I had to work part of Remembrance Day, which I was not enthused about. However, compared to what our war veterans had to go through a half day of office work doesn’t even register by comparison. So let’s all take a moment to honour their sacrifice. Here’s a song by Canadian band NQ Arbuckle that I think sums it up well.
OK, with some much-needed perspective I turn back to music. As part of my latest whim I shall note three great records from the year corresponding with the review number. This time, that is 1973. So here you go - three great records from 1973!
- Alice Cooper, “Billion Dollar Babies” (Disc 228)
- Nazareth, “Loud ‘N’ Proud” (Disc 1235)
- Gram Parsons, “GP” (Disc 1486)
I picked up this next album at a live show, so as tradition dictates, I am also providing bonus content of the show following the album review. Just scroll down for that.
Disc 1973 is…Hangin’ Out & Hangin’ On
Artist: Janky Bungag
Year of Release: 2026
What’s up with the Cover? Guitar violence! Janky Bungag strikes me as a pretty chill dude, so I’m sure he had his reasons.
How I Came To Know It: I saw Janky play live a local festival a couple years ago and really liked him. I bought his first album back then, but the dice gods are fickle and I have not yet had a chance to review it.
I did review Janky’s show back then (where he came in second to only L7 on my “festival’s best” performances). You can read all about it at Disc 1767. Just scroll down past that Ages & Ages review and you’ll find it.
How It Stacks Up: I have two Janky Bungag records and I like them both pretty evenly, but equivocation is NOT allowed in this section. Damn. Fine, under duress I shall put “Hangin’ Out & Hangin’ In” at #2, but I still like it a lot.
Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4
Janky Bungag is a relative newcomer, but if he keeps putting out quality records like “Hangin’ Out & Hangin’ On” he is going to be around a good long while. This record may need a bit more gravitas in places, but there is no denying Bungag’s natural talent as a singer-songwriter, and on his second record he’s once again provided a collection of clever and insightful tunes.
Bungag’s style is a very old school country, mixed with a bit of that jangly college radio sound. His songs have a timeless quality and feel like they could’ve been written in the seventies or nineties just as easily as now. There is no backhand in that compliment, either. Writing songs that sound timeless is like coming up with a great hook – it only feels effortless because it is so well done. It’s actually sneaky hard to do.
These songs are short sharp bangers, with a quick bit of guitar hook and a little verse/chorus/verse/chorus and Janky’s on to the next thing. This makes the listening experience quick (the whole record is only 35 minutes long) but you don’t mind because there’s always something new around the corner.
The production is warm without a lot of low end, which is frankly how I like my production. If I wanted everything thumping, I’d listen to rap (which is exactly what I do when I have such a hankerin’).
This lighter approach is well matched to Bungag’s voice, which is high and head-voice focused, with a slight quaver. His songs require tight phrasing and a focus on lyrics, and his vocals are perfect for the task, tight, in the pocket and clear throughout. Modern singers who feel the need to distort their words or engage in vocal gymnastics could learn a lot from this approach.
Topically, we get a lot of old school country basics: getting your heart broken, being down on your luck, and gals that are more into Jesus than you (“Jealous of Jesus”).
The first theme is best explored on “Wrong Road Again” which is my favourite song on the record from a purely melodic perspective. It soars with an anthemic regret, and the musicianship is soft and resigned to bad decisions made for love. The chorus is infectious as fuck, and I sang along every time without fail.
The number of down and out songs haunt the record throughout, and as an up-and-coming musician still building his audience, Janky sings what he knows. There is always a thin line for artists that explore this topic of being authentic but not moping. Bungag walks it well, and you get a restless feeling tinged with just the right amount of hope and hunger.
There are times on the record that are overly clever, but Janky is good at being clever you will enjoy even that. There’s the aforementioned envy of Jesus, where Janky brags:
Now I can’t turn water into wine
But I can make this six-pack disappear in no time”
And a clever George Jones reference in “Third Wheelin’ (in a Four Wheel Drive)” where Janky tells the story of getting a ride from an amorous couple looking for an audience. His only way to tune them out is to turn up the George Jones on the radio. The line “When that gal took off her thong, I knew that race was on” is a nice Easter Egg for George Jones fans that maybe hints at a stormier relationship than exhibitionist sex might suggest. IYKYK.
Neither of those two songs are favourites, and I gravitate to “Vancouver Ladies”. I think it is the best of the record’s lighthearted tunes, but this might just be a familiarity bias. I’ve never been left for Jesus (well, once, kinda second-hand – but it wasn’t lighthearted), and I’ve never been a third wheel in a four-wheel drive. But have I appreciated beautiful women in Kitsilano and along Commercial Drive? Reader, I have.
“Hangin’ Out & Hangin’ On” does not reinvent country music, but it does a great job of creating timeless songs that make you smile and appreciate life just a little more than you did before you heard the record. That’s a win, and a sign of very good things to come from a young talent that is going places.
Best tracks: Losing Streak, Wrong Road Again, Vancouver Ladies, Old & Grey, Ghost
The Show: November 8, 2026 at Lucky Bar, Victoria BC
I was pretty stoked to see Janky Bungag, particularly at one of my favourite local live music joints, Lucky Bar!
Lucky Bar has great sound coming off its old turn of the century brick walls, but the real luck is getting one of the few seated areas. Sheila and I didn’t leave that to luck, showing up early and getting the one closest to the stage. We settled in for a three-act night.
Ellie Hart
The first of those acts was local country chanteuse Ellie Hart. Ellie was a bit tentative to start, but then it is hard to exhort an early evening half-empty dance floor to greater enthusiasm. Once she settled in and let the music do the talking she fared better.
The real issue with Hart was not her fault at all, it is that age old problem that when you’re the first of three acts the soundboard is never quite tuned in. This made it hard to hear lyrics in songs where I think they mattered.
Apart from a few fervent pointing up or down to the sound booth, Hart soldiered through, and neither gave nor asked for quarter from an early and distracted crowd still settling in.
Spank Williams
Enter the force of nature that is Spank Williams. With his hipster facial hair (full disclosure: I too, have hipster facial hair) and his stretched out white tank top, he was instantly all over the crowd, shouting down at us, “boo me! Boo me!” with a gusto that could not be denied. Boo him we did, with smiles and camaraderie all around.
This booing led to him giving the audience the finger and the audience joyfully reciprocating. It was a blast. I haven’t had that much fun rising to false conflict since I saw Alestorm during the pandemic.
Spank mostly used the same band as Janky Bungag, but he also took the unconventional and risky decision to introduce a tenor saxophone player into these country tunes. Turns out…it worked.
He later did a song about sports that reminded me favourably of Dream Wife’s song of the same name and then took a moment to get serious and play a cover of Fred Eaglesmith’s “Trucker Speed”. I think just to show that when he isn’t hamming it up the lad can sing.
All in all, it was a fine maelstrom of Pogues, bar country, and what my wife insists was Tom Waits (I didn’t hear it, but she’s got a pretty good ear, and knows her Tom Waits).
Janky Bungag
I was briefly concerned with Janky’s ability to follow the Spank show, but turns out there was no reason to be concerned. He took the stage with the understated and self-assured charisma of a savvy veteran.
Janky’s banter was a bit disjointed (he admitted he was operating on minimal sleep) but his talk was always in the right serving size, just enough to get you primed for his next song.
Janky’s natural storyteller’s voice is well matched to the kind of short narrative songs he sings, and there’s a communal feel to his performance. I was instantly drawn in to the warmth not only of his tone, but of his vibe.
As for song selection, I loved everything he played, but I am a bit biased as I generally like all his songs. He blended in the old and the new from his two previous LPs with artful style. Because his songs are relatively short he was able to get a lot of them into the set, which was welcome.
The encore was a single song (a nifty indie country interpretation of Green Day’s “When I Come Around”) but I would have liked a couple more tunes ‘ere the end. I think Lucky Bar has a strict “be done on time” policy so I don’t blame Janky for this. If anything, it is a testament to how his thoroughly enjoyable show left me wanting more.
As an aside, before the show I met Janky at the merch table. I was hoping for his new record on CD and maybe also a CD version of his earlier release.
No luck on the latter, where I’ll have to continue – for now – to settle for the download, but meeting Janky was a delight. He was personable and engaging, and everyone who came up to meet him was a person he wanted to talk with and learn about. He’s a natural people person and while selling merch was the order of the day, he was easy to connect with in a short window of time. That takes a special kind of spirit.
So it was a great show and if you have a chance to take in Janky Bungag, I would suggest you don’t miss it. He’s worth your time and then some.
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