Purchase / Streaming Links:
Bandcamp: https://weewerk.bandcamp.com/album/late-stage-empire-dementia-by-art-bergmann
Other Digital Providers: https://orcd.co/empiredementia

Art Bergmann / Late Stage Empire Dementia / (weewerk)

“2014’s Songs For the Underclass EP and 2016’s The Apostate surprised enough, after two decades of Bergmann’s battles with drug/alcohol addiction, arthritis, and backaches. To get this fiery, deep solo album in 2021 feels miraculous. Following fantastic, 1979-1980 punk-era Vancouver band The Young Canadians and equally short stints in Los Popularos and Poisoned, he’s been a venerated Canuck solo artist, his social conscience retained; last year he even became a Member of the Order of Canada, his country’s second-highest honor. But to heck with laurels-resting, he’s the best kind of protest singer, sticking his (and our) maw in the midst the fascist leanings of modern ultra-conservative parties—especially ours. His older forebear in such unadulterated critique, The MC5’s Wayne Kramer, joins him on a roasting anti-religious-right takedown, “Christo-Fascists” (which musically alludes to The Stooges’ “Loose”). But it’s his own songs and playing on “Entropy,” “Amphetamine Alberta,” etc., that’s as ballsy as YC’s “No Exit” over 40 years ago. Highly involving.” – Jack Rabid / The Big Takeover

Album Press Links:
Calgary Herald TinyURL https://tinyurl.com/4duhmf9f
The YYScene TinyURL https://tinyurl.com/yf2rsd77
Edmonton Journal TinyURL https://tinyurl.com/pzjpe6s5