Armed and Hammered

Originally formed by singer Mopa Dean, the bassist for Masochistic Religion,[2] and drummer Kyle, the earliest lineup also included Lamo, Philphee Saunders and BFG's Thor Hammersen.[3] By the time of Armed & Hammered's first release, Fully Loaded,[4] in 1991, the latter three had been replaced by Hardcore Dave (guitar) and Kieran Plunkett (bass).[5] In 1992, guitarists Big John and Dorian Wilde replaced Hardcore Dave. This line-up was featured on the next several releases: the split 7-inch records with Suckerpunch and Oppressed Logic and tracks on the compilations Dead on the Road and Living in Fear.

In 1995, Armed and Hammered claimed that they were banned from a repeat performance on Much Music. The band had played the Kumbaya Festival, which was held at the Molson Amphitheatre (now The Budweiser Stage) to benefit people living with AIDS.[6] It was broadcast live across Canada and rebroadcast the following day; Much Music removed the band's performance from the rebroadcast and replaced it with an REM video.

Over the course of the mid-1990s, the band's line-up would change several times. Guitarist Dorian Wilde left in 1994 and was replaced by Kurf. Soon after, Kieran Plunkett moved to the UK where he toured with The Varukers and formed The Restarts. He was replaced by Rick Giroux, who was replaced in 1997 by former Heatseekers and Suckerpunch bassist, Cindy Beattie.[7]

The band's debut full-length album, It's About Fucking Time, was recorded over 1996 and 1997 and features both Rick and Cindy. The CD also features re-recordings of many songs from earlier releases. It also spent some time in the independent charts in Canada.[7]

In 1998, Kurf left the band and in 1999 was replaced by former Abalienation guitarist, Mark Dickinson. In 2000, following the release of The Negative Aspect of Positive Thinking CD, Mark returned to the US, leaving Armed and Hammered once again with one guitarist. In 2000, Mopa left the group to be replaced by Jaww singer Doug McLarty. After Mopa's departure, the group became mostly inactive, playing only a handful of gigs before their final shows in early 2003. Mopa formed The G-Men in 2002,[8] who played at least one gig with Armed & Hammered, on November 15, 2002, at Sneaky Dee's in Toronto.[9] These final shows featured the return of former members Kurf and Rick.

Armed and Hammered briefly reunited to play a set in support of English group GBH's tour stop in Toronto in July 2010, then reformed in May 2012. The band is still performing; [9] in February 2021, they released a four-track split with Vulgar Deli.[10]

• Fully Loaded, 1991, Cassette, Independent
• Armed & Hammered/Suckerpunch 1993, Split 7-inch, Independent
• Dead On The Road, 1994, Compilation CD, Raw Energy Records
• Armed & Hammered/Oppressed Logic 1995, Split 7-inch, Ransom Note Recordings
• Living in Fear, 1995, Compilation CD, Ransom Note Recordings
• Don't Mess with Punk, 1996, Cassette, Independent
• I'm More Punk Rock than You, 1996, 7-inch, Subvert & Deny Records
• It's About Fucking Time, 1997, CD, Obese Records
• Negative Aspects of Positive Thinking, 2000, CD Independent
• American Democracy/Kill Johnny Stiff, 2021, Split 7-inch with Vulgar Deli, Coke Dick Records