Bellingham resident Phil Saunders is a Canadian writer, journalist, music producer, and filmmaker who has recently released the book “No Flash, Please! Underground Music in Toronto 1987-1992” with photographer Derek von Essen.
Saunders and von Essen worked together at a fanzine called Rear Garde back in their youth, and frequently asked to cover the same shows around Toronto. After many career and life changes, von Essen called Saunders to ask if he would be willing to write about the photographs taken back in the 80s and 90s. Two years later, the book was released in March of 2016 by Anvil Press Independent Publishers.
The book showcases over 250 photographs working together to depict the energy of the underground punk scene between 1987 and 1992. Capturing bands migrating between Washington D.C., Boston, and Chicago, Toronto became a hot spot along the conveyor belt of underground musical influence.
Saunders was heavily involved in the scene, writing for fanzines, promoting music, working with the media, and attending any and all punk shows that came his way. After the death of Nirvana member Kurt Cobain in 1994, the loss of friends to drug overdoses, and the industrialization of punk, Saunders got out of the underground scene.
Post-punk Saunders attended Royal Roads University and got more involved with his Canadian community. During this time, Saunders had the opportunity to work with Chief Tony Hunt, a well-respected First Nations artist who creates carvings and painted totem poles.
Saunders wrote a huge story on the Ipperwash Crisis in 1995, where a group of First Nations people occupied an area of sacred land that was expropriated during World War II. This story got him more interested in the struggles of First Nations cultures and communities around Canada.
In Victoria, Saunders became very close with a First Nations elder who later became his spiritual leader. Saunders has been part of many ceremonies, sweats, and smudges throughout his life and continues to practice his own spirituality, which is deeply rooted in the environment around us. Saunders reflected on his involvement with First Nation communities, calling himself a “born-again traditionalist.”
Back in 2008, Saunders worked with the Cree people of Regina to produce a documentary, “A Journey Home,” that was never released to the public, giving all the footage back to the Cree tribe. Saunders has become fond of A Tribe Called Red, a First Nations band based out of Ottawa, Ontario. The band blends together different sounds from reggae to electronic music, and has been involved in activism fighting against cultural appropriation within the music industry.
When asked if there was any relation between his underground punk music background and his interest and involvement with First Nations, Saunders said he was looking for the marginalized groups, the people we weren’t directly taught about.
Saunders is currently the editor and publisher for The Crossing Guide, a free travel guide directed toward his local community. Saunders also keeps a personal blog, FlatPhil’s Blog, that features articles on topics ranging from education and ethics to pop culture and storytelling.
