MORAL SUPPORT

It's been a while since I made a post but we are back with good one! Moral Support was a Halifax band known for playing fast, raw hardcore. They were one of the first bands I saw when I started going to shows in the late 80's. Recorded material has been quite elusive, but we do have an awesome live set recorded in Fredericton in 1988! Rumors of a demo tape are currently being investigated but I would not get my hopes up. The following is an interview with their drummer Johnny Rowe done in 2018. Enjoy!

Moral Support live at Jobbers in Halifax. Photo by Paul Frauzel

1. Basic first question - when did the band start and who was in it?

The band started sometime around ‘87 or ‘88, as I remember. The band was started by myself and Greg Carter (guitar) and Jason Amey (vox) and saw several lineup changes throughout its tenure. Our first gig was at the St. Andrews (indoor) skate ramp as I remember. I believe we had to book it to the Club Flamingo (on Gottingen) afterwards to play an opening set for (I think) a False Security / System Overload show. I could be mistaken , but that seems familiar. Both of those bands were great. It was a really cool scene back then. I remember we played a lot of covers at first....Minor Threat songs, Bad Religion, DRI, etc. We wanted to play more ‘up tempo’ stuff....... get people moving!

2. What was the scene in Halifax like at that time?

Like I said, the scene was awesome back then. There were always cool local shows...... totally d.i.y. work ethic. Not like today. Great bands. People actually got into it and danced and stood up front for shows instead of cowering at the back of the room looking down their noses. Hardcore, metal, punk, scrappy rock bands... everyone played on each others bills, shared gear......supported. It was cool. Younger bands like us learnt from the more experienced until the torches got passed on. Great times. There were some killer shows. Hfx/Dartmouth , Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton (and I’m sure others) all had healthy scenes. Guilt Parade, STD, False Security, Lizard, System Overload, Early Warning Syndrome, Burnt Offerings.... the list goes on.

 3. You recorded a demo tape that has been very hard to find - can you tell me about recording it? Do you know how many copies you made? 

Man, it’s so long ago and my memory is sketchy on this....... I remember tracking the beds and being pretty stoked about it but for some reason, there was some type of delay completing it. It was like one of those things that dragged on and on........ and on, until (I think) we kinda all just said ‘fuck it’ and didn’t bother finishing it. The bass and guitars weren’t totally in tune (we were so UN-pro back then in many ways)..... for several of the tracks and we didn’t know until we kinda heard everything and it just didn’t seem right...... bass and guitars were totally dissonant on some tracks which was very distracting, so honestly I don’t know how much of the session could’ve been salvaged, anyways.

I have never fully known wtf happened to those tapes (cause back then everything was on tape) after that session. SOMEONE had possession of them but I don’t know who. In fact I can’t even recall who it was who engineered the thing. It’s embarrassing to say now, but we were kids and didn’t know shit back then...... too much trust in other people, I guess. It’s sad that that stuff will prob never be heard...... it never saw the light of day and never (likely) ever will.

It was supposed to be THE next great hardcore ‘demo’ doing the circuit (out of the Maritimes)..... System Overload’s tape really made the rounds and we wanted it to follow the same trajectory.

But sadly......

4. Tell me about some of the shows you played...any stand out memories? I think the first time I saw you was at Lawn Jam. 

We played a lot locally, of course. And we typically rehearsed for several hours every Sat., usually at my folks house if we weren’t gigging. A couple times we rehearsed at Chris Evans’ house, when he was our singer, but it was usually at my place. My folks were always supportive....always liked the guys and my mom would make us sandwiches and tea.

We played the lawn jam twice (I think)? Once with Chris Evans and once later with Jon Vine.
Both were great front men. Chris was more ‘Darby Crash’....... just all over the place and ‘sloppy tight’...... never knew wtf was gonna happen. Jon was more commanding on stage and had better overall presence. More polished.

The local shows were awesome. Playing at DTK festival the first time with Neighborhood Watch and S.C.U.M. was super cool. Great show and we were well received. We played that festival again with Jon Vine in, like 88 (?) and that when we were really killin it. We were pretty tight by then...... listening to a lot of crossover stuff which came out in our music. Heavier, faster. I believe it was on that trip that I heard Reign in Blood by Slayer for the first time ( I think at Nick fr N.Watch’s house)........ mind blown!!!!!


We also , as I remember opened for Sudden Impact in, like, a bowling alley or something...... that was a rad show, too. Again, a lotta people embracing the thrash with the punk by that time....... crossover.

There was also a great local show we played at Acadia Bus Lines (bus hangar) back when Chris was in the band. Someone rented out a vacant bus hangar, got a generator, everyone shared backline........BYOB, $5 at the ‘door’ to pay for the space and boom!....... awesome show!!!
That kinda stuff happened all the time. There was also a cool apartment gig I remember playing . Someone’s house party..... it was cool. Packed living room/kitchen....... everyone thrashing in the pit ...... awesome.

 5. Did you play out of Halifax much? I know you played in Fredericton as there is a live set of that. Do you remember anything about that show?

The live set in Fredericton ..... I actually think we hitched up there with Adrenalin and their ‘crew’. Again...,. I just remember being ‘on point’ and playing tight. Although I DO recall us finding the crowd weak....... kinda standing around like zombies. I recall us thinking ‘what the fuck is WRONG with you people?’ But it was a cool show. I can’t remember who else was on that show but it was the  (or one of the ‘aggressive’ music nights on that festival, as I remember.

6. Were there any line up changes in the band?

As mentioned , many lineup changes.
But prob the two versions people most remember were :

Myself - drums
Greg Carter - guitar
Chris Evans - vocal
Tim Grant -bass

(This would be our first lawn jam  DTK line-up)

Then later, Me, Greg, Tim , with Jon Vine singing, and Mike Jackson added as a second guitar.
(I later went on to play in Aimless and Thruster with Mike). This would be the lineup of the DTK festival video, we had also experimented around this time with a name change to Skull Garnish. I think Jon Vine cane up with that.

Greg Carter on guitar at Jobbers. Photo by Paul Frauzel

7. When and why did the band break up? 

Not exactly sure why the band broke up. People were going in different directions. Some wanted to pursue different types of genres..... some of us just had other stuff going on that made it harder to get together...... others were getting too into partying and wasting time getting fucked up high and drunk.
So, it just kinda fizzled out. It happens. I KNOW there was frustration with guys not showing at practice and stuff. Eventually those of us who still wanted to do something moved on to other projects.... musically or otherwise.

8. What are the band members up to now? 

Not sure what EVERYONE is up to these days. Some guys who played in the band I just never stayed in contact with, regrettably. But several I’ve stayed in touch with and /or remained close:
Jon Vine and I haven’t spoke in decades but I’d love to hear fr him. Last I heard he was in N.B. and a teacher, still dabbling in some music. Chris Evans and I have lost touch since those days.
Tim Grant is ( I believe) living out in western Canada and we’ve had correspondence  online. I always loved his sense of humour.... funny guy. I think he enjoys a lot of outdoor pursuits.
Greg Carter last I  heard was living in Vancouver. I think he’s been battling some demons over the yrs. I hope he’s OK and getting healthy. He is online but we don’t really keep in touch.
Mike Jackson and I are still great pals and keep in touch. We went  on to play more music together and we have recorded together as recently as a few yrs ago for one of his solo projects . He, of course, went on to work in TV and film (he played Trevor in Trailer Park Boys), and still lives in Dartmouth with his girlfriend.


Also of note:
I was recently re-connected with Jason Amey ( our very first singer) who’s sister lives in Toronto in my old neighborhood. He is there now and I bump into him every now and then. He was living abroad in Thailand for some time and has many stories under his belt.

(Sadly, since this interview was done Jason Amey passed away. He will be greatly missed...a huge loss)

Myself - still playing tons of music ...:competitive pipebands as well as the rock n roll thing. I currently play in Papermaps (indie rock power trio) and Stark Naked and the Fleshtones (surfy new wave punk) both out of Toronto.Before in moved to Ontario I played with Aimless, Thruster, Adrenalin, and King Konqueror most notably. I also do studio rec / teaching sessions. I currently live in Hamilton with my wife and infant son. I work for a craft brewery

9. What were your musical influences? 

For me, everything. I grew up listening to Sabbath, Maiden, Priest, Motörhead...... a lotta metal.... and then we discovered the magic of punk. So, the Misfits, Suicidal, DRI , Cro Mags, Agnostic Front, DOA, Descendents, Black Flag........the door was blown open!!!! Then as you mature, you realize that EVERYTHING is cool and everything can influence everything else. It’s the beauty of music.
I think the band was influenced primarily by Minor Threat, DRI, the Accused, Agnostic Front ..... bands like that.

10. What are your favorite memories from your time as a band, and Halifax in general from that time period.

Some of my fave memories were just (I know it sounds simple) getting together on those sat jam /rehearsals and rippin tunes and having some laughs....., hangin out. Music was fun back then. We were all so innocent in so many ways. We’d all hangout, go to shows, trade records. It was just a cool scene. It’s so different now. Still lots of great music, but the days of having shows like THOSE days are gone, sadly. But, things change and evolution is part of the process whether one likes it or not.

Listen to or download the Fredericton live set:




Download the MP3s here!!