(I do not own any of the photographs featuring here, please refer to this website for the credits)
WEED's a really cool indie band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Somehow, they have nothing to do with the last I've done an interview with but, I mean, who cares? This is exactly what this website is about: just sharing good music, good bands, great guys opinions.
Let's do it.
I stumbled upon "Running Back" chilling on SYSTEMATIK's singer Instagram. This guy, who sings in a pretty cool old school hardcore punk band (like classic 80s Midwest hardcore punk sound) recently posted a picture of the "Running Back" tape version, adding it was his morning/breakfast music.
Usually, I like to discover bands who are fond of these 90s "musical values" (you know, like indie/pop/grunge/shoegaze things) through hardcore punk musicians because they're quite rightly "not musicians", or not very talented musicians. Thus, they won't spend hours talking about "how this new band they've recently discovered sounds like MY BLOODY VALENTINE or JESUS AND MARY CHAIN..." or try to intellectualize the music like Internet newbies, you know... That's why this "morning music" reference convinced me to listen to your latest record.
- What's your opinion about that?
That's interesting - I also oftentimes look through what the punk/hardcore heads are listening to when it comes to indie music too, because it seems to come from a more pure place than whatever is being forced down the indie hype pipeline by the PR guys or whatever. My personal taste runs the gammit but as far as going to shows, given the option between a hardcore show and an indie show I'm picking the hardcore show 9 times out of 10. The energy level just isn't there when it comes to the internet crap and it's not fun to be around... so anyway, I think we're all pretty aware of the fact that we'd like to have some crossover with the punk bands even if we don't necessarily fit in aesthetically or musically. I always really like seeing diverse bills too, I'm thinking about like the MILK MUSIC / GAG tour or the BIG ZIT / TENEMENT tour, that kind of thing really appeals to me.
- Do you consider yourselves as (good) musicians? When did you start playing instruments and thinking about forming a band?
We all played guitar growing up - I'm gonna say in the 12 to 14 year old range? None very talented... our drummer was definitely the most talented musician but he quit after recording "Running Back". Oh well...
- I felt pretty enthusiastic about asking you questions about the band and your latest release, but I decided not to listen your previous releases or look for informations about how and when did you form... So if you mind I'll let you the freedom of telling me your bio and describe your different releases? Is "Running Back" different from the other records you've put out?
I think "Running Back" has some cool songs but overall none of us liked the way it turned out. The first LP was called "Deserve" and it seems like the consensus among the band and the fans that the first one turned out better. "Running Back" was a lot of fun to record - we did it a bit differently, went to an island off the coast of Vancouver and sequestered ourselves for 4 days with an engineer, but it came out a bit too clean for our taste. Not heavy enough?? Then early on we did some EPs that are a bit dirtier that sound cool to me now. We're working on a new one now that will be called "Born Wrong Love" (not sure what it means but I like it)
- You decided not to publish the lyrics of your songs on your bandcamp page. Why?
What do you usually deal with? Song titles on this record are pretty enigmatic: "Muscles", "Stay In The Summer", "They Don't Ask Me"... Since I didn't purchase "Running Back" anymore I don't know what your lyrical themes are...
Weird I actually thought the lyrics *were* on the bandcamp... I think they were at one point. We should put them back up... Most of the lyrics are about friendships and relationships that dissolve and erode... mostly not romantic stuff, but sometimes there's a heartbreak song or something along those lines. But especially with "Running Back", about 90% of the lyrics are about this one particular friendship getting destroyed.
- What can you tell me about the cover art of "Running Back"? We need some instructions about this photo-montage? Who's the artist?
I do all the artwork for the band. I think the "Running Back" jacket is my favorite piece of art I've done for WEED. Can't remember exactly how it came together. I use a lot of my dad's old hunting magazines and car magazines for the collage sources. I believe the couple kissing in the folded piece is a former college football star. Can't remember his name. But anyway this piece (and all the rest) was put together very quickly and without much thought - if it feels good keep it, if it feels bad move it around or throw it away completely.
- Hope that people usually do not consider WEED as an "artsy band" because I love your different video clips or the photos your tour manager took during one of your trips in 2014... Do you really work on the visual identity of the band? In your opinion, what creates this visual identity?
Kevin who plays guitar in the band is a fantastic video artist and he does a lot of the music video work for us. We always mean to make more videos but get slowed down by the other parts of life besides the band. As for the photos, it's always great to look back at the documentation, what happened on tour. Hard to find a balance between documenting the trip and enjoying the moment at the time... but I think we do OK. We make a lot of different T-shirts, which I think people understand is a big part of our visual identity. T-shirts are cool.
- Where I live there are tons of cheesy bands trying to be "sound like this or that...", do you know what's the secret to be, I don't know like true to yourself when you wanna start a band with a specific musical identity?
Everyone has influences. We didn't set out to be a DINOSAUR JR band or anything, but we were all into that kind of shit and it probably just filtered out naturally. I think the important thing is just writing songs. I wrote some songs and put them through the lens of our band WEED. All of the members shared some influences and figured out what would sound cool and heavy and it turned out to be "Deserve" and "Running Back".
- I've diagonally red these "do not ask this during interviews" mention on your blog, just saw this detail about asking stuffs about the band's name; I actually don't do drugs so I just don't give a shit about that choice. But, I must admit I really like four letters band names, I think that's THE perfect idea. Just listen to the prononciation of the name "RIDE", for example, it sounds really really cool, you don't have to listen to the band, you already know it's a blast. Just reading that name you know it's kicking butts. Like "WEED" actuality. "Man I'm going to see this band WEED, FADE are opening for them tonight... C'mon!" Do you have a theory about these four letters band names too?
I don't do drugs either - never tried hash myself, and the others in the band either don't smoke or smoke once in a blue moon. Kinda wish we hadn't picked the name WEED but most band names suck and I was young when we picked it... anyway, it's brought its fair share of attention which is cool I guess. As for the four letter names, yeah it's cool because those words are just easier to remember. Who's the other one I'm thinking of.... RIDE, yeah... I guess DIIV is a four letter word but I'm not really a fan of theirs. Short names are cool and if you pick one it has to be really creative, as time goes on all the band names have been picked already.
- It's like, you know, there was a shitload of 80s hardcore bands names in two words: URBAN WASTE, NEGATIVE APPROACH... I've recently asked some questions to CHEAP DRUGS for example, my own band was called SUEUR FROIDE (French for "COLD SWEAT")... If WEED were actually a hardcore band, what should be it name? Your song "Never Leave" could be a good idea in my opinion...
Hmmmm NEVER LEAVE could be cool. I have a list of band names on my mind for any new projects that pop up, I feel lucky to have used some of my favourites on bands that are actually now active. I'm playing bass in a band called CRAZY BUGS and I just started a new hardcore band called COURTROOM that I am singing in. If those ones were not available, what else would be good...? I didn't know about the band PAINTED SHUT but I wanted to use that before I knew they existed... before COURTROOM was settled we were going to called it KNOCKED OFF, which has a good youth crew feel to it?
- Do you think this band CHEAP DRUGS is used to be fucked up on cheap drugs? Cause I really don't care if you smoke pot, I'm sure it is some good shit if so, but these guys in CHEAP DRUGS seem pretty cool, I'd like to recommend them some good cheap drugs not to become reckless dudes... Safety first, guys.
Don't know much about drugs or the band, but if you're going to do drugs at least buy the expensive shit so you're safe??? Seems reasonable...
- Speaking of hardcore punk, I'm glad you put in your recommendations on your bandcamp page some link to "Con La Muerte A Tu Lado" by GENERACION SUICIDA, adding "this is just the best". I'm fine with that, this record is really cool. How did you discover this band and record? Why "this is just the best"?
I found out about GENERACION SUICIDA when I was on tour with another band I'm in called INFIDEL (that one is with Isaiah who is in SYSTEMATIK). It was a brief, kinda crappy tour but we got to LA and this band blew us all away and took really good care of us. When WEED went down the next trip we asked them to play with us and they said yes, they might regret it because they're so much cooler than us, different scene, but they were still really nice to us.
- What about this other band DILLY DALLY? What is this band?
I think I should take this one down... saw them on tour in Toronto and thought they were incredible, but I'm not feeling their latest output, plus they weren't very nice to me when I emailed them, if I recall correctly. Cold shoulder. Cool style though. Awesome vocals. Don't really like the artwork on their records.
- I also red you run a small newspaper in Vancouver, what is it? Like a fanzine or something completely different?
By the way, I've never paid attention if musical scenes and subcultures like current indie/90s revival were into fanzines? If so can you recommend some of them?
Yeah I work at a comic store in Vancouver called Lucky's - we started doing a little monthly newspaper called "Dunk" which is supposed to cover the underground comic scene here and then lots of music scene reports... but my energy for that publication comes and goes. I think it might be done now? Now I'm also doing a zine called "Humans Can Lick Too" which all about punk and rock in the Pacific Northwest, and I think I enjoy doing that a lot more! Less pressure, since it's not a monthly commitment, just whenever I have the time and interest.
As for others, yeah I think there's definitely a scene, not so much with the indie crap but certainly with punk. The big ones that come to mind are "Nuts!" which was in Olympia but now in NYC, and "Cretins of Distortion" which I think is in Ohio... both very inspiring and a great way to find out what's hot in different regions. I read them both cover to cover any time I get my hands on them, looking up every band mentioned, and I try to stock them at Lucky's as much as possible.
Here's some info on Nuts! NUTS FANZINE
and COD BUG CARTEL
- Got no further questions, thank you for your time! Final word?
Thanks for hitting us up, great questions!!! Hope to get to France someday soon
Check out this band from South Dakota called NO DIRECTION: here
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