Ahead of their forthcoming return to the UK, Planet Loud had a chat to Andrew from Comeback Kid about their new record and the future of the band.
Planet Loud – Hi, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us. How are you doing; what’re you up to at the moment?
Comeback Kid – I’m sitting on a hotel room bed typing the interview before our bar show in Moncton, New Brunswick tonight ( east coast of Canada ). Just finished searching plane tickets. I hear they have 3 dollar spaghetti at the venue so I better get over there soon!
Planet Loud – Your latest record ‘Symptoms And Cures’ has just been released… how did you approach the writing process this time around? It seems that you’ve found a strong, stable line-up in CBK after years of change, so was working on the new record a positive experience for you?
Comeback Kid – Yeah I think it was a positive experience for us, especially after hearing the final outcome and being really happy with it. As far as the writing goes, we would practice in Winnipeg, Canada for a month straight, then go on tour for 3 months, then come back and jam every day for 3 weeks, then go on tour for another couple months. Demo, re write, and think about the songs, then we got together one last time in Australia to practice for 2 weeks before a tour out there was about to start. Straight after the tour, we flew to Toronto, did a bit of pre production and were in the studio for about 4 weeks. Left for another tour, then came back to Toronto to mix the album.
Planet Loud – ‘Symptoms…’ is probably your most diverse record so far, did you go into writing this record with an idea of what kind of sound or style you wanted to bring to the album?
Comeback Kid – I think we knew that we wanted to write a brighter album sonically. Maybe a little bit more stripped down structure wise with the songs, but in lieu of that we got to add a lot of layers to the guitars and vocals to really fill it up and give each song more individual character. We’ve learned a lot about recording and being in the studio since Broadcasting so we were trying some new things. There is a bit more of a punk rock twist to this album. So it leans more on that side, as opposed to the metal side of hardcore.
Planet Loud – How did you find your time in the studio for ‘Symptoms And Cures’? What led you to work with Eric Ratz and Kenny Luong on this record?
Comeback Kid – We wanted to record an album and we wanted to work with someone new. We had done the last couple records at the Blasting Room w. Bill Stevensen and Jason Livermore. They are always so great, but it was time to mix it up a bit and get some fresh ears and minds in the fold.We would usually show up kinda late. Get some food, and then really dig into the process by 3pm and we would work well into the night. I liked the relaxed vibe but we were definitely paying a lot of attention to detail, and I was singing parts over, and over, and OVER to the point where my head was pounding every night I did vocals. I think it’s because I was always asking them to turn my headphones up. You need it loud to really vibe off it.
Planet Loud – What would you say has fed into the lyrical direction of the new record?
Comeback Kid – My transient lifestyle definitely served as a point that I kept coming back to in the lyrics. I spend all my life touring and if I’m not touring usually travelling around anyways, so that led to a lot of thoughts about that. There are songs about disconnect, songs about how distance can really restore someone, songs about balance, and some stories about some danger that we have encountered along the way.
Planet Loud – You’re about to head out on the extensive Through The Noise tour in Canada, looking forward to it? How do you go about preparing for such lengthy tours?
Comeback Kid – Fuck I must have given this interview a bit late. We are at the tail end now and it went amazing. We loved playing with Madball/ A Wilhelm Scream/ Living With Lions/ Devil In Me every night. We got to put together the tour ourselves and we couldnt have asked for a better group of bands. The shows went really well and a lot of the shows were pretty crazy. We don’t tour Canada often enough. Tomorrow is the last day in Halifax then we head to the states a day later and start a USA run. We are out from beginning of September until December.
Planet Loud – Over the years you’ve come to be regarded as one of the leaders of the international hardcore scene… what do you make of the state of the genre at present? Do you think that the aims and ethos of the hardcore community have changed over the years, or has technological advancement (internet, Myspace, and so on) had little effect on the core of the scene, in your view?
Comeback Kid – It has definitely had an effect, but that is the nature of the game. Things change and as we get older we are not always going to understand what the younger generation is into musically. I think there are a lot of great bands coming out these days, some not so great… Not all of them tour internationally as much as their fans would like I think. But I think it’s cool that the world is opening up and people have access to music now in a way they never did before. I love that younger hardcore bands are getting to experience even going to Europe never mind the rest of great continents that are really opening up for hardcore and punk rock. It still blows my mind that we can go to SE Asia or S America or Mexico. It’s very cool to be connected with an audience worldwide. We are all about reaching far out places, and we’ve really set out to do that over the last few years. HC is alive and well, and if you’re not feeling it in one country, go to another and you will see the passion I am talking about.
Planet Loud – A little later this month you’re back in the UK on the Never Say Die Tour; do you look forward to visiting the UK? You have a really dedicated fanbase over here…
Comeback Kid – I love the UK. I just spent a week in London in August when CBK played Hevy Festival. The rest of the band went home and I chilled for awhile. It was really cool to get to know the city a bit more without being rushed.
Planet Loud – What would you say has helped you sustain yourselves as a band (and stay sane) while on the road? You’ve toured a hell of a lot throughout the history of CBK, after all.
Comeback Kid – We’ve always tried to keep our heads on straight, tried to stay humble, and we put the work in. I think the fact that the main core of this band really wants it is essential. Through the lineup changes we still have 3 original members ( Kyle, Jeremy, and myself ) who are in this for the long haul. Casey has been with us since our old singer Scott left and Matt has been with us for a few years now. Everyone is happy, respects each other, and is looking forward to the next chapter of CBK’s life now with the new album. Planet Loud – Having played alongside so many different bands, what would you say makes a band exceptional, exciting, or particularly noteworthy, to you?
Comeback Kid – It’s hard to say. It’s like asking someone what makes a girl exceptional, exciting, or particularly noteworthy. Yeah it helps if they’re good looking, or if you like the way they move, but you need some personality! It helps if they smell, I mean sound good too. You just have to have that spark. There is no science to it. It’s up to the individual. I like so much different music and sometimes it takes some time to grow on me.
Planet Loud – What would you say is the best piece of advice you’ve heard about making a career in music?
Comeback Kid – I can’t remember. I probably got the advice, did the exact opposite then learned from my mistake.
Planet Loud – So, what are you looking at for the next year or so of Comeback Kid?
Comeback Kid – Lots more touring – So many tours. USA/ Europe, UK/ Australia/ Japan/ Canada/ South and Central America… We will be going out with some great bands so we’re stoked on that. We really can’t wait tour support Sick Of It All next year from Columbia to Brazil!
Planet Loud – Finally, any words for the CBK fans reading this?
Comeback Kid – Symptoms + Cures is available for your listening pleasure now. We are coming back to the UK a couple times in the next year so keep your eye out! Thanks for the interview.
Interview by Rob Sayce
