Rifflandia has more than a few things to get me out and onto the dance floor this year. There are some notable exceptions from the below list – Oliver Tree, Channel Tres and SkiiTour – who would normally be on this list, but I already wrote about them for the official Rifflandia magazine (It's a good-looking book. Go pick it up around town.), and despite breaking this two-writing rule below. This shit is already getting too long, so without further ado, here is a list of some of the acts that have my tired ass excited to get out into the world for some live fuckin' music.

REZZ
Friday, Main Stage, 10:50pm
This feels like cheating because –1) I wrote about REZZ in the official Rifflandia magazine this year and 2) I try not to touch the first couple of lines of a festival poster because obviously people are gonna go see those acts. They're the headliners. That's why they're there. And maybe I'm writing to this to rouse myself into staying out past 10pm, a thing I rarely do anymore, but if there's something to keep me out of my house and engaged at this time of night at the end of the work week, it's probably REZZ. It's dark, hella groovy and really fucking heavy bass music. Both of my previous encounters from the alien bass-dealer left me with a physical feeling I cannot describe here. Seriously, my body felt different after feeling the effects of her deep-drilling bass. As most DJs play late and rarely make the journey to the Island after their profile reaches a certain size, I've fallen out of experiencing much in terms of big-venue electronic music in the years since the pandemic began. Kudos on Rifflandia for bringing over such a serious DJ and saving me a trip! I'll try my best to still be out and awake!

Crash Test Dummies
Sunday, Main Stage, 6:00pm
I imagine this is a common statement for millenials that were born and raised in Victoria: “My first concert was Crash Test Dummies on the Legislature lawn during the 1994 Commonwealth Games.” It's a core memory for me, even though I don't really remember much about the musical performance itself. I remember my dad really loved “Superman's Song” and I was all about “Afternoons & Coffeespoons,” which to this day remains one of my favourite songs of any genre. It was one of the first songs on my “Liked Songs” when I got a Spotify account. Admittedly I haven't kept up with Crush Test Dummies' output for a long time, but I hung around longer than almost everyone in my life, apart from my buddy Ben. But I can say that I was a 15 year old kid obsessed with their album Give Yourself A Hand when it came out. The title track, the lead single (??) “Keep a Lid on Things” and “I Love Your Goo.” God, I fucking loved that record so much. I think I might actually ascend to a higher plain of existence if I hear them play “I Love Your Goo.” I'm eternally grateful for the music scene in Canada in the 90s that allowed a 10-year old kid to find a band like the Crash Test Dummies on the radio. The idea that they'll be at Rifflandia and maybe another generation of Victoria kids, brought by their parents, could form their own core music memory watching Crash Test Dummies makes me really happy. As I finish this paragraph, “Superman's Song” playing on my headphones, I'm really excited to see the Crash Test Dummies next week.

Dakota Bear
Saturday, Phillips Stage, 5:25pm
Being a fan of hip-hop here on the west coast and not having yet seen Dakota Bear live and in person honestly feels like a personal failing at this point. Dakota Bear popped onto my radar as one of the founders and owners of ultra-dope Decolonial Clothing Co. (You should definitely check it out if you're not already on it.) Then I realized he was behind Land Back Records and THEN I realized he raps – and goodness gracious, he makes bangers. Big, new-school trap beats and relentless low end anchor his old-school approach to lyricism and rapping – clear in delivery and clearer in message in a way that reminds me a lot of the icon Chuck D. Dakota Bear is here to not just about his people, but rap FOR his people. It's not just rap to energize you while you fight the power, but rap to remind you of your own power and how that power magnifies when you're riding with your community. Our island hip-hop legend DJ All Good always says “Hip-hop can save the world.” I might not agree completely with that, but I think we can all agree it absolutely does provide the best fucking soundtrack for the Work that needs to be done. I love rap where you can hear the blood pump if you listen close enough, and that's what Dakota Bear is making. Tap in. Get involved.

De La Soul
Sunday, Main Stage, 7:10pm
(Okay, I need to start by saying that technically I'm not breaking my previously mentioned headliner rule, because De La Soul is actually on the third line of the poster I'm looking at and are not playing a “headline” set time. So, please do not mention this to me.) Do I really need to recommend seeing De La Soul? Inarguably one of the most important and iconic hip-hop groups of all time, De La Soul should not be being missed by anyone at Rifflandia this year. (Alas, they are playing at nearly the same time as Lfucking7, so I guess there is an acceptable to reason to maybe miss them. It is the only excuse I will accept.) The importance of De La Soul in the landscape of hip-hop cannot be overstated – when rap was ablaze with the righteous and unchecked fury of the likes of N.W.A., De La Soul was the counterbalance, the opposite side of the emotions and ideology that was emanating from the west coast. (De La's untouchable debut 3 Feet High and Rising hit the world less than 5 months after Straight Outta Compton.) Thoughtful, playful, absurd and endlessly likeable, De La Soul showed that even while gangsta rap was ripping through the charts, hip-hop was a huge place that had room for everyone. Their fourth album, my favourite De La album, Stakes Is High remains a touchstone for rap fans disillusioned the crass commercialism that has slowly been trying devouring the music we love since it got recognized a serious commodity in the 80s. Not only did De La Soul correctly diagnose the problem on Stakes is High, seeing the crest of the wave in the distance, they offered solutions – musically, lyrically and in their choice of guest spots, ushering in new torch bearers of rap. They called on the likes of Common and Erykah Badu right before they broke out and they introduced most of the world to a young Mos Def. De La Soul weren't just a rap group, they were rap medicine men. It's a place they've continuously held in the culture as they've carried forward. To this day, every time a new De La track or song pops up, it's must-listen because not only are they one of the greatest and most enduring direct conduits to the most important time in rap, they just make really good fucking rap music, no matter the era you're into.

Skratch Bastid
Saturday, Phillips Stage, 8:40pm
The most concise description of me as a music fan these days would probably be, “Old head who still likes to dance.” There aren't many people on a stage specifically made to satisfy this equation like the mighty SKRATCH BASTID. Undisputedly one of Canada's biggest, most respected and frankly, just straight-up dopest DJs in the game today – a position he's carved out and held with nearly a quarter century of crushing dancefloors and pleasing nerds like me, sitting alone with a big set of headphones on. Bastid is one of the most likeable humans to ever step behind the decks, the joy he gets from DJing radiating from the stage as he dazzles with his unmatched ear and more impressively, his unmatched turntable heroics. I became a hip-hop fan in the mid-to-late 90s and by that time changes in hip-hop had allowed the MC to be the star. Sure the DJ was important, but as far as I was concerned, if you weren't holding a mic, I wasn't really paying attention to you. As such, I had never really thought of the DJ as a star performer until I saw Bastid. (Apart from Kid Koala, because I'm a good Canadian kid who grew up on MuchMusic and jumped at my first opportunity to go see Kid Koala after I was legal age. Even though I didn't really understand the greatness I was seeing at the time.) It was 2007, Bastid played before powerful K'naan, here in Victoria, at Sugar Nightclub. I honestly don't remember many specifics of his set except that I was re-experiencing so many songs for what felt like the first time. But one thing I'm SURE I remember – at least 95%, okay 80% sure – that has stuck with me to this day, was a seamless drop between Sabbath's “Iron Man” and dead prez' “Hip Hop” that felt like it lit the fuse of jam-packed room. Everyone lost their fucking minds. Since then, I've always jumped at any chance to see Skratch Bastid. Some of the best sets I've ever seen in Shambhala's legendary Fractal Forest have been courtesy of the man himself. And knowing the quality on that stage every year, that's really saying something. If you're going to Rifflandia, please, just make to sure to see Skratch Bastid. Your ears and hips will thank you.

In addition to my infallible picks, there are so many things to see over the three days of Rifflandia! For a full schedule, venue details and TICKETS, hit up Rifflandia.com

5 Questions with Rags #86 - Daniel Makabe

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I'm listening to Your Old Droog as I stare at the block of text transcribed from my recent interview with The Wrestling Genius, Daniel Makabe. There's nothing particularly similar about them – Makabe is from the west coast of Canada, listens to and plays hardcore music, presumably doesn't wear a fancy gold watch and, most importantly to me, wrestles; Droog is from the east coast of the US, wears a fancy gold watch and most importantly to me, raps. They are worlds apart. But there's a through line between both of their outputs. They both create work – Makabe wrestling and Droog rapping – that speaks to a certain kind of fan. You might have to dig a bit and let their work breathe to get the most of it, but when you find the vein, it gets into you deep. That's not to say their stuff can't be enjoyed by a casual passerby, but they're both clearly Students of the Game, and as such their shit speaks to a certain kind of dedicated fan. They create for themselves – and if you like it, that's cool, join the party; there's a trove of treasures awaiting you. And if not, shut up and keep on moving. (Also, I've tried to get my brother, who likes wrestling and hip-hop, into both with less success than I would like.)

There's a reason I gravitated towards Makabe when I got properly into independent wrestling – and after talking to him, I'm pretty sure it's the thing I just mentioned. We might be deep into different kinds of music, but Makabe is a nerd like me and obviously, the vibe can be summed up with something from his music fandom. “Blake from Jawbreaker, in one of the years when he wasn't doing Jawbreaker and was swearing that there would never be a Jawbreaker reunion, did a band called Forgetters. They did a 7-inch and they did an LP, it came out in the early 2010s. The LP's okay, the 7-inch is really good though. The 7-inch has a song called “Too Small To Fail” and I always used that as a personal mantra and also as a business model or whatever,” says Makabe during our long-winding phone conversation. “I've never wanted to be a TV wrestler. I've never wanted to have a contract. I never really wanted this to be my job. I think it would take the fun out of it. And first and foremost, this is art for me.” Amen, brother.

“I don't love when people are like 'Pro wrestling is an art.' It is, but it's also sport. It's a weird hybrid of both. For me it's a very physical release and form of art. I wrestle primarily for myself. I want people to like my matches and I want the people who appreciate my style of wrestling to like the matches, but I wanna like my matches first and foremost. And I've never wanted to get to the point where I'm too big and I get a bunch of unwanted attention from those who aren't going to appreciate what I do, are gonna poke holes in things without getting the big picture. ‘Too Small to Fail’ has just always felt appropriate for me.” It's an ethos that has served Makabe well. His immense wrestling talents have taken him around the world since he first stepped into a homemade wrestling ring more than 20 years ago, never compromising his style.

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5 Questions with Rags #85 - Travis Williams

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Few things in life make happier than booing Travis Williams. Every time I see him walk out from behind the curtain, every fibre of my being wants him to know that I can't stand him. Deep inside my lizard brain there's a calling that needs me to BOO him. But then he wrestles and my evolved mammal brain snaps back into control and I can't help but love watching him, and his very excellent professional wreslting. It's a delicate balance that a select few seem to be able to perform with any kind of regularity – to make people hate you in such a way that you keep them from cheering while also being incredibly good, and genuinely spectacular, between the ropes. For that very reason, Williams has been at the top of my list of wrestlers to talk to since I decided to take the plunge into writing about wrestling. After talking to him for this piece, it's hard to imagine wanting to take my ire out on him again, but I also know that no matter how charming and sincere he may be, the next time I'm sitting in one those hard wrestling-crowd chairs and I see Travis Williams walk out from behind the curtain, I'm going to absolutely let him have it.

Williams' presence at 365 Pro Wrestling is absolutely one of the main reasons I can call myself a fan of indie wrestling, for whatever that's worth. Like I'm sure your local indie is to you, 365 a special place to me, members of my actual family and the incredible community of fans and performers. Hearing Travis talk about 365 when I asked him what it meant to him, it's obvious he feels the same. It's probably why, even as our most consistently and hotly hated heel, Williams has such a connection with the crowd here. “365 is my home. It's the place that I got an opportunity and that I gravitated towards when I lost my other home. I feel like it's kwhere I really improved my craft. I constantly bettered myself and I feel like it's where I grew the most. Especially in those shows where there wasn't a lot of people – the Pandemic Era when there was like 25 people in the crowd, if that. We all just tried as hard as possibly could and that's what helped me grow more than anything.” It's important to note, that while 365 may be home, Williams seemingly makes similarly strong connections with audiences everywhere he goes and seemingly always as an absolute prick in the ring. Have a look on Twitter the night he shows up for a new indie promotion – people are going to have things to say, often with a begrudging respect.

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5 Questions with Rags #84 - Krafty Kuts + Jimi Needles

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…Luckily for hip-hop fans everywhere that we live in the age of fast internet and these two could connect properly for this mix. I know it's not just me who had a fucking experience the first time they listened to the mix. It's a monster, for all levels of rap fan. Krafty reflects on the impact the mix made almost right out of the gate. “The mix response has been incredible, just overwhelming. I didn't think I would have been able to match the Golden Era Mixes I've released prior, but we put so much pressure on ourselves to squeeze in as many records we loved in the space of an hour, for everyone to come back and say they’re enjoying it and that they can't wait for a 4-deck show is just incredible.” If for reason, this 4-deck show doesn’t make it to the Canadian west coast, I will be overtaken by a deep, heart-wrenching emptiness.

Jimi, like myself and seemingly everyone else who's heard them, has high praise for the Golden Era Mixes Krafty mentioned. “For me, and Martin may or may not know this, but a lot of people's ''go to'' hip-hop mixtapes are definitely those Golden Era Mixes. So the bar was already set extremely high as far as I was concerned. Now that Volume One is out there and has received so much love, the door is definitely open for Volume Two; in fact we've already started making our list and trading ideas. Can't wait!” Neither can we, Jimi. Neither can we.

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