Sex And Revolution (EP)

Facecrime was a post-punk/power pop trio that formed in Edmonton in the early 1980s, immediately following the end of Modern Minds. The band featured Moe Berg (vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion), Blaine Vanstone (bass, percussion), and Dave Gilby (drums, percussion). With a darker, more refined sound than Berg's previous outfit, Facecrime stood as a transitional project—bridging the energy of Alberta’s late-’70s punk scene with the songwriter-driven power pop that would later define his national breakthrough in The Pursuit of Happiness. Listen to Modern Minds here: https://citizenfreak.com/titles/292438-modern-minds-theresa-s-world-ep One of the band’s earliest appearances came on the It Came From Inner Space compilation—a vital document of Edmonton’s early 1980s independent music scene. Recorded live to two-track at Applauze in November 1983 by Gene Kosowan, their contribution captured the band’s raw, immediate energy. According to the liner notes, Moe used a borrowed Hondo guitar with two broken strings, Blaine played through a bass amp lent by members of Ice Age, and Dave broke a stick during the second verse. The performance, accompanied by a pointed critique of corporate conformity, reflected the band’s unfiltered ethos and positioned them firmly within Edmonton’s underground landscape. Listen here: https://citizenfreak.com/titles/315225-compilation-it-came-from-inner-space-the-edmonton-compilation Building on that momentum, Facecrime released one rare but influential EP: Sex and Revolution (Dog Into Plasm, 1984). Recorded at Damon Productions in Edmonton and engineered by Clive Alcock, the record captured Berg’s evolving lyrical depth and musical sophistication. Tracks like “Walking,” “Cable TV,” “She Will,” and “Mystery to Me” explored themes of alienation, suburban discontent, and emotional conflict with sharp arrangements and an underlying pop sensibility. The EP was complemented by cover artwork by Roszay (Rose Kapp) and a band photograph by J. Williams—and included a typewritten lyric sheet that reflected the band’s earnest, articulate identity. Berg’s lyrics were delivered with a mix of vulnerability and clarity, matched by Vanstone’s melodic basslines and Gilby’s crisp, urgent drumming. Facecrime received strong local press. Edmonton Journal writer Alan Kellogg called them “Alberta’s most underrated band” and cited Berg as “one of my favorite songwriters of the ’80s.” The group regularly played venues like Applauze, drawing packed crowds on "alternative nights," and were praised for their “unpretentious, bright, aggressive” stage presence. Facecrime also played the Hard Times Music Festival in 1984, curated by CJSR and the Chinook Theatre, appearing alongside k.d. Lang, the Rault Brothers Band, and others. Their performance at this landmark event demonstrated their increasing creative range and confirmed their status as one of Edmonton’s premier "New Music" acts. Though short-lived, Facecrime proved essential in Moe Berg’s artistic journey. After the band dissolved, Berg moved to Toronto, where he formed The Pursuit of Happiness and achieved major-label success with I’m An Adult Now and Love Junk. Facecrime remains an emblem of Alberta’s ambitious, intelligent underground rock movement of the early '80s—anchored by Berg’s songwriting, shaped by local resistance to conformity, and documented in both their explosive early recordings and their cult-classic EP. -Robert Williston Moe Berg (Modern Minds, The Pursuit of Happiness): vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion Dave Gilby: drums, percussion Blaine Vanstone: bass, percussion All songs written by Moe Berg for Modern Minds Music, 1983 Produced by Facecrime Engineered by Clive Alcock Recorded and mixed at Damon Productions, Edmonton Management courtesy of Gene Kosowan (403) 426-2373 Transportation and equipment by Jack McKenna Album cover executed by Roszay Bless: Karen, Betty, Rhonda, Walt Kowal, Don Moore, Allstar Sound, Drew Berman, Ev LaRoi, Ronald Ramage, Nate LaRoi, Barry Peters, Karen Lund, Mr. V., Jim at Lilli’s, Barb Catling, Rob Montgomery, Mike Kelly, Carol Ann Murray, Brook Pimm, Steve Macklam, Nasth the Slash, Brian Cymbaluk and everybody at: Keen Kraft, Gary McDonald, Lars Wanagus, CJSR, AirTight, our parents, friends, etc. Walking: You were mad when you left You’ve been mad before And I know someday is gonna Be the last day that you come through the door. At times like these When I’m old and alone I remember the first time that I held your hand I remember walking you home. No matter what you do I’ll remember you how I want to No matter where you go In my mind I’ll be walking you home And you get what you take Once again you went broke. I got a curious knack for saying those things That can make you see double. But you’re no ordinary kind And you’ve no ordinary face. And I guess there’s just about nothing I wouldn’t do to suit your grace. All I guess is that I’ll Find it funny how I’ll chide So if you’re really gonna leave All I’ll remember is the last time you smiled. Cable TV: She used to love me but now she’s not at home She’s at a party with some jock named Jerome. I saw that guy in the locker room Man he can be human. How can she love a guy like that Don’t hear her up inside She’s at the party door. And I’m watching cable T.V. The movies play, and they play all night long Those are stupid lines but she’s gone. They’re meaningless though to do in bed She drove me crazy. The way she used to love me And I’d watch her letter to Oui. She’s at the party And I’m watching cable T.V. Why I need her so I want that sex Why I need the love Why I need the love That only a woman can give That always gets me all night long But I’m still absolutely sure that she’s gone. By the time Emmanuel comes on They’ll re-enact her at her place And when he knows what I know He’ll never be the same. Now she’s at the party And I’m watching cable T.V. She Will: I could not see what I had earned I could not see what I’d been given I did not know why I’d been born I only know now why I’m living Fold at her waist Fold at her knees Fold at her waist Fold at her knees Fold at her knees Her hands are like the hands of the Redeemer Healing hands that made me a believer And one she’s chosen me to write the story Love’s brought me the power, her the glory Fold at her waist Fold at her knees Fold at her waist Fold at her knees Fold at her knees You dream about her every night You dream about only one once in your life But she will only come once in your life She will Fold at her knees Fold at her waist Fold at her knees Mystery To Me: The phone woke me up drenched again Somebody talking about my old girlfriend I laughed when he said “She’s lonely on her own” I saw her drinking with her friends last night She seemed to be alright from first glance to last bite I went to her place and waited for her to come home When I sat shivering I saw her coming home with him You heard law is what passes for logic I looked away before she could let him in Still you tell me that she misses me You know I find that hard to believe You know that it’s a mystery to me. You know that it’s a mystery to me. She takes her car every day down work She’s shopping at the same old friends from every office jerk And this soft-churning it makes me gag I ride the bus home every night. And I’m so failed and bitter I’ve got This is all accepting that I’ve got to laugh Do you expect me to believe she’s alone by the fire When every guy, even her pets, glow with desire They’re all out to help, no her sex or me Still you tell me that she misses me You know I find that hard to believe You know that she misses me You know that it’s a mystery to me