Josh Martinez Releases Pissed Off Wild

The men who made this record were a scrappy, hardscrabble group, who fought each other as much as they fought other bands, and more often than not, fought the crowd itself. The list of locales was epic. Hawaii, Tahiti, St Tropez, P.E.I., Cleveland, Japan. And everywhere the band went, disaster was never far behind. By the time the Pissed Off Wild record was finally done, so was the band. Jimmy quit…Joey got married. Should have known we’d never get far. But, looking back, those were the best days of my life.

Pissed Off Wild, aka The P.O.W., is the product of 3 incredible musicians and one Josh Martinez. The music played here is off the floor, no click tracks, no studio wizardry, just the magic of naked aggression, biting sarcasm and the unabashed pursuit of the Good Times. The music was visionary, the best of punk, blues, doo wop and sprawling epics that borrowed from everywhere and sounded like nothing else. It still doesn’t. And it would be a shame not to release this incredible music, created by a brilliant band at the height of it creative powers, captured right before their inevitable downfall.

Jesse Waldman, guitarist and engineer extraordinaire, and his studio Red Light Sounds, for capturing the beauty, the magic and the dirt from the multiple sessions recorded in its warm crevices. His tireless effort to help finish this record over multiple years is a testament to his manhood, and also to the power of Rock.

Pete Schmitt, the bass player, the backbone and the Believer, carried this record on his back to bring it to the surface. When push came to shove, Pete punched you right in the face, with his Skater-Hippie attitude and his awesome fighting skills. A German hats off to him.

Kenton Loewen, the sexiest member of the group, and also the drummer, is a tour de force one man wrecking machine. Kenton brought that ‘unfuckwithable’ attitude to the table and hated pretty much every other band we ever played with. His skills on the skins were only bettered by the power of his lighting quick uppercut.

And Josh Martinez, who died during the creation of this record, is remembered for his gutsy performances and brilliant wit, but whose obvious ego, and shitty fighting skills were a detriment to the group’s image, and whose horrific death led to the band’s eventual demise.

Thanks to all our friends in East Vancouver, for an incredible era of raised expectations and raucous joy! Special thanks to every East Van dive bar that no longer exists. Thanks to all the police, lawyers, and members of the Tahiti government who stepped in to help when things went sideways, and for all those who kept details hush hush when things got ugly. To our fans who supported us through the thick and thin, through the blood and the carnage, and the tedious legal proceedings, you are forever in our hearts.

To our home and native land, we are forever thankful to be Canadian. To all those who got punched by someone in the band, next time Watch your Fucking Mouth! POW!