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NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – April 21, 2020
For fans of Melvins, Unsane, Neurosis, Metz, KEN mode, Today Is The Day
The Great Sabatini Vocalist Launches GoFundMe To Save His Tattoo Shop During COVID Pandemic
Canadian Government Unable To Offer Financial Support
L-R – Rob Sabatini (guitar/vocals), Joey Sabatini (bass/vocals), Steve Sabatini (drums/vocals), and Sean Sabatini (guitar/vocals)
Photo credit: Dave Levitt Photography
The Great Sabatini‘s Sean Arsenian, who is a full-time tattoo artist and co-owner of Montreal shop DFA Tattoos, may be forced to close its doors after five years of operation due to the Canadian government’s oversight in COVID 19 pandemic support funds.
Arsenian’s business partner, one of three invested in DFA Tattoos, Melissa Valiquette says the collective of artists are unsure if they can pay the ongoing operating costs during their shut down. “DFA doesn’t qualify for the emergency funds made available to some small businesses,” says Valiquette. “This keeps us all up at night. This is our livelihood.”
Due to their business structure, current assistance measures by the government (federal and municipal) are unavailable to aid DFA Tattoos. Valiquette explains further, “All our artists essentially work for themselves so personal funding for our artists do not cover the operating costs for the business as a whole even if our doors are closed.”
“Everyone’s been blindsided by the scope of the ramifications of COVID-19,” says Angus Byers, another co-owner. “Preparing for a total shutdown due to a pandemic was not really on the docket.” DFA Tattoos closed their doors even before the mandatory lockdown out of respect to their clientele. “Providing a safe, clean and comfortable space for our clients has always been our top priority.” Explained Byers. “So it was a no-brainer to close down when those priorities would be called into question.”
Arsenian and partners are now reaching out to the metal community that has supported his band The Great Sabatini along with the local Montreal community to help them stay afloat by launching a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign. Arsenian adds “We wish we didn’t have to ask for help, but we have no other lifeline at this point and desperately want to avoid an untimely end.”
DFA Tattoos opened five years ago and is owned and operated by tattooers. The shop has expanded over the years, moving three times to larger spaces to accommodate more of the talented craftspeople that populate the collective.
“The bills are still due, despite the fact that we all need to stay home,” Arsenian adds. “If we can’t reach our $15,000 goal, then this beautiful thing we made together may simply go away and that would be devastating to us.”
To make a donation, please go to www.gofundme.com/help-save-dfa-tattoos
DFA Tattoos is a professional tattoo shop located in downtown Montreal QC, Canada.
Links:
DFATattoos.com
Facebook.com/dfatattoos
Instagram.com/tatouage_dfa_tattoos
If you would like more information on this topic please contact Melissa Valiquette at dfatattoos[@]gmail.com.
DFA Tattoos co-owner and artist Sean Arsenian is the guitarist/vocalist for Montreal’s The Great Sabatini. The band has released four EPs and four full-length albums and logged seemingly endless tour dates around North America and Europe. The music is an aggressive mixture of noise rock, doom, hardcore, and metal wrapped up in a burly sludge aesthetic.
Album stream of latest release “Goodbye Audio” (No List Records, Ancient Temple Records, No Why Records, Pink Lemonade)- here.
Music Video – ‘Your Gonna Die’ (Unsatisfied) – here.
Music Video – ‘Life With Maggots’ here.
For more info:
TheGreatSabatini.com
Facebook.com/thegreatsabatini
Instagram.com/thegreatsabatini
EPK
About:
Since forming in Montreal, Canada in late 2007, The Great Sabatini has released four EPs and four full-length albums and logged seemingly endless tour dates around North America and Europe. The music is an aggressive mixture of noise rock, doom, hardcore, and metal wrapped up in a burly sludge aesthetic.
The intrepid Sabatini’s; Sean (guitar/vocals), Joey (bass/vocals), Rob (guitar/vocals), and Steve (drums/vocals) got together with the intention of pursuing their musical dreams with similar goals: slow it down, tune it down, turn it up and keep screaming. With all four of them belting out the lyrics, they play loud, and with conviction.
The raw sound compliments the persistent theme of mortality that the new album centers on, with Sean concocted most of the lyrics for, but with heavy input from his bandmates. Going forward, The Great Sabatini is less focused on complicating their parts and set on being direct along with working together and highlighting each other’s strengths.
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“The band’s noisy riffs border on doom, with yelled vocals and a punchy rhythm section; fans of Melvins, Unsane and KEN mode will find plenty to love here.” – Decibel Magazine
“Montreal’s the Great Sabatini practice sludgy hardcore with tinges of noise rock, but most importantly do it with a ferocity rarely seen nowadays. Their approach is downright venomous, hitting the midpoint between Melvins’ Stoner Witch and Unsane’s Scattered, Smothered, & Covered — violent, calculating and downright disturbing. Goodbye Audio is the band’s latest offering, fans of the aforementioned as well as Helmet, KEN Mode, Today is the Day and others, pay attention, this record is for you.” – Revolver Mag
“Goodbye Audio is a heady album in all of the best ways possible, honouring the past while also elevating the genre in ways so unexpected and desperately needed.” – Exclaim!
“The other half is a wall of incredibly weighty, borderline-doom metal wailing, contingent upon instrumental tones that constrict like pythons and don’t let go.” – Stereogum
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