When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphanies since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
In my younger years 8-9 years old I had an older cousin Calvie that turned me on to Guns and Roses / Poison / rock and roll posters and leather jackets but I think my biggest epiphany was during a game of road hockey when I was a pre teen. I remember a buddy of mine breaking out this ghetto blaster and playing the Green Day Dookie cassette it blew my mind. The melodies and lyrics compared to the hair metal I was listening to were just incredible. I was a punker for life after that. Am I dating myself too much?? Cassette tapes. Ha!
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
Song writing process for me is really basic i will literally have music / lyrics pop into my head it doesn't stay long and I try to capture as much as possible. I usually run to my audio recorder on my phone / grab my acoustic and try to play what's in my head. I record it as quick as possible. I literally have a few minutes to do this or it will leave my brain again. If I don't record it I spend the rest of my afternoon angry at myself for not recording it. I'd be lost without phone recording capabilities. I have 100s of song blurbs recorded on my phone. From there I write lyrics down on paper in my horrible hand writing. I show up at practice and get the guys all amped up for new material. They're all such wonderful musicians we usually have the base for a song within a couple of tries. We build from there. Try to up difficulty because my songs are all 3 chords. Viola. Punk tunes.
Who has influenced you the most?
My biggest influence in music is my dad. He's a pro blues harmonica player and a wonderful musicians as well. He bought me my first guitar. He played great music around me as a kid from Tom Petty to Cat Stevens. He encouraged me to keep at it. You wanna hear him play harmonica? It's unreal.
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
I'm always looking for new music. I've been listening to "The Bronx" alot lately. Killer band. I'm a music junkie. I'm not limited to just punk rock. I can have John Prine spinning in the morning and NOFX on in the afternoon. I'm all over the place. I like rap. I like metal. I like country. I just love everything if it's genuine. I don't like getting Pigeon holed on music genres. No time for gatekeeping
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
I grew up in eastern Canada. Al's from Vancouver Island. Jeff and Mike are from Alberta. My home town of North sydney on Cape Breton was a great little place to grow up. I loved it there. They had a great punk music scene when I was a kid. I miss it like crazy.
Where'd the band name come from?
Chuck Spadina was a stage name rejected by Keanu Reeves Hollywood agents. I saw a story about it on line and thought it would be a funny band name. I'm a big bill and Ted fan so it was a no brainer for me. The guys took a bit of persuasion but they warmed up to my crazy idea.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?
Back to the future part 4. No question. This was an easy one.
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
A Chuck Spadina song or someone else's song? Tough one. Free bird. I think far too often about my own mortality and when I was messed up in the mid 2000s I made a pack with a buddy of mine to kick my ashes off a cliff during the freebird solo. I could easily write 1000 words about the chaos in my life at that point. Ha!
Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?
God damn spinal tap. Great stuff. When I was a kid playing in my punk band we had this amazing outdoor festival on a harbour. I jumped in the harbour mid set and swam away. That's all I have to say about that. Forrest Gump
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
Playing live is my biggest passion. I love it. I just try to throw as my energy and heart at the crowd as possible. I just got amped up. I usually feel like throwing up for 3 hours prior to the set but I'm working on some breathing techniques to curb that.
What makes a great song?
Verse chorus verse chorus. Bridges are great too but not always. I love a hard rock solo.
What one single album do you wish that you'd written or performed on, and why?
I wish I wrote nirvana nevermind just can't imagine the chaos in Kurt's life and what that experience would have felt like. I bet they didn't think it would be this big.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
I like all our songs. New album is going to have some rippers too. I'm super proud of our debut album Rough year. Plug plug
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Shaela miller. Country singer from Alberta. Great stuff. I also like Tim Huss writing he's another country guy. For punk tunes I really like teenage bottle rocket. Weaslecore kind stuff. Fun simple fast. Lyrics aren't too deep. Just fun stuff. Check out the Bronx too.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Digital. We are poor. CDs are second because they're affordable. Vinyl is out of the question. It's Chuck Spadina not Chuck Rockefeller
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice
Beer. Too many bad experiences on whiskey. I'm a rational human on beer. Not so much on whiskey.
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
Sacks thrift ave has killer vinyl in red deer. We rehearse in the basement.
What's next for the band?
New record. Festivals. Great shows coming up. The vat on Feb 17th with trashed ambulance and the off sailors.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
Thanks for doing this.
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