Rock rewind

By: Sahra Soudi

Locals in and around the GTA cherish Hammer City Records, an independent punk record store on James Street North.

On Sept. 26, the record store hosted their second VHS punk film festival at This Ain’t Hollywood. Surrounded by flickering candles, the audience couldn’t help but cheer in excitement for a night of campy punk rock vibes.

The festival presented two LA punk favourites: Suburbia (1983) and Repo Man (1984). The venue felt intimate and inclusive. Even dog owners were welcome to bring their pets along to the screening.

While the movie the was being set up, snacks were passed around as well as contagious laughter due to sporadic hissing thanks to technical difficulties—gotta love VHS!

Hammer City Records was founded over six years ago in homage to Reigning Sound, a punk record store that used to exist in Hess Village.

Over the years they have collected an impressive selection of punk records and zines, while cultivating a local space for punk rock artists and enthusiasts. Hammer City Records prides itself on carrying records from independent labels, ranging from early punk to ska and reggae.

With the resurgence of video tape nostalgia, Hammer City Records’ Leah Visser and fellow Hammer City Records loyalist Tara Bursey reviewed what sparked their attraction to VHS.

“It’s less about the movie than it is about the medium right? I mean, we’re all here to see Repo Man and Suburbia but we’re hearing the VHS hiss and we’re seeing the snow. I mean, its pretty neat to have that experience collectively in bar,” Bursey said.

The VHS format surprisingly cultivates an audience diverse in age.

For some, the screening is their first introduction to these films, and for others it’s a chance to revisit old favourites.

“It’s a generational thing. Now, more than ever age doesn’t even register to me because of the record store. People come in so enthused and so full of questions…. the last time I watched Repo Man I was sitting next to a twenty-nothing year old in Toronto and just having the grandest time,” Visser explained.

Naturally, the shop has a conspicuous influence and focus on its surrounding community.

Supporting music and artists that incorporate social justice is very important to Hammer City Records and punk culture itself. The record store hopes to facilitate community discussion, particularly about anti-displacement work being done in Hamilton.

The proceeds of this event went towards bringing journalist, activist, and zine-maker Erick Lyle (aka Iggy Scam) to Hamilton on Oct. 5 to launch his book Streetopia and lead discussions about anti-gentrification celebrations of art and culture.

“It’s like the original social network, for punks. Opening a record store wasn’t a money-making scheme," explained Visser.

I am also a transplant from somewhere else and now I work at This Ain’t Hollywood with one of my oldest friends and its crazy how we all like circled back into the punk scene.”

Hammer City Records is looking forward to future community events, including their Halloween themed VHS screenings of Class of 1984 and The Return of the Living Dead.

As the humble punk store prepares to wind down for another nostalgic night in front of a CRT, Bursey is reminded of the importance of the record store in her life.

“The really great thing about punk stuff is that regardless of where you’re from, you know you can find that punk shop where you feel safe in the city. So I basically moved here and knew Hammer City Records was going to be my first stop… I know I can go to this space and immediately find a home.”