Impo and The Tents

     Impo and The Tents play some of the catchiest, most endearing rock n’ roll music floating around today. When I first dropped their 2^nd LP, my pick for 2014’s album of the year; the fantastic Peek After a Poke available from Alien Snatch Records, I thanked the maker that someone still found interest in power pop influenced punk bands from the late ‘70’s and took them seriously for that matter! These Swedes crank out short, dizzyingly catchy bursts of candy coated audio razor blades. Two minute songs that are fast and fun to listen to that don’t seem like they’d be all that difficult to write and perform, right? Wrong, wrong you are so very wrong!  It is a fine line to walk the way bands of old walked without seeming like you’re following too close step by step, and to add your own influences and cut them into a timeless sound that still rings with the bells of yesterday and yet still sounds fresh and contemporary.  It’s not an easy job but Impo and The Tents pull it off and make it sound like it is.     

Interview by J Castro

Let’s start by telling me who is currently in the band and what everyone does in Impo and The Tents:

Rune: Vocals & Bass
Dan: Guitar (also answering the questions)
Lars: Organ
Victor: Drums

How did you all meet and decide to play in a band together?

DAN: Me and Rune are childhood buddies and played in other bands before starting Impo & the Tents in 2010. We were supposed to do a 7” as a one off thing, since we were engaged in another band at the time, but things kinda snowballed and I&TT became our main focus. Victor replaced Sanna on drums and Lars replaced Martin on organ. Anders has filled in on drums on two tours.

What band or musician influenced you to want to play/write music?

DAN: There´s a long and a short answer to that question, and since the long answer is really long, I´ll just go ahead and say Appetite for Destruction. That record changed everything. Made me interested in playing an instrument, thieving booze from my parent’s liquor cabinet, secretly smoking in the forest, growing my hair long and cutting holes in my jeans.

How would you describe what your band sounds like to someone that’s never heard you guys before?

DAN: Imagine a Beatles song played at double speed, with the gain cranked up on the amps and some delightfully squeaky vocals on top. We are obviously very influenced by ‘70´s power pop/melodic punk. Reviewers often compare us to Dickies and Undertones.

The band is currently based in the town of Södertälje, Sweden. What is it like playing shows there? Are there people there and other bands that support and understand what you guys are doing musically?

DAN: Both Rune and I are from Södertälje, but we have moved a long time ago. We are based in Stockholm now and part of a ”scene” loosely based around Push My Buttons, who arrange gigs and run a record store/label. Everybody does their own thing and has their own sound, which I think is great. It´s more like a gathering of (sort of) likeminded freaks. I have put out two compilations with contemporary Swedish garage and punk bands on my label Ooga Tjacka Tapes, that you can check out here:

https://oogatjackatapes.bandcamp.com/album/pickled-herring-punk

You guys list the Beatles, Raspberries, Big Star, The Nerves, The Shivvers, Ramones, Dickies, Undertones, The Gizmos, and the Real Kids as your main influences; bands that existed and were in their prime long ago.  Are there any current bands that inspire you?

DAN: I mainly look to old stuff for inspiration and especially love discovering old obscure power pop 7”s. As for contemporary bands in the same vein as us, we like Nobunny, Reigning Sounds and King Khan & Bbq Show, whom we have had the pleasure of opening for when they played in Sweden. Home Blitz is fantastic. Sheer Mag is a cool new band. Baby Shakes. Local heroes Bäddat För Trubbel of course. Perfect Fits released two criminally underrated power pop 7”s in 2008 (one was a split with Twinkle van Winkle, also great).

You guys put a lot of humor in your songs and records; it’s even in the band’s name. Is this important for you guys to do? Could you ever see Impo and the Tents doing a social or political song like the Ramones did with “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg”? 

DAN: Sometimes too much it seems, since some people aren´t able to see past it. The band name especially has shown to be a turn-off for some people ha, ha! We´re pretty serious about our tunes but pretty unserious about the rest. It´s not important to be funny, but it´s important to keep the music playful and not take yourself too seriously. I think politics have no place in music.

You guys have toured Europe quite a bit.  Can you tell me about the most memorable show you can remember playing, good or bad and what made it so unforgettable?

DAN: I don´t know where to start, but let me say it´s more like the movie about Anvil, and less like the book The Dirt. It´s fun, chaotic and blurry. You get a great knowledge of Autobahn!

If you were stuck on a desert island with (A) one record, (B) one meal and (C) one person, what would they be?

DAN: (A) Velvet Underground - S/T (B) Vegetarian meze buffé (C) Maggie Gyllenhaal

Where can people go or log on to buy and listen to your music?

DAN: You can buy our latest LP, upcoming EP and listen to some tracks over at Alien Snatch:
http://www.aliensnatch.de/start.htm
https://soundcloud.com/aliensnatch/impo-the-tents-dead-giveaway
https://soundcloud.com/aliensnatch/impo-the-tents-peek-after-a-poke

Push My Buttons usually carries our old stuff on vinyl. Worldwide shipping:
http://pushmybuttons.se/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/35IU6hOXQcob43ma1XPRzm
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/impo-the-tents/id417964446

What lies ahead in 2015 for Impo and the Tents?

DAN: New 4 track EP to be released on Alien Snatch at the end of the summer! It´s called Anxious Times and we are very happy with it! It´s a natural development from our recent LP ”Peek After A Poke” in style, but with a bit more punch in the production.

Follow us for updates:  https://www.facebook.com/impoandthetents?fref=ts

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First Base

     Toronto's First Base have been producing driving, jangly, rough around the edges power pop since 2009 with a number of releases to brag about in their ammo case. If you need any further description of their sound, the cover of the band's newest effort: You've Got A Hold of Me EP, released earlier this year on another one of our favorite labels, Hosehead Records, is a brilliant homage to the late ‘70's Irish punk/power pop band Rudi's debut single "Big Time," which came out in 1978. Much like The Undertones, Buzzcocks, the Boys and even Generation X: First Base put just as much of the pop aspect in their music as the punk. When done up right; that mixture ladies and gentlemen is the sound that I have a particular soft spot for in my hardened heart for, and First Base manage to pull it off oh so flawlessly!

Interview by J Castro

Let’s start of by telling me who’s all in the band right now and what does everyone do in it?
MIKE: There's been a few different lineups but the current line up is: Connor on drums, Nick on guitar, Fraser on lead vocals and guitar and me on bass. We generally all sing back up vocals too.

How did you all meet and decide to play music together?

FRASER: About eight years ago I was compelled to start a band for some reason. I had recently moved, and didn't really know any musicians so I just started the "band" by myself, recording songs and putting them on Myspace. Eventually, a couple of guys I worked with found out what I was doing and offered to join. So Shinnosuke joined on drums and Shota joined on second guitar and that was like the birth of First Base as a real band. Since then, Shota has moved to Japan and Shin now lives in Montreal.

MIKE: I met Fraser for the first time at the second ever First Base gig. When I saw they didn't have a bass player I offered to play with them and a few weeks later Fraser messaged me on Myspace (hee haw!) and asked if I was still interested. As for the other guys, I had known Connor since high school and had already been in a few throwaway bands with him so I already knew he'd be a good fit. All of us met Nick by seeing his band Brat Kings play a few times. Connor had switched over to drums and we needed a new guitar player so we asked Nick to play with us and he was into the idea. And that's where we are now.

Is this the sound you had in mind when you got together and started playing or did the music just kind of take on a life of its own?
MIKE: Well the music all comes from Fraser. It was his project before any of us were involved and he writes the songs. We make slight changes or add/subtract certain things to everything as a band once we start to play them together generally. It was always the kind of music I personally wanted to play and I think all four of us mesh really well together. This is probably the best the band has ever sounded in my opinion.

FRASER: I write the songs and record them all before we ever play them together as a band. I have fun recording my own version of the song, then we take that and make it suit the band so we can play it live and eventually record it together. I think we've been getting better at translating the songs that I record on my own into the band's songs and getting the band's own sound out of them.

Tell me a little about living in Toronto. What’s it like playing there and are people there supportive of what you guys are doing musically?

MIKE: Toronto's a weird city. I don't want to trash talk it because I love living here and it's a rad city but the scene for the kind of thing we're doing isn't particuarly great. Right now Toronto is really into weirdo/experimental/grungey kind of music. The hardcore scene here is really good too. There was a time when the hardcore and power pop bands played together, but that doesn't seem to happen anymore which is unfortunate. That being said, there are a handful of amazing bands from Toronto doing something similar to the kind of thing we are.

We joke that we're actually an Ottawa band because our records have been recorded there, mixed there, artwork done there (by our friend blood brother Ken from Mother's Children - Ottawa local) and the Ottawa scene just seems to be a lot more in touch with the kind of sound we have.

Can you remember as a kid who first inspired you to want to pick up an instrument and learn how to play/write music?
MIKE: The first band I was ever really into, probably like a lot of Canadian kids, was Rush. Ha, ha. I started on bass because all my friends wanted to play guitar. My first band played our grade 8 assembly a few times. We stole a riff from a Misfits song. Ha, ha. I found out about punk very young and instantly connected with the Ramones (and the Germs - oddly enough) about the same time I realized I couldn't play like Geddy Lee because it was way too hard. All down hill from there.

FRASER: Probably the Ramones for me. First Base is basically the entirety of my musical output and almost all of it stems from the Ramones somehow.

I was reading an interview with Kim Shattuck from the Muffs and she said when writing song lyrics she stays away from politics because nothing dates a song faster. What sorts of things inspire your songs and are there any subjects you try to stay away from purposefully in your lyrics?

FRASER: I just try to make "love" songs. Anything about relationships seems to be ok. Any song I've made about anything else just doesn't work for us, so I stay away from that. I don't think we'll ever do a political song, although I guess we sort of have one? I made a song about the oil refineries in my hometown for the "Bloodstains Across Ontario" compilation. You could say it's about environmental issues, but it was really just a Beach Boys parody. 

What sorts of things distract you the most when you’re playing a show? Is there something in particular that annoys you the most that someone in the crowd always seems to do?
MIKE: People in Toronto just generally stand still and cross their arms when they watch you, (with the exceptions of our friends who are always sweethearts at our shows). You can't tell if they love you or hate you. It doesn't annoy me but the first couple times you play live it can be intimidating.

FRASER: Someone up at the front with their phone out. It's kind of depressing to see while you're playing.

You guys recently played with Forgotten Rebels, how did that go? Were you fans of their music prior to your show together?

MIKE: I was and still am a huge Forgotten Rebels fan. I remember listening to Reich N Roll from the Tomorrow Belongs to Us 12" in the car with my mom on the way to grade 9 summer school. The chorus is just "I wanna be a nazi" (all tongue in cheek - not actually promoting any sort of nazi-ism) repeated over a few times. It's a miracle she put up with that kind of shit from me. The show itself was weird. Forgotten Rebels seem to attract a lot of crust punks for some reason. Oh, and we had to play in front of all the Rebels gear which gave us next to no breathing room.  I didn't feel like the crowd really enjoyed us that much but we sold a ton of merch that night so who knows.

There’s an old folk story I’ve heard about the first time Bob Dylan and John Lennon first met. Lennon was a huge Dylan fan and he asked him what he thought of The Beatles music and Dylan responded by saying “you’re good but your music doesn’t say anything.” So The Beatles started to move away from their pop music about love and girls and came out with Rubber Soul soon after. What do you think about Dylan’s response, do you feel rock n’ roll has to say something provocative to be relevant?

FRASER: I like the story of John putting down Paul with the song "How Do You Sleep," and Paul responding with "Silly Love Songs." 

MIKE: I think the best Beatles material is when they were singing about love and girls. I prefer songs without any kind of political or social message and I know saying that's going to piss a bunch of people off. I see enough of that shit in the rest of my everyday life. I don't want to have to listen to it in my music too. Obviously there are exceptions, I'm just speaking generally. Bring on more songs about chocolate and girls.

FRASER: And hot dogs.

Where are the best places to go to hear your music and buy your records?
MIKE: You can like our Facebook page @ https://www.facebook.com/FirstBaseToronto  or listen to some songs @ https://firstbase.bandcamp.com/. You can buy our newest 45 from Hosehead records @ http://www.hoseheadrecords.ca/p/webstore.html and our LP from HoZac Records @ http://hozacrecords.com/store/

What does the near future hold for First Base?
MIKE: Right now we're just writing songs to record for our next LP, which might end up being more singles - but we're aiming for an LP. We've got a handful of them written. Hopefully we'll be recording late summer and have the LP out early next year but nothing is set in stone yet.

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Los Pepes

 Photo by Al Overdrive

     London’s Los Pepes have been singing their anthems of heartbreak and despair at high decibels for a few years now, releasing a few EP’s and a marvelous, critically acclaimed LP last year titled Los Pepes for Everyone! on Wanda Records. Now they’re getting ready to release their fourth EP called And I Know/Say Goodbye also on Wanda Records.  What this band has been doing from their inception is taking Small Faces and Beatle-esque harmonies and adding some angst and crunch to them, much like The Boys and The Jam did back in the late 1970’s. They started out with that blue ribbon recipe since their first demo tape and keep perfecting their own unique take on rock n’ roll with each release. Los Pepes; they’ll make you wanna dance, they’ll make you wanna break things, and when the dust settles you’ll wanna call the one that got away.

Interview by J Castro

Let’s start out by telling me who’s all in Los Pepes and what everyone does in the band:

BEN: Los Pepes’ home is in London but it’s an international organization. We have members all over world from Kyoto to Los Angeles. Due to geographical constraints and various visa headaches you never know who’s going to be there. Currently you’re going to see/hear some configuration of these guys: Myself - Ben Perrier (vocals/guitar) Gui Rujao (guitar/vocals/drums) Seisuke Nakagawa (bass/vocals) Kris Hood (drums) Adam Smith (bass) Shaun Clark (drums).

How did you guys all meet and decide to play in a band together?

BEN: Just over three years ago now I started this up. I had a bunch of Testors style punk rock lying around that I wanted to play. I got together with Jay (the original drummer) and recorded it in an afternoon. That was all it was really gonna be. This was under the name Los Pepes. It wasn’t until Seisuke got involved that the ‘Pepes of today started shaping up and things got going. Back when Seisuke lived in London lot of time was spent smoking cigarettes and listening to 45’s. That’s when we got driven to do things properly. 100% drive to make something that we really like. We should have played music together a long time ago so we’re making up for lost time. That’s why we have to write a lot of songs. As long as we write songs there will be Los Pepes. All the other guys have been met along the way through a mutual love for the same music and the need to play it.

Did you have an idea of what you wanted Los Pepes to sound like or did the music kind of take on a life of its own once you guys all started playing together?

BEN: Well, like I said originally it was very straight down the line high-energy punk rock. It’s completely changed since then. I’m not even sure how it changed so much into a power pop thing but it did. I guess smoking all those cigarettes and listening to those 45’s. I’ve always loved writing melodies but hadn’t done anything with that too much in previous bands. The delivery is still real high-energy and punk and that will always be cuz that’s who I am, same for the other guys. Only now the focus is songs. We want to write the best songs we can that’ll do something for someone somewhere. With guys like Seisuke and Gui around there’s a good team working on that.

I don’t normally ask bands about their names, just because it’s a bit of a cliché, but I find the name Los Pepes particularly interesting just because it’s a bit political and you’re music really isn’t. What was it about the group Perseguidos por Pablo Escobar that you found intriguing, enough to name the band after them?

BEN: Ha. Yeah that’s exactly where the name comes from. We have nothing to do with Columbia or Pablo Escobar and you’re right we’re by no means a political band. I did read “Killing Pablo” many years ago. It’s not even a very good book, more the kind of shit you would buy at an airport or something. It is a great story though. I actually have a friend whose family fled Columbia for the UK because of Escobar. He’s fucking crazy unsurprisingly. More to the point Los Pepes sounds like a Spanish garage band with a horn section or something, which is very misleading. Misleading people is always good. Give them one more reason to write you off before they listen to it.

 Photo by Al Overdrive

What sorts of things typically influence your song lyrics?  Are there any subjects you try to purposely try to stay away from?

BEN: It’s mostly stuff that causes you trouble that you write about I find. You write a song and you feel better. I guess love and all that stuff is one of the biggest sources of trouble for human beings so that features pretty significantly. There’s other stuff in there too. A drop of nihilism here, a fuck you there…sarcastic humor about things but mostly its love songs. That seems to be where it’s at at the moment. As far as staying away from stuff, we basically play rock and roll but I hate all this self-aggrandizing bullshit. You know, that “hey bitch, I’m so motherfuckin’ rock and roll” business. I see that around and I know those guys are full of shit. Unless you’re the real McCoy like GG Allin or something I ain’t interested. I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks about me, I can’t understand why you would want to tell everyone how “badass” you are. On the other end of the spectrum overly sugary “I love you baby” stuff also gets annoying real fast.

I was watching an interview with John Lydon and he was talking about how much he hates Green Day because “there’s nothing about them that’s original, they don’t do anything that’s their own.”  What do you think about that statement?  Do you feel a band has to be “original” to be significant?

BEN: That’s good question. The way I look at it more or less all the music I like is not from today. There are exceptions but then even the new bands I like don’t really sound new. I got the Sleaford Mods new album the other day and that is pretty original but it’s basically still punk in many ways. The music we make is heavily influenced by old music, most obviously ‘70’s/’80’s punk. But there’s a difference between that and being contrived. We write a song, that’s a new song. It belongs to us and it’s not some rehash carbon copy of something else just to be retro or cool. It maybe inspired by other music but it has new energy. That’s because it was written in an honest attempt to make something good that didn’t previously exist. If that isn’t original I’d say it’s still significant somehow. Fucking hell, it looks like the Romans ripped off the Greeks when they put up all those pillars but who gives a shit. If I were lucky enough to be a figurehead of a major musical and social movement in late ‘70’s Britain maybe I’d also wave my finger at soft targets such as Green Day. My issue with Green Day is I think they suck.

This is the “lightening round” portion of the interview.  Feel free to elaborate as much or as little as you’d like to the following questions:

1.     What was the first concert you attended without your parents?  

BEN: I’m pretty sure it was the Melvins at the Garage in London sometime in the mid ‘90’s. I was born in 1981 by the way.

2.     What was the first band T-Shirt you owned?

BEN: I think it could well have been a Melvins t-shirt from that very show.

3.     What was the first record you bought with your own money?

BEN: I can’t remember exactly but I’m pretty sure it was an AC/DC record, probably either “Highway To Hell” or “Back In Black.” It was definitely something that said “kid getting into rock and roll for the first time.” More significantly, at a similar point in my life I remember hearing “The Passenger” by Iggy Pop. I really liked it a lot. I went to the record shop and asked for Iggy and the guy sold me Stooges Raw Power no less. My life was changed. I was very young and I couldn’t believe what the hell was going on with that record. I’m so glad that guy sold me the wrong record.

4.     What was the first band or musician’s picture/poster that you put up on your bedroom wall?

BEN: Something either grunge or ‘80’s US hardcore punk, that how I rolled as a kid. I still believe Black Flag are the greatest band of all time.

 Photo by Al Overdrive

Where can people go to listen to or buy your music?

BEN: You can buy records and listen to our music on our bandcamp page: www.lospepes.bandcamp.com and also from our label Wanda Records: www.wandarecords.de we’ve also got all that facebook stuff here: www.facebook.com/lospepesmusic

What lies ahead in 2015 for Los Pepes?

BEN: Well, we never stop. Like tuna fish. We got a new EP, “And I Know/Say Goodbye” coming out again on Wanda Records late May and will be on tour in Europe at the same time (tour dates below). We’re also recording a new album. In a weeks time from writing this interview we’ll be hitting the studio with new songs and new ideas. Soon as that’s all done will be putting it out and getting out playing to people as much as we can. We really need to go to Japan too. That’s an important next thing for us to do. Sayonara folks.

VIDEO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaAojUnu_nw

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Needles//Pins

Needles//Pins mix of Teenage Kicks-era Undertones and the underrated Protex has garnered the band a lot of attention and placed them on a few “Best of” 2012 lists. This year the band has two singles being planned for release this summer, one on La-Ti-Da Records. In addition to the two singles, Needles//Pins are writing the follow up to their 12:34 LP, completed a recent tour of the US and are now playing at Ottawa Explosion this year. Not bad for a band that started because two of the members “needed an excuse to get drunk on Wednesday nights.” 

Interview by Ed Stuart

Who’s answering the questions?

Tony.

Where is the band from?

We are from Vancouver, Canada

Who is in the band and what instrument do they play?

Macey plays drums, Adam plays guitar and Tony plays bass

How did the band start?

Adam and me were living next door to each other, and we needed an excuse to get drunk on Wednesday nights, so we started jamming in my basement. The set up was so shitty, but we had beers so, whatever. After not too long we made Macey let us come over and jam at her place and she’s been stuck with us ever since.

What bands did you have in mind when starting this band?

We wanted to sound like Jay Reatard meets The Pointed Sticks. I think that went out the window pretty quick though, that seems like a pretty lofty thing to shoot for.

Five essential LP’s, EP’s or 7”’s that you can’t live without right now.

The Mandates - S/T

Spectres - Nothing To Nowhere

Warm Soda - Someone For You

Wipers - Is This Real

Big Country - The Crossing

In an interview with The 1^st Five, Adam talking about local support for local bands [Vancouver] got to be the best city in the country to be in a band. Three local bands played our record release show [and] 300 people showed up. Is this still the case? That is a crazy number for a shows of only local bands.

It definitely still happens; obviously it doesn’t happen every show. But there’s definitely something to be said for the amount of people that come out to shows in Vancouver, we're really lucky here I think.

In the same interview, it’s mentions that Young Governor in 2012 was drawing 50-60 people, which is a great draw for a local band. What is the reaction for the band if and when drawing a crowd less than that?

I dunno, its hard to say really, I think if you're drawing that many people consistently then you're doing pretty good. Draw is a weird thing I guess, its not always the best bands that draw the most people.

How did Needles//Pins hook up with both La Ti Da Records and Mammoth Cave Records? The band has two releases out on each label.

We met Tim a few years ago when we played in Victoria, then we ran into him at Sled Island and I found a free beer wristband on the ground that Macey used her gum to restick it together around his wrist, so, he owed us. We got together with Mammoth Cave cause we went on tour with The Moby Dicks, and both Paul and Evan were playing in that band, they approached us about doing the LP the second time we ever met them I'm pretty sure, which was pretty cool.

Seems like Canada as a whole is producing a slew of really good power pop bands, Steve Adamyk Band, Sonic Avenues, Needles//Pins. What is going on up there? Is there an abundance of awesome power pop records up there?

Canadians just have great taste probably. Aha, no, um, I’m not sure really, Canada has had a lot of rad punk and power pop bands in the past, so maybe that has something to do with it? It’s either that, or the beer. Probably the beer.

In previous interviews Needles//Pins, the band has a really great attitude regarding the work and band balance. After being on a few “Best of” lists for 2012, does the band still have this attitude especially with more and more people taking notice of the band?

Oh ya, our attitudes are still the same. We're not really a band whos trying to "make it." We wanna do as much as we can with it, touring, records etc. But at the end of the day its what we do to have a good time, we all work so we can go play shows and have a rad time. The best of lists and whatnot are great and its always a trip when people put us in the same regard as some really rad bands, but they don’t pay the rent.

How was the US tour? What were some of the difference between playing the US and playing in Canada?

America was awesome, we had a blast. It was pretty much impossible for us not to have a good time since we were on tour with our good buddies in The Steve Adamyk Band. I think it was a really great first tour in the states; we sold a bunch of merch, met a bunch of new friends, drank a million cheap beers, and even got invited back to San Diego for Awesome Fest. The two main differences touring in the states are the best reasons to tour the states, cheap beer and awesome Mexican food everywhere.

Where can people hear the band?

http://needlesxpins.com/ will show you everything you need to know.

What’s next for Needles//Pins?

We have two 7"s out this summer, one on La-Ti-Da and one on King Fisher Bluez. We're in the process of writing a new LP, which we hope to record in September or so. 

Photo Credit: Tara Dwelsdorf

Needles//Pins- Shaker from Anthem Jackson on Vimeo.

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