With six albums of activist-friendly punk under their belts, Winnepeg-based Propagandhi are easily one of the most revered rock outfits today. In a geographical head-scratcher that makes complete sense musically, the band just injected a little bit of Tampa, Florida into its bloodstream.
The perpetrator is Sulynn Hago, who plays guitar for BOTB-winning local punks Ink & Sweat (she also played in Feral Babies and New Bruises). Hago recently told Vice that she’s been listening to the band since 2001, and she'll be filling the void created by former Propagandhi guitarist David Guillas, who decided he wanted to be a teacher.
Propagandhi announced the news last week via Facebook:
BEWARE ALL POSERS. We have a new friend. Her name is Sulynn. She plays an SG and she’s ready to crack some fuckin skulls with it onstage with us. What the fuck else do you need to know?!? What else matters in this world?!?Hago, who makes a living teaching guitar, also put it pretty simply: “I’ll be responsible for adding long hair head banging and stage left guitar riffage at Propagandhi shows from here on out,” she wrote. “I feel beyond stoked to get to play with a group of guys who have influenced my playing and taste for a very long time.” She won the job through an open audition ad posted in June.
She got help from WMNF’s Alastair St. Hill, who assisted on some initial videos that were passed along to the band, which prompted the start of a back and forth exchange that ended with her as the band's selection. There are no planned tour dates yet, and nothing is certain as far as recording, but the news is huge for the area.
“There were moments while I was busting ass to learn their songs and I'd think, there's no way they're gonna pick me,” Hago also told Vice when asked about the distance between Canada and Florida. “Honestly, even though we're from different countries and totally different climates—the cold is gonna kill me—there's definitely parallels in terms of love of music and way of living. They're laid back guys who love the hell out of playing music and writing songs and playing shows. That similarity in itself makes these rad things happen, you know?”
Watch the full band audition below.