Do you remember the rock band Joanie Loves Chachi from 1996 from in Chilliwack, B.C.? The 90’s rock band has recently reunited to bring the world a new album titled, My Brother’s Karate. This record has won the band a Fraser Valley Music Award in the Punk category.
One of the standout songs on this record is called “Issa Knife” which feels like a 90’s skate punk anthem. The sound seems to draw influence from bands like Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind, and Angels & Airwaves. The lyrics? They draw influence from a meme titled “Issa Knife” on YouTube. The band challenged themselves to write a song about a meme and this is the meme that won their hearts and gave them enough inspiration to write a complete song!
The band says “…this particular song was actually built around a meme! There was a meme floating around where a person had a poorly drawn knife tattoo on their forehead, and was asked if that was supposed to be a cross, and his drunken,defiant response was ‘Issa Knife.’ So as a challenge to ourselves we decided to try and write a song about the meme. We figured it was a unique approach to songwriting, and we had fun with it, so we tried to convey that through the lyrics, feel and melody as well.”
Joanie Loves Chachi has a wicked sense of humor that can be heard in their music especially on this song that draws inspiration from a viral meme. Isn’t that a classic pop punk move, to write a song about a meme. Check out the meme here:
My Brother’s Karate was released on June 1st, 2020 and is 11 songs long. Stream it on Spotify now:
Written by Christina Suraci