Band told to stop using logo. Movies&Books,
Cowpunk group told to stop using Alberta’s coat of arms
An Edmonton band is in hot water with the province over the use of Alberta’s official coat of arms as their band logo. Without knowing they were infringing upon the Emblems of Alberta Act, Jr. Gone Wild band members designed a logo that reimagined Alberta’s colourful shield and printed the image on T-shirts to sell to fans during their reunion tour.
Mike McDonald, singer/ songwriter for the cowpunk band, said he received a phone call from Alberta Culture’s legal department a week before their Edmonton show last month, their first in almost two decades. He was told the government was sending the band a notice about the symbol after someone reported seeing a poster bearing the artwork in the front window of Permanent Records, the music shop McDonald co-owns.
That notice never came. Then Thursday morning, McDonald received another phone call.
“They told me to stop using (the logo). Period. Otherwise, they’re going to have to take other measures. We didn’t get into details as to what those are,” McDonald said.
“We’re just doing art. This isn’t a political statement.”
McDonald, who will be playing the Interstellar Rodeo music festival next month with his band, said he wrote a letter to the Minister of Culture and Multiculturalism years ago asking if the band could fly the Alberta flag behind them while touring around the world. He said they were given the goahead, as well as a new flag and a letter sanctioning its use.
Decades later, Alberta pride remained front and centre when Jr. Gone Wild decided to design a new logo. McDonald said the band’s fans thought it was great, too.
Other local bands have worked the Alberta arms into their logos as well. Old Reliable also used the Alberta crest to celebrate their reunion show last year. They made T-shirts with the Alberta flag, but there were no complaints.
“We think (the logo) is a very positive statement about how we feel about our province,” McDonald said. “That’s another reason why we’re like, ‘Why are you bugging us? We don’t mean anything wrong.’ ”
Alberta Culture didn’t respond to an interview request on Thursday.
The Emblems of Alberta Act states: “If a person reproduces, uses or displays an official emblem, the reproduction, use or display of which is governed by a regulation made under section 12, in a manner other than that permitted under the regulation, the Minister may, whether or not that person has been prosecuted under this Act, apply to the Court of Queen’s Bench for an order enjoining the person from reproducing, using or displaying the official emblem in a manner other than that permitted under the regulation.”
McDonald said he has a couple of days to discuss what the band is going to do about the matter. His feeling is he’ll comply with the government, “because they’re more powerful than I am.”
If Jr. Gone Wild does decide to scrap the logo, it will leave them a couple of thousand dollars in the hole for the T-shirts that have already been made.
But no matter, he said. He’ll find another way to symbolize their Alberta pride on band merchandise. “I’m not going to hold the people of Alberta responsible for what the government’s doing. We’ll just make another logo and it’s quite possible the Alberta thing will be worked into it.
“They’re not going to turn us into an anti-Alberta band just because they’re doing this to us.”