Black Ships // Junnnk Thanks

by Matt Dixon, March '08

1. Please introduce the members of Black Ships and give a brief history of the band.
Adam plays bass, Marc and jamie play guitar, Jamie also does the vocals and Taylor plays drums. Adam, Jamie and Taylor started playing together four years ago. We played in various bands together. Black Ships used to be Jamie, Adam and Taylor but went on hiatus for a bit. When we re-formed about a year ago, we added Marc as a second guitarist.

2. What does Black Ships consider worth fighting for?
Theres no much to fight for. @e're all fucked.

3. What politics and/or ethics, if any, play a role in the band, the lyrics and the way the group goes about its business?
We all are strong believers in the DIY ethic. Being able to do something yourself and then have people like it is really rewarding. Our lyrics look at the world in a dark, pissed off kind of way. The world we live in is fucked.

4. Who would you consider your current contemporaries in hardcore?
I would say for us it would have to be Cursed, Tragedy, Disfear and a lot of the bands we listen to have already broken up.

5. You seem to have a knack for seeking out and working with small DIY labels (Mon Oeil, New Romance For Kids). Is this a conscious choice and does it reflect your commitment to the DIY community?
Actually, both those labels are friends of ours. Our release was the first for Mon Oeil and they did a great job. Jason from New Romance told us that if we ever wanted to put something out again that he would be more than happy to do it. So for our second release, we went with him. Going with DIY labels isn't exactly a conscious choice, its actually more of a natural one. I couldnt picture it any other way.

6.What is your current take on the Montreal hardcore scene?
It is actually getting really good. We have a solid venue called the Black Dot which is run by our friend Dan. People always come out, have a good time and support the local and out of town bands. There was a serious lack of decent, affordable venues here so now with the Black Dot, the scene is changing. More shows are happening, more people are getting involved and all in all its really encouraging. I've also started to noticed that younger kids are coming out to the shows now, which is really cool.

7. You have gained a reputation for being "the loudest band in Montreal", what is your reaction to this and what else do you think sets Black Ships apart from other band?
We actually used to be twice as loud. It got to be really ridiculous. We used to use a lot more gear that we do now but it would be safe to say we still play pretty loud. I would like to think that we draw influences from different places. We obviously have that Eastern Canada pissed off sound that a lot of bands from our area have but we also have some Scandinavian hardcore influences as well.

8. You're about to go on tour with Louisville Kentucky hardcore outfit Lords, how did this tour come about? What made you want to tour with Lords?
It just kind of popped up. Adam's other, now defunct, band, Cobra Noir, did some dates with them last year. One day I noticed that Lords were going to be coming up here, so I got on my horse and found out who was doing the tour and got in touch and the rest is history.

9. I noticed that for the upcoming tour you'll be playing a mix of house shows, clubs, and bars. What is your ideal show situation?
Obviously, house shows rule. They're always a party and you're often treated really well. That would be the ideal but we've had our fair share of house shows getting shut down by the cops, which totally blows every time it happens. It would be safe to say that the most ideal show would be at a rad, small DIY venue which had ample room to store gear, held about a 100 people and had 4 bands on the bill. Sometimes even 3 is just the right amount.

10. Any interesting road/tour stories?
Lots. We hit a bird in New York State while listening to "Freebird" on the radio, we played in a barn in Portland, Maine, we always look for roller coasters to ride and buffets to eat at. We've got a whole wack of other stories involving alcohol and other various substances that probably wouldnt be suitable for this kind of thing.

11. People seem to be unanimous in their calls for more Black Ships. Is there a full length record on the horizon? What's up next for the band?
We are currently in the process of writing songs in hopes of releasing a full length record at the end of the summer/fall. We then plan on touring a whole lot. We would ideally like to go to Europe and maybe stay there forever so Jamie can hang out with Skit System.

12. How can people contact you?
They can find us at myspace.com/blackships but our email is blackshipsarecoming@hotmail.com. My address is also 208 Frontenac, Pincourt, Quebec, J7V 3V2. Letters are always nice and I promise I'll write you back.

13. Final words?
Thanks a lot for asking us to do this and we'll see you at the show on the 25th, its going to rip. DIY or die. Thumbs up!

VINYLS

keep checking back for some news on our vinyl series i.e Yesterday's Ring, Black Ships, Jail Weddings.

discord cracks into the top 200 (feb) on earshot

190 Steve Dawson * Waiting For The Lights To Come Up Black Hen
191 The Discord Of A Forgotten Sketch * Improv Sessions New Romance For Kids
192 Various Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats Domino Vanguard
193 Trophy Wives * Trophy Wives Independent
194 Feu Therese * Ca Va Cogner Constellation
195 Tannis Slimmon * Lucky Blue DROG
196 Hot Springs Volcano Aquarius
197 Liam Finn I'll Be Lightning Yep Roc
198 The Whigs Mission Control ATO
199 Various * Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute To Neil Young Universal
200 Catherine Maclellan * Church Bell Blues True North