Introduce yourself…
I am Seamus of The Dreadnoughts, general trouble-maker, straight-edge alcoholic, and dharma bum.
How did the band start?
The band met at the General Annual Meeting of the Vancouver Brody Dalle Society. After a discussion on the merits of cubism in late-20th century continental art and four bottles of Burgundy, we knew it was meant to be. After a few practices, we decided that that sound was "missing something" and so we hatched our bass player from an egg.
How did you come up with the name?
Dreadnought is the name of a very popular dish detergent in Canada. We intend to leave the music scene, squeaky clean.
Who would you say are your influences?
Personally, I was hugely influenced by Ashley MacIsaac and Stan Rogers before my later discovery of old school hardcore; but each member of our band has a unique and ecclectic history in music. I like to think that our influences are mostly from our own travels all over the globe, listening and making stories as we go along. Also Brody Dalle.
What is the punk scene like in Canada?
The punk scene in Vancouver and the rest of Canada has been very good to us. I have so many good friends starting great bands and projects now.
What did you decide to do folk/punk?
We didn't really decide. It's just a combination of the various kinds of music and instruments we love playing. We have hardcore songs, we have pure folk songs, we have all kinds of mixes and new ideas. Consider how many different kinds of music qualify as folk and how many different kind of sounds qualify as punk and you will see how "folk punk" should really mean much at all. To me, I feel that that is just what people like say when they see a violin and an electric guitar.
Your first album was ‘Legends Never Die’, tell us about the album…
It took us 16 hours to record and master and cost $800. I think it sounds good and we still play some songs from that record live. When I first heard the finished product, I loved listening to it and that's how I knew that I was in the right band. I had never really enjoyed listening to my own records that much before.
What is it like working with Stomp Records?
It's like working with your family. Everyone is working towards the same goal and trying to help each other out, nothing more, nothing less.
You just released ‘Polka’s Not Dead’, tell us about the album…
I love that record and I think it is our best. Polka is not dead.
Tell us about the lineup…
We are five men that love playing with our instruments. Sometimes we play with each others' instruments, on select songs. We love choas, community, danger, and above all, really good music.
Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
We never plan our shows out, every show is completely on a whim and fucked up - different venues, languages, and cultures offer different opportunities for things to climb, throw, eat, drink, and joke about.
Have you toured?
Yes. We have played about 150 shows in the US and Canada, and about 250 shows in 15 countries in Europe.
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
We used to play all our local shows at Pub 340 in Vancouver until it shut down. Some of the best times in my life were there.
The Dreadnoughts can be contacting through Myspace or Facebook.
0 comments:
Post a Comment