A punk band from Ontario lost about $20,000 worth of gear when their van was stolen Sunday afternoon in Montreal.
The Penske File was in the city to perform at Pouzza Fest. The musicians’ passports were also in the vehicle when it was stolen from a downtown parking spot.
Among the gear that was reportedly in the van are two Fender guitars and an amp, an iPad, and about $500 U.S. in cash.
Police later arrested a man in his 40s who was spotted with a backpack allegedly stolen from the van but were not able to determine the location of the van. It is a 2002 blue Ford E350 with Ontario plates and has a crack in the windshield and a dented sliding door.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the band.
Band-related thefts are a common problem in Montreal. Iggy Pop is the most high-profile victim, losing a truck full of gear from outside a hotel in 2008. Hedley’s van packed with equipment was also stolen in Montreal that year.
In 2016, a trailer loaded with music gear belonging to Winnipeg's Royal Canoe was stolen from outside their Montreal-area hotel. Alt-country band Elliott Brood had their van broken into on a Montreal street while they ate breakfast – losing bags containing their passports, iPads and laptops – in 2009, the same year the Dears had their tour bus stolen in the city.
The problem is not unique to Montreal. In March, Canadian singer Rose Cousins lost instruments in a vehicle break-in in Los Angeles. Last October, Canadian rock band 54-40 appealed for the public’s help after “irreplaceable” instruments were stolen from their van in New Westminster, BC. And in 2017, Honeymoon Suite had two guitars and assorted gear stolen from a vehicle in the Fort Erie, Ont. area.