Cactus Vella Music

What started as one of Rob’s random text-message ideas quickly turned into reality. “Hey guys, what if we cover Pet Sematary and release it on Halloween?” It sounded like a great plan—except it was already October, and we’d never even tried playing the song before.

With no rehearsals, Andrew jumped in, recording his drum tracks and sending them over. From there, Sh’onn, Rob, and Cactus got together to lay down their parts. The result? An acoustic punk love letter to the Ramones that trades in raw force for something moodier and more atmospheric.

Hey everyone, it’s been a while. Here’s what’s been happening since May:

In June, Public Mess released a new version of “Garbage Island” with Jeff Robertson, former Sinkin’ Ships drummer. During a casual chat, we decided to give the song another go. Rob, our bassist, loved it, and we nailed it in one take, with Boxcar Sh’onn adding backing vocals. It turned out exactly how I imagined.

In July, we dropped our newest single “Summer Don’t Let Me Down”, featuring our new drummer Andrew McMullen. This track was an experiment, recorded remotely without rehearsing as a band. I made a demo of the track and sent it to Andrew. Andrew sent me his drum tracks back, I laid down the guitars and vocals, and Rob and Shawn added their parts. I’m proud of the result—some of my best songwriting yet.

August saw the release of my 1988 demo, Federal Dog. In late 1997, I moved to Toronto and I bought a used Tascam 4-track recorder and set up a mini studio in the basement of the Punk House where I lived on Federal Street. The demo features four of the earliest songs I recorded, with only 50 cassette tapes made and sold directly out of my guitar case at gigs and while busking. Including the original “Garbage Island” and “Sinkin’ Ships,” which later became my band’s name. I also did a cover of Johnny Cash’s “San Quentin,” a song that’s been with me since childhood. Only 50 cassette tapes were made, sold straight out of my guitar case at gigs.

In September, I put out the 1999 Dovercourt Rd demo. Originally released in the fall of 1999 as a short run of CDRs, this 6-song demo session was recorded between January and June of that year on a Tascam 4-track recorder. I burned the CDRs one at a time while at my day job and have no idea how many I actually made. It includes tracks like “Second Gunman,” “The New Welders Blues,” and a cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Head On.” The last track, “Dovercourt,” was an accidental late-night experiment that recorded over an Iron Maiden cover.

October brought Rhythm and the Rebel from 2000. Living in an attic apartment on Dovercourt Road, I rented an 8-track recorder for a week and captured these tracks. Though I intended to finish them later, this cassette version is the only one left.

Hey everyone, Last week, Public Mess dropped our cover of “Clear The Air,” an Off With Their Heads song that we all know and love. The track features Jeff Robertson on drums. Jeff was a member of Sinkin’ Ships from 2004 to 2006, and he also played drums in School Damage and the Sure Things. It was a blast to get back in the studio with Jeff and bang out this tune.

The track also features backing vocals from Boxcar Sh’onn. You’ll recognize him from Plan 37 and the Deforesters. “Clear The Air” was recorded a couple of months ago at my cottage studio, which I’ve recently renamed Sounds of Mos Eisley—a fitting name for a studio filled with Star Wars toys. While we were there, we also recorded one other track, but you’ll have to wait until June 14 to hear that one. You can stream “Clear The Air” on Spotify, Bandcamp, or wherever you listen to music.

Last month, I released a new solo track called “Stay True.” This 3-minute tune is a bit of a departure from my usual style, featuring a lengthy intro, a single verse, and a single chorus. But don’t let that deter you—it’s packed with ukulele, piano, harmonica, and acoustic guitars. While I might need a little extra help to perform this one live, I couldn’t wait to share it with you all.

“Stay True” is now available on Spotify, Bandcamp, or wherever you listen to music. Give it a listen and let me know what you think! Thank you for your support!

Hey everyone. last week I released a new 3-song EP titled “Old Wrecks Of Ninety Something”. The title refers to the fact that the songs were originally written back in the mid 1990s. The title is also a

friendly little nod the Johnny Cash’s “Wreck Of Old 97”. The first two tracks, “The Scream Is Louder Than The Crash” and “Evolution” were written while I was in Rejected in 1994. The closing track “Dry Spell” was written a couple of years later while I was in Bombshelter. Fast forward to sometime in 2020 while I was putting together my home studio, I started rearranging these songs acoustically, and over the next 2 years I recorded the songs. It was only recently that I finally gave them a proper mix and decided to release them. The three songs clock in at around 6 minutes in total. 

Back in January, on the 8-year anniversary of the passing of David Bowie, Public Mess released a cover of “Modern Love”. This recording is also the last song to feature drummer Andrew Heule with the band. For personal reasons Andrew has decided to step down from drumming duties. Andrew was a founding member of Public Mess and has appeared on the 2023 releases Too Many Ghosts EP, as well as the Dark Party EP. We’ll miss Andrew moving forward. He was an amzing drummer and just an all around great person to make music with. 

Hey everyone. A few months ago Public Mess returned to my home studio and we recorded a few more songs. Three of those songs became our new EP, “The Dark Party”. I’m really happy with how the recordings turned out. The band was really dialed in for this session.

“The Dark Party” was released on Friday December 8th, and you can listen to it on Spotify, Bandcamp, Youtube, or anywhere else you get your music.

Hey everyone. I have some big updates for you. That band that I started back in the winter, Cactus & Co. became Public Mess. This past spring we tested out my new studio that I built in my garage, and we recorded 5 tracks. Those 5 tracks became the “Too Many Ghosts” EP and are now available digitally on all streaming services, as well as a limited edition cassette tapes. Click here to check out the EP on bandcamp, here to listen to it on Spotify, or here for more options. 

Punktuation recently reviewed “Too Many Ghosts” and had this to say about it. “So punk isn’t all heavy guitars and frantic, breakneck vocals- there’s a place for acoustic folk-punk and Toronto’s newest group Public Mess are here to show us how it’s done. Their EP ‘Too Many Ghosts‘ is 18 minutes of anthemic and soulful punk rock with a great vocal turn by Cactus Vella. It’s the heart of punk rock with the musicianship of a trio of artists who have been around the Toronto music scene for decades and bring a whole lot of raw feeling to these five tracks.” –Molly Tie.

This week I was the guest on the APOLOGUE podcast hosted by my old friend Simon Head. We discuss Public Mess, the music scene in general, our basements, and a host of other topics. You can check out the episode on all places where you listen to podcast, or click here. 

The good people at Canadian Beats also gave us some good press in the form of a review. Check it out at this link. 

It’s been 15 years since Rubber Factory Records released the Leatherface Tribute compilation. And to celebrate this milestone, the compilation was officially released digitally (on YouTube). As well, 4 of us were asked to contribute new covers for a companion piece to the comp titled Local Chaps. You can check out my cover of “Springtime” on Bandcamp, or YouTube. I can remember 15 years ago being part of the production line of friends that assembled the gatefold double CD’s of this comp. I’m also proud to say I play on 3 different tracks on the Tribute. In addition to my solo track, I also appear with Sinkin’ Ships, and 2-Pump Louie. 

Last month I put together a new acoustic band, and this past weekend we played our first gig right here in Toronto at Rod, Gun & Barbers. The venue is a barbershop by day, and a bar by night. Very rad place to play and I highly recumbent checking it out when in Toronto. The new band is currently called Cactus & Co. but that could change. On bass is my long time friend Rob Fiasco. Rob and I actually went to high school together. On drums is one of the most creative musicians I know, Andrew Howlin Heule. There’s plans to record this spring. Potentially as easy as April or May.