Closet Monsters London Spicoluk

Way back in November I found myself at the Casby Awards after party trying to socialize with whomever I came across. One person who I chatted with that night was a guy named London Spicoluk, from the band Closet Monster. At that time I haven't heard of them but I remembered his name and checked out their band out of interest.

After looking in them and their music I realized that much like many other Canadian band they were great, and were hidden from me until now. Exploding all over with their political views and messages put into punk, London shares a little about what him and Closet Monster are all about.

F: Being on the road you probably go through many different experiences. What is one of your most memorable? Or where is your absolute favourite place to play?

L: My most memorable moment on tour was staying up until sunrise at a Provincial Park in Saskatchewan called Saskatchewan Landing. It kinda changed my perception on life and I can't really explain how - sheer natural beauty.

My favourite place to play would be the Leon Cavallo squat in Milan, Italy. We wrote "Mamma Anti Fascito" about that place and the people we met there.

F: Is there anything specifically about Toronto that you like when you come and play a show?

L: Friends and family and feeling like we are where we belong. Shows in T.O. are more like parties than anything else.

F: Look back in 1997 when the band formed, what visions did you have then?

L: We just wanted to play music for the rest of our lives and never grow up. Kindo like Peter Pan in a way, finding our own Neverland, eternal youth and hope.

F: What have you learned about the music industry over the past eight years?

L: That it is a dirty disgusting place that turns art into commerce, but unfortunately is necessary when searching for your Neverland, and wanting to continue doing what you love and subsisting/surviving.

F: Your fan base has expanded greatly and you are hearing more and more about Closet Monster , how do you feel about it all?

L: We are excited but donąt really understand the depth of it cause we are stuck in the middle of it and continuously try to keep our head down and move forward.

F: What drives you to get up every day and do what you gotta do?

L: Fear of failure, the fragility of my freedom, passion towards what I do, the hope of a better tomorrow, my mom, my bands, my undying love of music.

F: Other than the bass do you play anything else?

L: Piano, guitar, ocarina, and video games

F: Do you have any special talents other than your music ability you'd like to share;)?

L: I make a mean vegan chili, I'm great in bed, and I have dead sexy ninja skills.

Other than wishing you had some of London's chili, take some time and check out anything from their 4 albums, their most recent record release being "We Rebuilt This City." The next album is in the works so hold tight. After touring to just about 15 different countries they are back home and will touring around this summer in Canada. You can also find Closet Monster in North Bay with Mississauga boys Billy Talent. For details on that go hit up our events calendar shortly or go to www.closetmonster.com. To see who else is part of the Underground Operations team the site is www.undergroundoperations.com, bands like Bombs over Providence, Hostage Life and The Brat Attack are signed on to the independent label.

Currently I goto the University of Guelph-Humber for Journalism. CTV is where it all started; my stepfather introduced me to many people in the business, as he is their military analyst. In addition my mother, Darlene, is a co-host for the talk show "Daytime," on Rogers Television.

It is my second year of University and already I feel I have accomplished a lot. Behind the scenes, I have learned tremendously when volunteering for CHEX Television in Peterborough and Rogers Television in the Simcoe-Grey Region. CTV also took me under their wing for the special 60th Anniversary of D-day in France, and the Shania Twain live at Dundas Square both working as the assistant guest coordinator. It was a privilege to work with amazing people like Beverly Thompson and Seamus O'Regan.

In the future I would like to venture into entertainment or sports on television due to the amount of passion I have for the two. I am not an athlete or anything, I just love watching sports, and music is something I could not live without.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, waves to media as she arrives at Palam technical airport in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008. Rice arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday in Washington's effort to ease tensions in the region after a three-day terrorist attack that left 171 people dead in Mumbai. U.S. Ambassador to India David Mulford, center, and his wife Jeannie Mulford are also seen in the picture. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)AP - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday as part of a U.S. effort to ease tensions in the region after a three-day terrorist attack killed 171 people in India's financial capital.



Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.,  gestures as he speaks during  an election-night party Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 in Atlanta. Chambliss defeated Democrat Jim Martin in a run off. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)AP - Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss handed the GOP a firewall against Democrats eager to flex their newfound political muscle in Washington, winning a bruising runoff battle Tuesday night that had captured the national limelight.



Defense Secretary Robert Gates holds a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008. Gates said that U.S. and British citizens were the targets of the violent siege in Mumbai, although most of those killed in the city, the nation's financial capital, were Indians. He also said Tuesday that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, had gone to the region to meet with officials.  (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)AP - Defense Secretary Robert Gates signaled a willingness Tuesday to forge ahead with two key priorities for the incoming Obama administration: accelerating the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and shutting down the Guantanamo Bay detention center.



Trader David O'Day works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)AP - The government must toughen its monitoring of the $700 billion financial bailout to ensure that banking institutions limit their top executives' pay and comply with other restrictions, federal auditors said Tuesday in the first comprehensive review of the rescue package.



In this handout photo provided by the Tracy Police Department, the booking mug for Michael Schumacher, 34, is shown. Schumacher, and wife Kelly Layne Lau, 30, were arrested late Monday, charged with torture and other counts after a bruised, terrified 17-year-old showed up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle, claiming he had just fled his captors, authorities said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Tracy Police Department)AP - A Girl Scout leader and her husband were arrested after an emaciated, terrified and nearly naked 17-year-old showed up at a gym with a chain locked to his ankle, saying he had just fled his captors, authorities said Tuesday.



Chart compares the percentage of military service members getting divorced this year and last; 1 c x 2 7/8 in; 46.5 mm x 73.025 mmAP - The divorce rate among soldiers and Marines increased last year as military marriages suffered continuing stress from America's two ongoing wars. There were an estimated 10,200 failed marriages in the active duty Army and 3,077 among Marines, according to figures obtained by The Associated Press for the budget year ended Sept. 30.



AP - An independent report on American higher education flunks all but one state when it comes to affordability — an embarrassing verdict that is unlikely to improve as the economy contracts.

Folk performer Odetta sings at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in this 1978 file photo. Odetta, the folk singer with the powerful voice who moved audiences and influenced fellow musicians for a half-century, died Tuesday Dec. 2, 2008. She was 77. (AP Photo, FILE)AP - Odetta, the folk singer with the powerful voice who moved audiences and influenced fellow musicians for a half-century, has died. She was 77.



Oil traders gesture as they work in the oil futures pit at the New York Mercantile Exchange in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008. Oil prices dipped again Tuesday and gas prices hit their lowest levels since January 2005 with the United States officially in a recession.  (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)AP - Asian stock markets mostly rose Wednesday after a rebound on Wall Street, but pervasive concerns about the dismal outlook for the world economy limited gains.



Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger, left, puts up a shot in front of Los Angeles Lakers forward Vladimir Radmanovic (10), of Serbia, during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008. The Pacers won 118-117. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)AP - Danny Granger scored 32 points and led Indiana back from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit, and Troy Murphy tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer to complete an improbable 118-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.



U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, waves to media as she arrives at Palam technical airport in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008. Rice arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday in Washington's effort to ease tensions in the region after a three-day terrorist attack that left 171 people dead in Mumbai. U.S. Ambassador to India David Mulford, center, and his wife Jeannie Mulford are also seen in the picture. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)Reuters - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday as part of urgent U.S. efforts to ease tension between India and Pakistan that has surged over the Mumbai attacks.



A foreign currency dealer stands in front of a screen displaying the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the Korean won at the Korea Exchange Bank in Seoul November 24, 2008. (Jo Yong-Hak/Reuters)Reuters - South Korea moved on Wednesday to help local banks through a cash crunch gripping the global financial system as central banks around the world were expected to cut interest rates again to support their fast flagging economies.



Reuters - U.S. forces in Iraq captured two suspected members of an Iranian-backed network and killed a third Wednesday, part of U.S. efforts to target a group it says has attacked Iraqi citizens and foreign troops.

New trucks are displayed for sale at a Ford dealership in Encinitas, California in this November 11, 2008 file photo. (Mike Blake/Reuters)Reuters - A top lawmaker predicted Washington would approve a bailout for U.S. automakers after they submitted survival plans, and General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC said they needed an immediate infusion of cash to avoid failures.



President-elect Barack Obama meets with governors during a bipartisan meeting with members of the National Governors Association at Congress Hall in Independence Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania December 2, 2008. (Jeff Haynes/Reuters)Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama moved swiftly toward wrapping up his cabinet appointments on Wednesday with the selection of rival-turned-supporter Bill Richardson as secretary of commerce.



Incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss (C) smiles after hugging his grandson John Baker and his mother Emma Chambliss after he had been told he was ahead in the run-off at his election night party in Atlanta, Georgia December 2, 2008. Chambliss won a run-off election in Georgia on Tuesday, CNN said, denying Democrats the chance for a 60-seat 'super majority' in the Senate that would have enabled them to pass legislation virtually at will. (Tami Chappell/Reuters)Reuters - Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss easily won a run-off election in Georgia on Tuesday, denying Democrats the chance for a 60-seat "super majority" in the Senate that would have enabled them to pass legislation virtually at will.



A station attendant fills up a bus at a gas station in Shanghai November 25, 2008. (Aly Song/Reuters)Reuters - Oil rose toward $48 a barrel on Wednesday, recovering from a tumble of more than $100 off July peaks, but the upside could be limited, with further signs of weakening oil demand expected in upcoming weekly U.S. oil data.



Senator Hillary Clinton along with daughter Chelsea (L) and husband former President Bill Clinton (C) speaks to supporters at her North Carolina and Indiana primary election night rally in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 6, 2008. (John Gress/Reuters)Reuters - New York Gov. David Paterson has famous names to choose from in picking a replacement for Sen. Hillary Clinton, including a Kennedy, a Cuomo and even another Clinton, as in the former president of the United States.



An anti-government protester waits for transport as demonstrators prepare to leave the Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok on December 3. Hundreds of anti-government protesters have packed up and left Bangkok's airports after a crippling siege, as authorities assured angry tourists that flights would resume within 24 hours.(AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam)AFP - Hundreds of anti-government protesters packed up and left Bangkok's airports on Wednesday after a crippling siege, as authorities assured angry tourists that flights would resume within 24 hours.



Indians rest on the sea front promenade outside the Oberoi Trident hotel in Mumbai. Pakistan offered Tuesday to work hand-in-hand with India to track down those responsible for the Mumbai attacks but declined to respond immediately to a demand that it hand over 20 terrorist suspects.(AFP/Indranil Mukherjee)AFP - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in New Delhi Wednesday to try and ease India-Pakistan tensions over the Mumbai attacks, as US intelligence blamed a Pakistan-based militant group.




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