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Propagandhi

Live from Occupied Territory: An Official
Bootleg DVD (2007)
G7 Welcoming Committee Records

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Contributed by: DarrenMcLeod
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on April 27th 2007

In an effort to rock for and/or against sustainable capitalism, Org favorites Propagandhi have finally put out a DVD, the aptly titled Live from Occupied Territory: An Official Bootleg. The DVD comes in a nice “Green-e certified” package, and its main feature is a live concert recorded at The Zoo in Winnipeg in July of 2003. Yes, that’s almost four years prior to the disc’s release, which means that only two songs from Potemkin City Limits are present (“Name and Address Withheld” and “Superbowl Patriot XXXVI”). The set list consists mostly of tracks from Today’s Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes, but also has a handful from Less Talk, More Rock and Where Quantity is Job #1, and just a single track from How to Clean Everything. They round out the set with a trio of covers: Day-Glo Abortions’ “Wake Up America,” Cro-Mags’ “Hard Times,” and Concrete Blonde’s “True” (also on Quantity).

In true DIY fashion, the concert is filmed by audience members using handheld cameras with the sound recorded and mixed by the band. This works in the disc’s favour but also slightly against it. It’s great to see such raw footage of a band like Propagandhi, but at times it is a bit much. The same few camera angles are used over again and again, and there is a bizarre, cheap visual effect that imitates slow motion which just gets a bit irritating by the end. It’s used sparingly, but still a bit too much. Also, in the latter half of the DVD, there are times where the screen goes black for a second, even though the sound keeps on playing. Minor gripes, but gripes nonetheless. The audio here is surprisingly good, though -- particularly on Chris’ songs -- but at times Todd’s words are a bit hard to make out. I can’t tell if this is due to the recording or because of his performance, but it’s still a slight fault.

But really, these are minor details, and what truly matters is the performance, and the band certainly manages to put on one hell of a show. The show feels like a genuine concert intended for the audience rather than some highly produced mess that was planned for DVD sales, which is its true highlight. The band leaves everything in, from the poor introduction by a local comedian to the drunks who climb on stage to put a Winnipeg Blue Bombers hat on Todd while yelling “Roughriders fuckin’ suck!” The band looks like they are enjoying themselves as they play, and Todd is always entertaining to watch as he headbangs around the stage in his shorts. Musically, they perform admirably, Jord pounding away on the skins as Chris rips into his solos with ease. There’s a surprisingly small amount of political banter between songs, but I guess they left that to the songs themselves and to the bonus features.

Leave it to Propagandhi to throw two full-length documentaries on the disc to truly make it worth your money. As someone who admittedly does a very poor job of keeping up with current events, these two films managed to shed a bit of light on the subjects (although they are a bit dated). The first is Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land, a 2004 film about the U.S. Media and its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This eye-opener shows the many filters that American news goes through in covering Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, offering insight into the many different reasons why and illustrates a shocking comparison to news coverage from other areas, particularly Britain. The second documentary is 2003's As Long as the Rivers Flow, which details the story of the Grassy Narrows Blockade, an attempt by a group of Canadian First Nations to prevent logging companies from destroying their way of life. It’s a much more amateur production and not nearly as good as the first, but hey -- it’s free. Between the two of them, you are given 134 minutes of bonus features that I’d choose over a few measly band interviews any day of the week. There are also two photo galleries (one for each of the aforementioned world events) with some great shots and informative narration.

Proceeds from the disc will even go to benefit the Grassy Narrows Blockade and the Middle East Children’s Alliance, so not only can you learn about their circumstances, but in purchasing the DVD you are helping their fight (in a small way). There’s also an audio commentary of the concert done by Derek of G7 Welcoming Committee and Chris of Propagandhi, which has some pretty amusing moments if you’re one of the thirty or so people who actually listens to audio commentaries.

Despite the fact that it is overdue and slightly outdated, Live from Occupied Territory manages to capture the politics and live show of the elusive Propagandhi quite well. Though the set list of a live show is always debatable (I would’ve loved to have seen “Resisting Tyrannical Government,” personally), it’s still a great concert with plenty of enlightening bonus features that should please any fan of the band.

Recommended.

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rugget (September 15, 2007)

For todays empire fans it doesn't get much better then this.

lynchme (April 30, 2007)

Not to mention those lyrics are irrelevant to what he's criticizing you for.

DarrenMcLeod (April 30, 2007)

i'm afraid you're going to have to use a source more credible than adam goren to convince me.

baseball (April 30, 2007)

i hate it when people respond to opinions with lyrics like that

it doesn't prove your point in any logical way whatsoever and reflects very poorly on your actual intelligence level

if you knew anything about the actual issue, which you seem to be representing yourself as by telling someone else they have "NO IDEA what they are talking about", then you'd be able to defend your position using your own thoughts/opinions

android (April 30, 2007)

"you have NO idea what you are talking about."
Could you tell me where I'm mistaken?

___________________________________

"The Palestinians Are Not The Same Thing As The Rebel Alliance, Jackass"

You're so leftist.
You're so for peace.
You hate the death penalty, but love it in the middle east.
Don't know the facts,
Just catch phrase words.
No different than the nazi boneheads, the other side got to you first.
Critical thinking?
No thanks, not at all.
Admit it. You just like posters of men with machine guns on your wall.
Make you feel good?
Make you feel right?
Simplified complexity, it's easy to cheer when it's black and white.

Impressed with your badass.
I am impressed with your defiance.
Now you do know the Palestinians are not the same thing as the Rebel Alliance?
Impressed with your badass.
I am impressed with your defiance.
Now you do know the Palestinians are not the same thing as the Rebel Alliance?

Say stupid things...
(The U.S. is the only terrorist nation.)
HA HA HAHAHA... Nice education!
Add inane, hip arguments when it comes to your turn,
all the while, weakening and invalidating legit concerns.
Critical thinking?
No thanks, not at all.
Admit it. You just like posters of men with machine guns on your wall.
Make you feel good?
Make you feel right?
Simplified complexity, it's easy to cheer when it's black and white.

Impressed with your badass.
I am impressed with your defiance.
Now you do know the Palestinians are not the same thing as the Rebel Alliance?
Impressed with your badass.
I am impressed with your defiance.
Now you do know the Palestinians are not the same thing as the Rebel Alliance?

Supposed to be critical!
Supposed to be cynical!
Blind Loyalty!
Dumb Jock-y Political.
Supposed to be critical!
Supposed to be cynical!
Blind Loyalty!
Dumb Jock-y Political.

davebrave4 (April 29, 2007)

I....
Hate....
Winnepeg

lynchme (April 29, 2007)

This DVD rules hard.

miff (April 29, 2007)

yeh very clever you can say this band are shit
please qualify your view with a reason
else ill just think your a jerk

Anonymous (April 29, 2007)

"[As Long as the Rivers Flow] is a much more amateur production and not nearly as good as the first, but hey -- it’s free"

No, it's not free, you have to buy the DVD disc or order it through their site.

DarrenMcLeod (April 28, 2007)

"you have NO idea what you are talking about."
Could you tell me where I'm mistaken?

android (April 28, 2007)

"Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land"

you have NO idea what you are talking about.

Anonymous (April 28, 2007)

oh, and my score.

Anonymous (April 28, 2007)

[insert some other band here]'s DVD might be "better" but did it go to support anything important other than said band's wallets? Did they print it on recycled paper?

I can't believe the ignorant kind of people that post at this "punk" website. If I didn't know any better I'd think this was absolutepunk.net or top40musichitsforpeoplethatlistentonicklebackandpink. I can imagine how much jizz would be flying if the lawrence arms had just released a dvd complete with brendan kelly blabbing his way through some song about drinking and chicago. whoo!

ps. old punker is a douche.

Anonymous (April 28, 2007)

iron maiden - live in japan full length is way better.