More tapes for you from Shake! Records

Shake! Records is an independently run record and tape label out of Victoria, British Columbia.  Their mission statement: “to make rock n roll fun again”.  This I believe they are accomplishing with each release they put out into the world and as of late they are putting a lot whole lotta fun!  The wonderful thing about this label is that they doesn’t stick to one “sound “or “scene”.  Whatever strikes their fancy they release.  Anything from punk, power pop, dream pop, new wave, shoe gaze, and much more that simply defies petty genre tags.  A lot of these releases were put out for the annual festival they run called Shake/Arama.  They’re all limited releases so if you read about something you like, act fast!  www.experienceshake.com

Blü Shorts – S/T Cassette (Shake!)

Short, simple reverb soaked tunes pop out of your speakers when sliding this tape into your deck (which is on a limited triple color splatter cassette I may add).  The first song “TV Avenue” is kind of an upbeat little ditty but that’s as far as that goes.  As we go further down the tunnel the light quickly fades and gives way to darker songs filled with anxiety and despair.  The song “Gravel” is probably the darkest corner of this album, chronicling a tale of a person that’s been knocked down a few rungs on the ladder of life and who then directly contributes to the breaking of a 40oz!  If there’s ever been a more exuberant tale chronicling the lowest points of the human condition and needless demise of a good 40 ouncer, then present it to me now or forever hold your peace!  - J Castro      

The Backhomes – Tidalwave Cassette (Shake!)

This Victoria by way of Montreal duo made up of Kees Dekker and visual artist/animator Aimée van Drimmelen play ultra-melodic reverb dipped, sun kissed rock tunes with a melancholy pose.  Reminds me a bit of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s slower numbers, The Raveonettes or Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Kill Surf City” era material.  The songs range from straight hitters to melodies with a more atmospheric aura swooning around them.  Production on the record is spot on, it is clear enough to let the band’s talent shine through yet set back enough to keep in the mystique.  From what I understand van Drimmelen’s art work is used to create a unique atmosphere at their gigs.  Visual spectacles or no, the band’s records are worth picking up and these two are most definitely worth checking out live.  - J Castro    

Terra – Couldn’t Save This Cassette EP (Shake!)

Killer moody, mid-tempo, seething tunes from this Medicine Hat, Alberta band.  Terra construct songs that rely heavily on a sinister, infectious bass riffs and all the other instruments play off of it.   That gives this EP a Joy Division feel to it but the singer isn’t quite as droll as Ian Curtis.  So they must sound like Interpol then you may think.  Well no, not exactly.  Terra come off leaner and more melodic like in the last song on here called “Incurable Condition”.  The vocals are dead pan and the rhythm section is firing away in a drone like fashion, but it’s faster moving.  Terra don’t dwell in the night for too long, eventually the sun does rise, which is good because painting yourself in a dark corner can be ones creative demise.   - J Castro

Boats! – Best Boats! Collection Cassette (Shake!)

To be honest with you, I have never heard Boats! before.  I have certainly heard and read their name in many circles and have been interested in checking them out because from what I hear, they play the kind of music that makes me all tingly inside.  So what better way to start my listening adventure is there than with a Boats! hits collection!  This compilation was put together just for Shakearama II and comes on a killer turquoise cassette.  As for what I thought of the music you ask?  Great!  Snotty, nail driving upbeat punk rock that is well executed and with a sense of humor.  Like a less intense Sharp Objects with a Stan Lee/Leonard Phillips stance.

Maximum internal tingles achieved!  - J Castro

Twin Crystals – Child Life Cassette (Shake!)

Vancouver’s own Twin Crystals music slithers violently on the floor like a snake that’s been cut in half by a shovel.  These aren’t pretty, melodic tunes that are meant for easing you into your comfy afternoon flip flops or setting as background music at your next patio party.  No, these guys play loud, fractured, noisy songs that at times remind me of Mission of Burma or early Sonic Youth at their most disenfranchised.   The production puts the vocals right there, front and center and in your face.  The rest of the band is left to kill off what ever gets past him, which I imagine can’t be too much.  The band uses the tags “No Core and Hard Wave” on their Bandcamp page to describe themselves.  I’ve never heard either of these terms before but they certainly suit Twin Crystals well!  -  J Castro

Fist City – Greatest Splits Cassette (Shake!)

The first thing I noticed about Fist City was the vocals.  For one, they’re very good and they’re very honest in their passion.  It’s not overboard angry, screechy, or cutesy peppy.  I hear genuine urgency and truth in that voice.  The rest of the band forms an impenetrable 50 foot high wall of Husker Du type melodic noise that backs up those vocals at every play.  As the title suggest, this is a collection of various tracks compiled from split releases plus some new songs too!  All of this plus there’s a song called “Iggy Pup” which should have been a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character about a scrappy, unruly yet adorable mutt that enjoys rolling around in peanut butter!  Talk about a missed opportunity, he could have been better than Yogi Bear!   -  J Castro

The Pink Lincolns – The Best of... Cassette (Shake!)

Major subdued Lou Reed vibes radiating from just the first 5 seconds of the first song, not a bad thing mind you, not bad at all. This is not to be confused with those Florida ruffians with the same name, oh no!  This is a compilation showcasing the works of songwriter and composer Daniel Colussi from Vancouver.  The rest of this album goes on to reveal Colussi does in fact have his own voice and not just worshipping exclusively at the Lou Reed altar.  The songs here have undeniable hooks and melodies that stick to memory.  Some of the songs do have a Reed/Velvets vibe but they’re not as pretentious or artsy as the aforementioned could be at times.  Colussi writes songs that are much more playful and accessible.  They’re songs you can put on and enjoy at any time and not have to strap on your shiny boots of leather.   -  J Castro

Mosfett – Roswell Cassette (Shake!)

Slow to quick tempo sludgy tunes of anger, pain, loss, and pretty much any other negative aspect the human condition can offer up.  Listening to the Vancouver trio, you can almost see them writhing in their own agony that wraps around them like a constricting python.  It’s like watching a giant crocodile eat in a muddy swamp.  As its powerful jaws clamp down on its prey; at times it just lays there in the muck just savoring it’s catch of the day.  At other times, without expecting it, the croc violently turns and flails around to try and get a better grip.  That pretty much sums up what I’m feeling as I listen to Mosfrett.  All except for the last song titled “Matthew Perry/Central Perk.  I don’t even intend to offer up an opinion of that one, I just climbed in and let it take me to wherever it’s going. -  J Castro

Hexagrams – Analog Cassette (Shake!)

Hexagrams play haunting, slow flowing shoe gaze and atmospheric dream pop that fills the room like dry ice smoke.  Not from Vancouver or from the Pacific Northwest, but from my mother land; Mexico!  Oh yes, from the beautiful city of Leon, located in the state of Guanajuato which is located pretty much smack dab in the middle of the country.  The album starts off with a very melancholy mood but as it gets going it starts to pick up some bulk.   The songs never get too airy or transparent, they still have some drive and substance to them (check out the song “China Doll” and the closer “Soft Drugs”).  As if you need any more incentives to check out Hexagrams, Shake! put this out on retina bursting hand splattered blue and pink on flat black tapes!

-  J Castro 

Sh-Shakes – S/T Cassette EP (Shake!)

Back to Vancouver for some garage dance floor stompers, courtesy of Sh-Shakes!  I can almost see the heels of black Beatle Boots stomping and grinding puddles of sweat into the wooden dance floor.  Sh-Shakes have got some serious soul in their rock n’ roll repertoire!   They call themselves psyche-rock n’ roll, I guess as much as you can call The Zombies or The Animals “psyche”.  To me, this is just grade “A” 1960’s inspired garage rock n’ roll.  This is just a small taste mind you, the A Side is a couple of older tunes and the B Side represents what the band is doing as of late.  Maybe some of their other music has a more psychedelic flavor to it.  Once again, Shake! offers this tape as part of their “Splatter” series.  This one: green and orange splatter on a flat black tape!   -  J Castro 

Lab Coast – Wilding Cassette (Shake!)

This Calgary duo play short, melodic, quirky tunes with some heavy fuzz balls and distortion covering the whole thing.  So much distortion in fact that a couple of times I mistook the vocals for a kazoo playing in the background, especially on the song called “See You Tonight”.  They’re not all like that though, the production varies depending on the ambience the band wants to portray on each tune.  The next song is almost a straight up indie pop ditties called “Happy Go Lucky”, well as close as Lab Coast gets to “pop” that is.  A lot of these songs have a good folksy/earthy foundation to them and remind me of Sebadoh’s Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock or if Wilco had taken the experimentalism they were starting to dabble with in Yankee Hotel Foxtrot further than they actually did.   -  J Castro     

Nervous Talk – S/T Cassette (Shake!)

This is the cassette version of the LP that P-Trash Records and Hosehead Records put out earlier this year only this time it’s on a screaming yellow cassette tape!  If you have never heard this band, by all means you simply must.  I did an interview with Joel and Todd way back in January of 2014 when they had only been playing together as Nervous Talk for a couple of years then and just had a couple of EP’s out and I was already impressed enough that I wanted to shout their name from roof tops.  Plus they revealed that they were once in bands called Timecopz, The Moby Dicks and a Brian Eno Halloween tribute band called HallowEno!  What more do you want!  Seriously though, this Vancouver band only got better with age and this here LP stands as hard evidence to that statement.  -  J Castro     

Crystal Eyes – No Man is an Island Cassette (Shake!)

The guitars and bass are wound up tight and the riffs they emit are robust, probably the most coherent aspect of this tape that help gel the songs together and keep them moving. The drums sticks are held loosey goosey as they barley strike the snare drum, and Erin Jenkins vocals float in and out of reality like a lighthouse that comes in and out of view with heavy fog on Crystal Eye’s debut EP.  My favorite tunes on this release is the third song in called “Here She Comes”: a mixture of Velvet Underground ambience with soaring guitars that wouldn’t sound out of place on Cocteau Twins Heaven or Las Vegas with a My Bloody Valentine type zest.  The other one is the last one called “Keep the Faith” which is as close as the band gets to a straight up guitar rocker.  - J Castro         

Mandates – In The Back of Your Heart Cassette (Shake!)

For some reason I always think of Mandates as being Nervous Talk’s older, delinquent brother.  You know. the older brother that sometimes doesn’t come home at night and when he does he eats all the good left overs, is in and out of jail a lot and wears the same torn up blue jeans for days on end.  Mandates are long hair, black leather jacketed rock n roll warriors.  The illegitimate and unclaimed children of Suzi Quatro and Joey Ramone.  Yeah they’re all rough and tumble on the outside, but they can write some of the catchiest guitar riffs you’ll ever hear and they got a soft spot for the ladies too, just like you and me.   This is the record The Riverdales were hoping to make after their first LP, but the rock n roll gods don’t just give gonads away, you gotta go out and earn them yourself.  - J Castro

Painted Fruits – Fruit City Cassette (Shake!)

The Music of Noah Varley’s band Painted Fruits has a vagabond, bohemian artist charm to it; like Rufus Wainwright or Andrew Bird only scrappier and not as baroque.  Some of the tracks on the Fruit City cassette also recalls the delicate songwriting and structures of Jens Lekman or even Sondre Lerche to me at times. The songs are as a whole quirky, likeable, a tad flamboyant and intelligent without seeming snobby or too highbrow for the common 9 to 5 folk to enjoy and not get left out of the artsy kid’s fun and amusement.  Sure they artsy kids stuck together in high school, eating lunch in their studios not acknowledging anyone on the outside’s existence.  And when they did you never knew the music or movies they referenced because all you knew was The Ramones and Star Wars.  But now the artsy kids are finally letting us in!  - J Castro

Catholic Girls – Psychic Woman Cassette (Shake!)

The initial feeling I got from this Calgary band as I listened to the first song on this EP called “The Room” was pure anxiety.  The band’s music rides hard on waves of lushly coated synthesizers.  The second and third songs here titled “Whore” and “Tokyo” slows things down a bit to a lurking, shadowy  Siouxsie and The Banshees Nocturne era new wave club sound with ever so slightly mechanical whirrs in the background.   The last song “Berlin” sounds like a demo track from Sisters of Mercy’s album Floodland without Andrew Eldritch’s cartoon-y bad guy voice and the over the top production.  Catholic Girls deliver an impressive effort here; the songs are put together tightly and the production helps hold everything where it should be.  - J Castro

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Line Traps

Line Traps forge brief, bitter, bare knuckled punk rock blasts deep within the lush green gardens of Victoria, British Columbia .  The band recently talked to us about their humble beginnings as a one man band, their meticulous song writing process, and why you shouldn't expect a Line Traps world tour anytime soon.  

Interview by J Castro

Introductions please!  Who’s all in the band and what does everyone do?

LINE TRAPS: T. Depression – Guitar/Vocals   P. Ethylene – Bass/Vocals   G. Debris - Drumbs

How did all of you meet and come together to form the band?

LINE TRAPS: T. was embarrassing himself playing with just a guitar and drum machine, ‘cause nobody else would play with him. It took him almost six years in a new city to find two people to play music with. He started jamming with the girls and asked them if they wanted to do a full band version of his drum machine project (New Krime) at a show he had booked in a couple weeks…that was it. Line Traps first show was with Big Eyes and Criminal Code, billed as New Krime.

When first starting out, did you have an idea of what you wanted Line Traps to sound like, or was it one of those things where the music kind of took its own direction once you started playing together?

LINE TRAPS: We mostly took existing songs and played them the only way we could… the sound has been changed by endless shows playing drunk and often angry… becoming increasingly faster. A lot of the songs started out really robotic, as they were choppy, stupidly simple cuts from the drum machine days…they’ve since evolved to just beyond stupidly simple and slightly less robotic. It’s hard to nail down what we wanted the band to sound like…it’s just a shit mix of all our favorite music…inept 60’s garbage, nasty basement punk, early 80’s hardcore, 90’s garage-punk, etc, etc…took all that crap in over the years and now we’re regurgitating it as a sloppy mess of shit-tone guitar, fuzz bass and robot beats.

The band is currently based in Victoria, BC.  Is there a supportive crowd/scene there that comes to your shows and understands what you’re doing musically?

LINE TRAPS: The music scene in Victoria is as underwhelming as ever. 20 somethings going nutz for 90’s pop punk and grunge revival…and whatever passes for post-punk these days. A few years ago, there were still a buncha scuzzy punk bands with names like Alcoholic White Trash, Lesbian Fist Magnet, Fuck You Pigs…and of course Dayglo Abortions. Bands singing about shit and dicks and fighting and hating cops. Lots of metal influenced punk bar bands playing to the lowest common denominator…and at the same time, an all ages scene that is very heavy on Grindcore and Crust stuff. It’s like everyone in Victoria missed everything that was good in music…ever. We play a lot of bills we have no place being on…and almost nobody in town gets it. Playing for people who don’t get what you’re doing can be a lot of fun though…just staring at a room full of confused faces.

You released your Self-Titled debut LP earlier this year.  Other than your demos, this is the first actual Line Traps record.  What led to the decision to do an LP first as opposed to a couple of singles first? 

LINE TRAPS: Having morphed from a one-man freak show, we started out with more songs than we could handle. It only made sense to record everything we had and get it out there. A lot of those songs are really old. I think the intention was to record them, put ‘em out and eventually phase them out in favor of new material. Sadly…we seem to be incapable of writing new material, and we’re still playing that stuff. Plus…a one sided LP with handmade packaging costs about the same as a 7” to make...and you don’t have to flip it every two songs.

Line Traps - S/T Debut LP 2015

I was reading the review of your record in Terminal Boredom and they compared the band A LOT to Rip Off Records type stuff like Dirty Sweets and the Kill-A-Watts.  What do you think of the comparisons, was Rip-Off Records a big influence on Line Traps music?

LINE TRAPS: So far we’ve been compared to like 6 different Rip-Off bands over 3 different reviews. T. was picking up a lot of Rip-Off releases in the 90’s, but I don’t think we sound like any particular Rip-Off band…or even a combination of a couple…and I don’t think Rip-Off was any more of an influence on our sound than anything else. The one thing I always appreciated about that label is that even though not all the bands had a similar sound…they all had a similar FEEL. It seemed like none of those bands cared too much about how they looked, what gear they played, or how well practiced they were, I think we can relate to that. Oh yeah…our next LP is due out in 2016 on Rip-Off Records.

What sorts of things typically inspire your songwriting?  Are there any subjects you purposely try to stay away from in your lyrics?

LINE TRAPS: It’s a mixed bag…conspiracy theory, robots, masturbating with electricity. What we do isn’t rocket science…and nobody is gonna be quoting our lyrics anywhere. Shit, half the time we just string random words together to fill up the space before the chorus, which is usually just the song title repeated 4 times.

photo by Don Denton

When people see your band live, what sort of feeling or sentiment do you want the audience to walk away with afterwards?

LINE TRAPS: I think we’d like people to walk away after 18 minutes of us playing with a smile on their face…but seeing as that is unlikely…agitation, anger or disgust would also be acceptable responses. We aren’t playing to crowds of our friends…and it actually takes effort for us to make it through a set without the whole thing falling apart. It’s nice when people we don’t know come up and say something…anything…about the band.

Let’s turn the tables a bit, what sorts of things have you ever seen people in your audience do that annoys you? 
LINE TRAPS: When people stand there and do NOTHING while watching a punk show is the most annoying thing to see. If you’re watching our band and we can’t even move you enough to bob your head…then go outside, we’re obviously wasting your time. I don’t know if it’s just the west coast, but I’ve seen way to many bands play in Victoria, Vancouver and even Seattle and Portland in recent years, where nobody is moving. I’d rather play for 6 people who clearly enjoy a live punk show…than 200 people standing there watching and taking the occasional picture with their cell phone.

I was reading this interview with a former drummer in The Cramps and he talked about how guarded Lux and Ivy were with their image, he said it was so bad that it almost imprisoned them.  Do you feel image is still an important aspect to being in a rock band these days?

LINE TRAPS: Some of the best bands had a carefully cultivated image. Then there were bands that rejected having an image, and their lack of image become their image. In the end, everyone is going to see you as something different than everyone else. You can try to influence how people see you, or you can just be authentic, and hope that comes across. These days, if a band dresses or acts differently on stage than they do in “real life”, I’m probably not going to like that band.

Where can people log on or go to buy your records?

LINE TRAPS: People can hit up our Bandcamp page here:
https://linetraps.bandcamp.com/
Or just find us on Facebook and send us a message…we have like 30 different T-shirt designs too…
https://www.facebook.com/linetrapsvic

What lies ahead in the near future for Line Traps, any touring?
LINE TRAPS: We’ll be recording new material in the next couple months…probably for the second LP. Probably a short trip down the coast sometime soon, but two of us have young kids…so that makes any real “touring” kinda outa the question.

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Pill Squad

Photo by Erik Iversen

     Vancouver’s Pill Squad just released their debut EP earlier this year and along with many of their Canadian counterparts helped set the bar pretty high for 2015 early on. Their EP has shadowy reflections of rock n’ roll bands from days gone by: The Jam, Velvet Underground, and Blondie all pop their heads up from out of the trenches at various times. That’s what makes it so difficult to pigeonhole a band like Pill Squad. They play what they actually like and are influenced by and they sing about what they know. Now today’s musical groups are being categorized and stereotyped from their conception, which makes it easier to package and market their music for quick and uncomplicated consumption. If only more artists across all mediums would just do what comes naturally, the landscape of pop culture would be far more exceptional and not the cringe worthy punch line to a flatulence joke that it’s become.     

  

Interview by J Castro

Who is in Pill Squad and what does everyone do in the band?

SCOTT: Tracy Brooks is the singer, Tim Chan is the guitarist, Gord Berry is the bassist, and Scott Beadle is the drummer.

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

SCOTT: Tim and Scott were in a local band Full Leather Jacket; Gord used to be in Tim’s other band China Syndrome; and Tracy and Scott used to play together in the Hip Type (1986-88) and Infradig (2000-2001).

TIM: I loved the Hip Type back in the day. I played their demos and single a lot when I did a campus radio show at the University of Victoria and saw them when they played in town. It's so cool I ended up being in a band with two of the members. 

TRACY: I am only in bands when someone tells me “you are in this band.” I am far too unambitious to ever make a band by myself. Basically, Gord bullied me into it.

GORD: Love it, glad I’m in this band! C'mon we're happy.

The band is currently based in Vancouver, BC. With so much going on there musically, does it make it difficult to play shows there or get noticed?

SCOTT: I don’t think it’s too hard, you can find a niche or a “scene" based around some bands, or a couple of venues, and make your inroads that way. It certainly wasn’t hard for us to get shows, because we knew lots of people from different scenes and cliques (partly simply by virtue of being older). It’s probably harder for raw newcomers, but we’ve played with young bands, and we’ve seen local venues give youngsters a shot. I also think social media has made it easier, because it’s easier for venues and bookers to hear and access your stuff, in theory anyways.

TIM: We're fortunate that, as Scott says, it's not too hard for us to get a gig as we have a built-in "scene" through some long-term associations and social media. Our next goal is to be on a bill in a larger venue with a compatible touring band--for instance, we will be lobbying hard if Buzzcocks ever return to Vancouver! 

TRACY: Oddly, we are very noticed. People seem to like our persona.  

How would you describe Pill Squad’s sound to someone that’s never heard your band before?

SCOTT: That’s hard, because if I said we’re influenced by people like the Damned, Clash, Blondie, Cramps, the Kinks, T-Rex, David Bowie, Velvet Underground, etc., you might expect us to sound like them, but it’s much less obvious, and much more mixed up. The simple answer is that we’re a punk rock band, but that’s a problematic answer nowadays, because now “punk” refers to a much narrower scope of music, whereas “back in our day” (sorry) it was a much more musically-inclusive term, that embraced not just the “harder” punk bands, but also bands more influenced by sixties garage bands, and seventies glam-rock, and classic power-pop, and post-punk bands. Because we have a female singer, people will inevitably reference bands like Blondie, X, or the Avengers — although we hardly sound like those bands. Choice of cover songs always gives some clue: we’ve covered songs by the Sonics, Blondie, Buzzcocks, Undertones, Girls At Our Best, Big Audio Dynamite, Elton John, and the Bay City Rollers at various times in our sets.

TRACY: Don’t listen to what he said; we are punk rock.

  

GORD: Don't listen to what they said, we're strangers on the town

 Photo by Erik Iversen

You list old movies, books and comics as personal interests in your Facebook bio. Are these the sorts of things that you draw inspiration from in your lyrics? If so can you tell me about the most unusual book or movie that inspired one of your songs?

SCOTT: That’s Tracy’s department. She’s our lyricist and she’s a connoisseur of B-movies and so-called “trash” subculture.

TRACY: He’ll look better (when he’s dead) was partly influenced by a huge crush I had on someone but also by a very trashy book I bought called “The life of the Jaguar Princess.”  The cover was priceless; it was a very buxom woman in a tiger skin bikini wrestling a jaguar. Apparently, it was the true story of a girl who had been deserted in the jungle by her parents and raised by a tribe of Jaguar worshippers, almost well written. Illumination is about my cat. I am also a long-term psychotronic film junkie which, as you know, changes the way you look at everything.

And speaking of Facebook, you posted a pretty heartfelt tribute to Partridge Family’s Suzanne Crough. Why do you think so many people are still into and are still getting into pop groups from the ‘60’s and ‘70’s? What elements do you think pop songs had back then that today’s lack?

SCOTT: Oh gosh; simplicity, straight-forward-ness, brevity, actual pop craftsmanship. People sometimes laugh or cringe at bubble-gum or pop music from that era, but to me it’s way more honest and sincere than so many of the new bands that I read hype about, and then I hear them and I feel like I’m being pranked. Breathy, whispering navel gazing folksingers or pompous histrionic “affected” vocal stylizations; I hate that stuff. Bubblegum is like an antidote to pretentious self-absorbed fake-intellectual bullshit artists. It’s no coincidence that so many classic late-seventies punk bands covered bubblegum songs (as well as neglected sixties garage rock nuggets).

  

TIM: All members of our band are (ahem) a certain age, and that's the music we lived and breathed when we were growing up. A lot of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s stuff continues to be appealing because it still sounds good today -- the songs are timeless. But I still try to keep up with some of the current stuff; we especially have some very fine local bands. But will new bands stick with us as long as the old bands have? Time will tell.  

TRACY: To be perfectly honest, I basically stopped listening to music in 1981, which makes me old. I used to sit in the back of my parents’ Ford Falcon and listen to AM radio, I kind of learned about life through those songs. 

       

 You list Blondie, The Velvet Underground, The Clash and The Cramps as influences on your music. All of these bands have very charismatic and captivating front men and women. What in your opinion makes an outstanding front person and in your opinion have there been any in the last 10 – 20 years that you would put into the same category as Debbie Harry, Lou Reed or Joe Strummer?

SCOTT: Hmm, my snap reaction is no. The problem is, everyone I see or read hype about is so obviously copying someone that I listened to when I was younger. That’s one of the problems of being older, ha, ha. There’s a real “been there, seen that” reaction to a lot of the media darlings that are offered to us as music fans. And not good copies, either, like real shitty ones! I’m trying not to sound like a cranky grandpa, but sometimes it’s difficult. I like other local Vancouver bands more than most new international acts I hear about. 

TIM: To me, an outstanding front person is one that gives their all night after night. It doesn't matter if there are 10 people in the audience or thousands of people. They connect and engage with the audience, but sometimes they can be detached too, that really works for some performers. Natural charisma certainly plays a part, too, which unfortunately is something you either have or don't have. One of the most unique front people I've seen recently is Samuel T Herring of Future Islands; this might sound weird but he's kind of a combination of Marlon Brando and Roland Gift of the Fine Young Cannibals. His performance on the David Letterman show last year was just incredible. Locally, I always love seeing Paul Leahy of Polly; he's David Bowie and Mick Ronson rolled into one person, an amazing performer!

SCOTT: Oh I agree about Paul Leahy, he’s great. I also like Jeffrey of Fashionism and Marc from the Vampire Bats; they’d probably be rock stars if they were in a major media centre market.

TRACY: Outstanding front people have to be honest. I don’t mean they can’t lie, because I lie onstage at all times, but they have to be true to themselves. Lou Reed, Lux Interior, they were just being themselves. Nowadays I think there is a lot more copying. I don’t want to be like anybody else, I like myself just fine.

 Photo by Erik Iversen

Do you think the popularity of downloads and MP3’s have made music more disposable to people? Have you ever felt like kids don’t emotionally invest in music like they use to when you had to physically go and hold a record in your hand, buy it, bring it home and stare at the liner notes, cover art and band pictures?

SCOTT: In some cases, yes, it’s inevitable that’s the case, when you’re talking about digital music, etc. However, fetishism always tends to find its way no matter what especially in music-based subcultures. So, despite the widespread “disposability” of culture, young people are investing in and cherishing 7-inch singles and vinyl albums again. I mean new ones, not old records. That’s something I never thought I’d see happen; and it’s still not exactly “mainstream” but it’s a fairly significant subcultural practice. It’s very interesting to watch that happen, over recent years.

TIM: I think it's fantastic that kids continue to listen to and be interested in the music we grew up on. I've heard the re-emergence of vinyl is partly related to listening and sharing music amongst small groups in-person; it's a social activity. It's like an antidote to MP3’s, which is usually an individualized experience via ear buds or headphones on your smart phone or iPod.

TRACY: It’s weird, I have a 17-year-old son and he is just as invested in the music he likes as I was. He has found his own way with music. He knows more about Lou Reed than I do. He doesn’t love him as much as I do, but that is surely a good thing. You have to be some messed up to love Lou Reed the way I do. As far as the old time buying a record, reading the liner notes, etc. I mostly loved singles. I still love singles. I’m not a completist or a collector; I just want to hear the best three minutes a band has.

I was reading an interview with Nick Cave and he said that out of all the art forms, music has the power to change a person’s disposition the fastest. Do you agree with this? Do you have a particular song or album that you can put on that can usually lift you up from a bad day?

SCOTT: In terms of immediacy of effect, I agree, music is the most powerful and immersive of art forms. Personally speaking, that is. See, this is one of the reasons I love bubblegum and pop music. You put that shit on; I dare you to remain in your self-pitying goth state of loathing. But lots of “comfort” music from our youth (or the nice parts of our youth, anyways) has that power. People have there “go to” Velvet Underground songs or Rolling Stones songs, or the Beatles of the Kinks. These songs or albums trigger us, transport us, and remind of how we felt when we first heard or embraced these tunes. Music seems to be able to do this in a more immediate way than other art forms.

TIM: I agree with Scott. I also think "comfort" is why a lot of people our age listen to music. There comes a certain point where it can be overwhelming to get into new stuff and you tend to fall back on old favorites. There's nothing wrong with that, and I still try to do my best to be open to new bands. I have my sweet spots in terms of my "comfort music" (usually power pop-related or anything by the Replacements/Paul Westerberg!) but I also try to listen to music with open and critical ears. 

TRACY: Well, mostly I want to listen to music that sounds like the noise in my head, so The Birthday Party will always trump solo Nick Cave. I find listening to music a very active thing; I can’t put something on “in the background” I have to actively be listening, probably why I like singles so much. That said, The Cure can always cheer me up, even when they are at their goth-est. Conversely, music can make me feel sadder than anything else.

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

SCOTT: Easiest is our Bandcamp page (pillsquad2000.bandcamp.com). Downloads are by donation, so you can just enter $0.00 if that’s your budget. The same 4-song EP that’s available there is also available on CD at some local Vancouver stores.

TRACY: Come see us play. It’s an experience.

What lies ahead in 2015 for Pill Squad?

SCOTT: Well we want to do some more recording. Recording the EP was so much fun. We might record songs in dribs and drabs, like one or two at a time, and just post them online or something. I wish we had the budget to make a 7-inch record, that would be wonderful. But we’re all working stiffs, just scraping by. Maybe some small label or entrepreneur would like to fund something like that for us! Other than that, the plan is just to play shows about once a month, meet more cool like-minded bands to play with, hopefully get some gigs at larger venues with touring bands, but whatever. We didn’t get together to make a career or anything like that, we did it to have fun playing music together, and on those terms, Pill Squad has been a massive success.

TRACY: Lots of fun. I have a movie trivia contest for our next show, great prizes. At the food bank benefit in summer, I am going to auction off a Quebec Nordiques t-shirt. Also, there will always be gum for everyone. Can you ask for more than that?

https://pillsquad2000.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xcDxmo9gXA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbqsxMc-CEM

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