Every
now and again you read a band’s profile that just hits the mark spot on. One would think that a band would know
their sound. Not always the case,
I assume it’s a bit of the old “forest from the trees” syndrome. Anyhow, Greenback High describes
themselves as “Power Pop for Punks”.
Simple and brilliant, that’s what I thought when I read that excerpt,
that’s what I thought when I first heard their debut 7”. The hooks of power pop songs propelled
by the power of a punk engine. I
can’t wait to see what gets dropped on us next!
Interview by Jay Castro
Who’s answering the questions
here?
Floor Tom, Joshy, and Beardo.
Who is in the band and how do
they earn their keep in it?
Floor Tom Jones – Guitar, Vocals
Beardo – Bass, Vocals
Joshy Atomic – Guitar, Vocals
J.J. Heathen – Drums, Vocals
What is the Greenback High
origin story? How did you all come
together?
Beardo: Like a lot of bands, we’re a
group of friends who had played in many different bands in the same scene.
Funnily enough, the first show Joshy played was opening up for one of my old
bands when we were on tour in his town. Jimmy and I had played many shows
together over the years in different bands, and we became fast friends when we
both moved from Alberta a few years back. J.J. came into the fold a little
later on but he engineered our first recording sessions, so he's been there
from the band's inception too.
On your debut 7” Bombs Away
b/w All of Us or None There is an obvious power pop influence. The B-Side however has a hint of
Cocksparrer in it to me. Are you
guy’s fans of the ‘82 British Oi/Street punk era as well?
Joshy: Some of my favorite records are
from the UK 77-85 period and they're records I've consistently listened to for
over a decade and that spans all of the genres from UK82 and two-tone to
Mod-revival and Oi. We all grew up
playing in punk and garage rock bands so we tend to have a pretty good
appreciation for most of what were exposed to throughout the histories of each
scene. There are a lot of rules in
those scenes though and I don't think we are a perfect match for any single one
of them. I personally identify
most with the early punk scenes in New York and Britain but the Oi and UK82
stuff is great for its aggression and release. I think if you try and pull a ton of influence from those
bands you end up a Discharge or Void copy and that's been getting a bit stale. The main influences that run through my
head all day/every day are Clash, Replacements and Stiff Little Fingers I think
those are most evident in the songs that I write. You'd be on the money assuming I could sing every line to
every song on Shock Troops though so who knows, perhaps it's snuck in!
I find it interesting that on
your band profile you describe your music as “Power Pop ringed with tragedy,
political commentary, and straight up good times”. Quite a broad spectrum of human emotion! Do you ever find it hard to put
political or tragic lyrics to a poppy tune, thinking it might make light of a
serious situation?
Floor Tom Jones: Not Really. I actually
find it harder these days to write a happy-go-lucky song. Music can conjure a
broad spectrum of human emotions, sometimes within one song. Power Pop has been
pigeonholed as a genre that is not categorically political. On the pop side, I
like to think Greenback High’s music is driven by melody and musical hooks.
On the Power side, it's driven by the
urgency and directness of punk.
In the case of Bombs Away, the lyrics
came after the last Federal election, when Stephen Harper’s majority
Conservative government was elected. Shortly after that, Canada Post locked out
its CUPW employees due to collective bargaining negotiations coming to a halt.
Those lyrics were written as a way of realizing that, regardless of the
obstacles from Corporations and the Government, organized labour and everyday people, still have strength in
numbers. And just like in the
protest songs of the early labour movement, I wrote what I saw right in front
of me in an effort to reflect what I knew was all around. But who knows? The
next one might just be about something a bit less serious. I'd like to think
anything is possible with a melody.
What led you to decide to
self release your 1st 7”?
Beardo: We've all put out tons of records
in past bands, on and off of various labels, so it wasn't much of a stretch for
us to get it together for ourselves. And lo and behold, we're down to our last
50 or so copies, so get it while you can!
We're chatting with a couple of labels
right now for projects down the road, but expect another self-released 45 in
the fall from us in the meantime.
You also have a song on The Party Lives On compilation
record. How did you get involved
with that project?
Beardo: The compilation is a tribute to
Devon Clifford, and a benefit for the Devon Clifford Memorial Foundation. Devon
played drums in You Say Party! We Say Die! before tragically passing away in
2010 from a brain aneurysm. In my day time gig, I book bands for a living and
YSP WSD were one of the very first clients I took on as an agent. It was a
tragic loss and I'm grateful that we were asked to contribute a song to that
compilation.
I read that out of all
different art forms, music has the power to alter a person’s disposition the
fastest. Do you agree with
this? Do you have any favorite
music that you can put on that will always lift you up from a slump?
Floor Tom Jones: If
you’re talking about the drive between Vancouver and Edmonton to play for 30
people then absolutely not! That’s a long drive. But otherwise, as in putting a
record on, I think it’s totally possible.
These days, I put on a band called Nude
Beach. But the tried tested and true standby for me is Talking Heads.
Joshy: I'm not sure if music
is going to change my disposition so much anymore, but it certainly helped
shape me when I was younger. I'm
still hanging on to my youth cult and I'm nearly 30 so if anything it's stunted
turning me into a well-adjusted adult, thank god. I will say it's really, really hard to be in a bad mood
listening to Radios Appear by Radio Birdman.
If Greenback High could tour
with any band/musician from times gone by, who would it be and why?
Floor Tom Jones: Elvis Costello and the
Attractions (1978) tour of North America.
Why? Great songs. Killer band. I’m
thinking the Greenbacker’s coulda picked up a few tricks.
Joshy: The Sex Pistols. No I'm not joking. That would be insane.
Beardo: The
Clash, or Paul Collins Beat, anywhere from 77-79. Just amazingly well written
songs, and I've got to think the performances would have been incredible. Bram
Tchaikovsky. Again, just tremendous songwriting and playing. Oh god, the MC5.
New York Dolls. The Stooges circa 1974. Fuck, too many to mention.
You guys seem to play out
quite a bit. All of you are also
in other bands too. Is Greenback
High considered a side project?
Floor Tom Jones: I do moonlight as the
drummer in the James T. Kirks with Beardo and his brother Teddy. If you wanna
talk about a side project, that would be the definition. The last show we
played was when we realized we were all in the same room at a Greenback High
show. Greenback High is my main squeeze right now.
Beardo:
This band has pretty well become the focal point for all of us these days, and
other projects we're in tend to take a bit of a back seat as this band gets
busier and busier. I have a big record collection and a Protestant work ethic
(with associated guilt!), so it's tough, for me anyway, to not have another
band (s) in the wings.
Josh: No. This is my main focus right now.
I read an interview with
Keith Richards where he said that anyone buying digital music is getting short
changed. Do you agree with this
and if so, why?
Floor Tom Jones: If
you like pulling a record out of its sleeve, cleaning it, dropping the needle
and checking out the artwork and lyrics, which I do, then yeah I agree. But
when you get finished the gig and just have to hear that one song, which I do,
then no I don’t. I’m a big fan of people who care for a treat their physical
records with respect. And carting
around digital music saves them from my harsh judgements and everybody’s happy.
Furthermore please note, I don’t ever want to imagine Keith Richard’s listening
to music on an ipod. It would just look wrong. Thankfully I think his publicity
team agrees.
I don’t like using the term
“guilty pleasure” because I don’t think anyone should be made to feel ashamed
of anything they like. However
with that being said, what to you listen to that you think a lot of fans may be
surprised by?
Floor Tom Jones: Rush,
Bill Monroe
Beardo: I agree
that people don't need to have guilty pleasures. Like what you like, life is
too short. I guess when you have a few thousand records it's hard to pinpoint a
genre or specific band, but maybe you wouldn't think a dude in a band like mine
is really into 20's country blues & ragtime, or 60's r & b, or a band
like Midnight or Cursed. A good song is a good song. It all comes down to a
hook, a story, and a strong emotional response.
I read that you guys are
recording some new songs. Is this
for more EP’s or can we expect a full length sometime soon?
Beardo: Yeah! Our drummer J.J. just
finished the mixes for 5 songs and we'll be sending them off for mastering any
minute now. The next release will be a 3 song 7 inch EP this fall, and beyond
that we do have a full length in the works out in 2014. We're focusing hard on
writing new tunes at the moment, with some in the can ready to record and tons
more lurking in the background. I'm certainly not ruling out more 45's or other
projects before the full length comes out, as we do have some songs ready to
roll without a specific release planned for them yet.
Any extensive tour plans in
the works for this upcoming release?
Can we expect to
see Greenback High in a town
near us any time soon?
Right now we're working on a
November tour down the west coast of the good ol' U S of A. Touring Canada is a
huge undertaking and it makes so much more sense to head south towards your
cheap smokes and malt liquor. More shows in Canada are definitely in the cards
too, but we'll spend a good chunk of time writing songs this summer and fall
too. Probably recording as well. Touring other countries around the world is a
shared goal, so next year we're going to try to hit another continent or two.
“Like a shark — got to keep moving.” - Johnny Cash
Where can people go to hear
your music or buy your records?
One of our shows, ideally!
You can buy our music digitally as well
as the 7 inch online at
www.greenbackhigh.bandcamp.com
www.greenbackhigh.bandcamp.com
It's also distributed via Underground
Medicine, Record Store Base in Japan and Hyper Enough Records in Japan. More in
the works.
