Login / RegisterLiving With Lions roar back from controversy
Living With Lions released Holy Shit back in the spring, and the band has been at the centre of a shitstorm ever since. The album’s allegedly offensive artwork contains a feces-themed Bible parody called The Poo Testament and Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore blamed the arts-funding organization FACTOR (the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings) for the packaging. Living With Lions consequently agreed to return its entire $13,248 loan. Now, the punk act is looking for donations from fans to help pay back the money and prove the value of artistic freedom.
“When we go to FACTOR and the Canadian government to pay them back,” guitarist Chase Brenneman told the Straight, “we get to say to them, ‘Hey, these are taxpayers, this is their money. They believe we have the right to express ourselves the way we want to do it. The people have spoken.’”
Fans can support the cause by giving money in exchange for thank-you prizes at the Kickstarter website . The band has already surpassed its $7,400 fundraising goal, but it will donate anything it gets on top of that to the National Portrait Gallery—a facility Brenneman notes was “really affected by James Moore when he cut arts funding”.
