Mahria was an emo/hardcore band from Edmonton, Alberta, who formed in late 2010. Their first release was a split with Todos Caerán, followed by an album, a split with Watcher, a split with The Sky Above and Earth Below and finally, another album in 2017. Members of the band also played in Watcher and went on to play in Edmonton band Obroa-Skai who just broke up this year.
Mahria was one of a handful of bands in Alberta and Canada of this era that aimed to keep the 90s emo sound alive. Channelling bands like Yaphet Kotto, Loma Prieta and In Loving Memory, Mahria left their mark on the Canadian underground music scene. Along with fellow Albertan bands Todos Caerán, Rape Revenge, La Luna/Brain Fever and I Hate Sex, Mahria allowed Alberta's emo scene to thrive for the first time since the early 2000s.
Their releases were on various labels, including Bart Records of Calgary, Alberta. Their final album, which was released on tape in 2020; years after the band had broken up was on Zegema Beach Records, which gave the band some more exposure.
Garland Briggs is an emo-violence band from Calgary, AB, fronted by me (Maya), along with guitar by Nick, bass by Jake and drums by Miyaki. We have been a band for around 2 years now but played our first show in August of 2024. On March 4th 2025 we released our first album, through Canadian Wasteland, which was initially going to be a demo but we decided it was long enough to be an album so I guess it's our demo/album?
After years of wanting to start a band, especially an emo band, this has been such a rewarding experience for me. Finally having something to pour my inspiration and emotion into is so cathartic and I would recommend it to anyone who has any interest in making music. Being someone who spends so much time listening and reading and writing about the emo bands of the 90s and 2000s, being able to use those influences in my music is so satisfying.
Being in a band has also meant I've made so many great friendships, mainly with everyone in the band, but overall it has introduced me to so many cool and interesting people that I am grateful to know.
With each of us coming from backgrounds of different musical tastes, our sound is a mix of many things including some grindcore elements, but we've all been able to come together and create a sound we're happy with. Some of our main influences are Love Lost But Not Forgotten, Joshua Fit For Battle, Funeral Diner, The Great Redneck Hope, Tears of Avarel and Indian Summer.
If there is one thing I can say, it's START A BAND! We need more bands always! Even if you think you aren't good enough or people won't like what you like or whatever it may be holding you back, please just do it and I promise you it will pay off. I had no experience making music and am a relatively shy person who never thought I could have done something like this, but here I am and it was so worth it!
Lastly, thank you so much to everyone who supports us in any way. Thank you to Ben for all of his support, Marissa for her beautiful photos of us, Meg for her videos of us and incredible visuals at our show, thank you to Neil for recording our album and getting us our first shows, thank you to Thatcher for mixing our album, thank you to NJ for filming our very first show and taking great photos of us and thank you to all of our friends and supporters we love you all so much and couldn't do it without you!
Barb Higgins was an emo hardcore band from Calgary, Alberta. They shared a guitarist with The Alex P. Keatons. The only proof the band ever existed is this one incredible live video on the 90s All Ages Calgary Punk and Hardcore youtube channel. Apparently they never got around to recording anything, so I took the liberty to rip the audio and clean it up a little. The audio is... passable; you can kind of hear what is going on and they sounded really good. There was a lack of women in the scene at the time; which is spoken on in the video, it's refreshing to see a band with a femme singer kicking around back then. Barb Higgins has a intriguing, dark and languished sound that you could compare to contemporaries like Joule and Jon American Car. I'd recommend giving this live set a quick peek if you are a fan of those bands.
Rape Revenge was a grindcore/power violence band from Calgary, Alberta active in the early 2010s. They released two 7"s and a live cassette while active, and played many shows mainly in Canada. Members of the band were/are also in Janitor Scum, Puppet Wipes, Sawlung, Lab Rat, Think Don't Pray and Charlene Bronson to name a few.
Rape Revenge played fast, heavy grindcore with very political messaging rooted in feminism and inclusivity in the hardcore/punk scene. Everything from the band name to their lyrics was pushing the boundaries of the predominantly male-dominated scene. Songs about killing rapists, capitalistic beauty standards for women, queerness in the hardcore scene etc, made Rape Revenge a band that didn't always please everyone. They faced some pretty brutal backlash at times, including a "pro-rape" band being formed just to play a show with them, Rape Revenge of course refused to play the show upon finding this out.
I truly believe Rape Revenge made a powerful impact in the Canadian hardcore/punk scene and moved things forward to be more inclusive of women and queerness in the scene. We need more bands like Rape Revenge, they were unapologetically passionate and angry at the state of the scene. The existence of bands like them is what sparks change in areas that desperately need it.
Rape Revenge played shows with some of the best Canadian grindcore/hardcore bands of the time including Six Brew Bantha, War Hero, Obacha and Osk.
As a queer woman involved in the current hardcore/punk/grindcore scene, Rape Revenge is a huge inspiration to me and I aspire to bring their ethos to my own music and art. The fact that a lot of the issues they addressed are still very relevant today saddens me and if people don't step up, it will always remain this way. It is genuinely so much harder to make a place for yourself in the hardcore scene as a woman and I think that a lot of men don't even realize or consider that. Women who play this music are constantly brushed off as less serious, not hardcore enough, just a "girl-band", or the girlfriend of a band member. It has to stop. I applaud Rape Revenge for the work they did at fighting for women and queer people, it certainly is not easy.
Note: I will be borrowing some more Rape Revenge releases from some friends to scan which I will update on this post when it happens. So check back if you care! Also if anyone has any additional info, fliers etc let us know!
