Masked Intruder: A short Q and A with Jays Topics (Calgary Punk Shows)

We were able to catch up with the boys from Masked Intruder recently and Intruder Blue filled us in on some touring, mask wearing, girls and of course about their current US/Canada tour that they are on with Strung Out. Making waves in the pop punk world, Masked Intruder is an act not to missed. Be sure to check your local listings for a show near you.

Jay: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us! We know you've probably been busy getting ready for this tour you just started on. In light of that, how do you prepare for a tour like this? You guys gotta practice your on stage moves right?

Blue: To get ready for tour we usually get a couple of big bags and draw dollar signs on the side of them with sharpies. It can be hard to find a loot bag on the road, and you don’t wanna be caught trying to run with a buncha stolen loot without a cool looking bag to hold it. Other than that, you know, we don’t do much to prepare. We don’t really need to practice our on stage moves; we got that shit down.

Jay: You'll be joining Strung Out on the 9th of this month along with La Armada playing in San Francisco then coming up into Canada a few days later. We were wondering, have you been keeping up on your Canuck lingo? You'll need to brush up. Especially for the Saskatchewan folk.

Blue: Oh yeah? I mean, we know a couple things I guess. Like, we know the difference between a loonie and a toonie, and we know about poutine and denim jackets. Canada is cool.

Jay: We're super excited to see you roll through Calgary next week. What can fans expect to see at the shows upcoming? We know it wont be your faces!

Blue: Fans can expect to have a good time. And, if they don’t, they can expect to get hassled by officer Bradford, our court appointed chaperon. His mustache makes him look like a real asshole, which, you know, he is. 

Jay: Lets talk about outside the band for a minute. On an average, how many times would you say the masks get you pulled over? That's gotta be a drag eh?

Blue: Surprisingly, not often. We are pretty good at getting away from the cops, so it’s not like we would stop if they asked. But, as it happens, they don’t really ever hassle us. I guess it’s cause we’re white, and they’re racist, cause they’re cops.

Jay: Your latest album M.I was released last year through Fat Wreck Chords. We think its awesome. Are you finding the fans are digging it? Do you get more requests to hear the new or the old?

Blue: Thanks! Yeah, fans seem to have responded super well to it. As far as requests, it’s pretty split down the middle.

Jay: Back to the masks for a sec. You guys must reel in the ladies non stop! I know if we tried that with ski mask's, we'd somehow end up on in jail. How does that work? Is it the color? Is it the musty tour smell? What exactly do the ladies want guys??

Blue: I wish I knew! If we had any luck with the ladies, I would be happy to share the secret. I say that, but I actually probably wouldn't. If we got the girls, we would probably be too busy making out to do interviews.

Jay: You guys seem to be the experts on public ski mask wearing. Can you recommend a good place to be seen in public with a ski mask? My suggestion would be for somebody to withdraw money from the teller, but that's just my opinion.

Blue: You know, you’d think that you would be able to bank in the comfort of a ski-mask, but not so much. We like to think of our modern society as being all enlightened, but we face discrimination every single day. Try wearing a ski mask into a bank and you’ll see what I mean. It’s all “ahhhh!” and “he’s waving a knife around!” and we’re just like, fine, we’ll take our business elsewhere. You can’t let haters get you down.

Jay: I guess we should talk about music for a bit too. Are you guys working on new material while on tour? I would imagine you focus alot more on a killer set every night. Is there even downtime to write at all?

Blue: We don’t work on new material much on tour, that mostly happens when we are home. On the road, we’re more focused on the show, and then partying our faces off. It’s very absorbing work. 

Jay: You guys are playing at The Republik here in Calgary on the 16th. Should be a blast! I expect we will be having a good ol Canadian Beer together. What are we drinking??

Blue: Sounds good! We love beer! All of us except officer Bradford. He’s more of a whiskey guy.



-Masked Intruder plays The Republik with Strung Out Thursday April 16th-

Calgary Punk Shows: Underground support for Calgary's punk scene

Julius Sumner Miller Band of Calgary AB. Pic by Mark Preston

For just over two years now, Calgary Punk Shows has been a force in the promoting of local punk rock talent. On occasion also posting for hard rock or thrash metal, the aim since the beginning has been to promote Calgary's loud and proud bands, primarily focusing on the Punk Rock scene. 

From the obscure to the well known local talent, Joel Threat, the founder of the Calgary Punk Shows facebook and Twitter page, has always tried to keep content current and up to speed. 

I recently had a chat with my good friend about why he decided to start Calgary Punk Shows.

"Originally, it was just a page where I could throw up posters of shows that I knew about so that friends of mine could know about the shows that were going on that I knew about, and at the same time they could do the same so that we all kind of knew what was going on at the time. Then it just kind of caught on publicly, and more and more people knew about it."

That wasn't the whole reason however. Joel continued to share with me his discontent in the support for underground talent:

"Whenever I would go to a show, I found that there was all these awesome bands, but never alot of people at the show. Like this one time I saw a band called Streetlight Saints and I thought, 'Man these guys rule!' but there was like 2 people watching them. There were people in the bar, but they weren't there for the Saints, and I thought a band this good needed way more support than that. Maybe its not a lack of promotion, but not enough of it. So that's the other reason I started the page. To help out with that" 


Streetlight Saints of Calgary AB. Pic by Mark Preston

Joel feels that while there has been a small turnaround in the support of providing venues for punk rock shows, Calgary still has a steep hill to climb.

Gone are the days of decent all ages shows and venues for the kids of Calgary to congregate on a weekend to enjoy some excellent punk rock music. To search and (even harder) to find such an event has proven to be daunting. This is something that Joel hopes, with enough exposure and the right type of promoting, club owners and others alike may open up their doors, not only to the underage crowds, but all who enjoy some fun live music.

A few venues around town have already been making headway for some time in the way of supporting the scene, and the hope is to see more. Venues like Night Owl, Ship and Anchor, Dickens Pub and Tubby Dog already host shows on almost a weekly basis and Calgary Punk Shows advertises these venues regularly on facebook and on Twitter so the fans do not miss out on the latest and loudest our city has to offer.

In addition to posters and shout outs to many of the local talent, Calgary Punk Shows also runs a Podcast currently hosted through Soundcloud. You can listen to the latest, and previous episodes here

While the focus of the podcast has always been local, the mix is truly fresh and never repetitive, with the exception of a featured artist music being played throughout. (Listen to the Darius Koski from Swingin Utters episode here). The podcast also features bands from around the world that may have not been heard on Canadian soil before, or seldom heard entirely, as well as staples in the punk rock world such as Bad Religion, Good Riddance, The Bouncing Souls, Propagandhi to name a few.

Along with playing music and highlighting local music, the Calgary Punk Shows Podcast has also been recently interviewing Canadian, as well as international musicians from the scene, and promoting tours coming through town. 

In connection with the support in Calgary of the punk rock scene, Calgary Punk Shows asks artist and fans alike to share and promote the facebook page and podcast to "spread the word" as Joel puts it, so that others who may not have heard about whats going on, are afforded the opportunity to join in.


The Mandates of Calgary AB

"The support for the scene is lacking in our city. We need people to come out to the shows, and to spread the word about what's going on. If you are a band, and have a show coming up, or you want us to play your music on an upcoming episode, send us a message, and we'll do that for you. We WANT you to be heard."

Head on over to the Calgary Punk Shows facebook or Twitter page to check out whats going on this weekend in our city.

-Jay Caption-

An interview with Darius from Swingin Utters.

"Im out eating. I'll be back in 20 minutes or so. Meet at the merch table maybe?"

This is how my interview with Darius Koski started out last Saturday November the 15th, when music veterans Swingin Utters and Lagwagon filled the halls of Flames Central with fans of raw, fast and honest 90's punk rock. 

As the crowd begins to grow within the building, my anticipation for this short interview grows. 

As does my anxiety. 

Now, Im normally not a nervous person. Meet new people? Great. Interview with punk rock pioneer? Fantastic. For some reason, receiving the text message that indicates the extra twenty-ish minutes of wait instills a small measure of panic that maybe, just maybe, I might blow it this time. After all, Darius Koski is an international touring musician. This is no basement project we are talking about.

As I am about to finish the Pilsner I have chosen to be my aid to stress relief, I see him walk in. Darius is dressed sharp, and unassuming. We meet, shake hands, and we are off to do the interview in a quieter area away from the repetitive club music that fills the air.

His demeanor put me instantly at ease. He was laid back and very approachable. Under the Gatsby style hat and behind the frames, is a man who is clearly not the type to shy away from a conversation yet is ready to tell you what is on his mind whether you like it or not. 

And so it goes with the interview. To the point, short, free of any falsified illusions of grandeur, Darius laid it all out on the table.

So just how does it feel to be somebody who has been a part of the punk rock scene for 25 years? Just how does your perception of music change if at all?

" I just like what I like, you know what I mean? I cant stand some garage bands, or rap artists, but i really love other ones. I dont listen to music by genres like alot of people, I think, do. Unfortunately alot of punk rock people, will listen to punk rock and thats ALL they listen to. I dont really understand that"

It becomes clear that Swingin Utters takes no shame in drawing from other styles of music and that Darius could genuinely care less for genre specific definitions about his music.

" I think the street punk moniker, in general, is just kinda silly." he says when asked about their Street Punk Status.  

And with the release of "Fistful of Hollow" Swingin Utters has ventured once again, into different and fresh territory. With songs like "Spanish", "Napalm South" and "End of the Weak", the latest full length from Swingin Utters delivers musicianship with a crisp and raw new approach, where we can still hear the familiar tones of steady rock riffs, with a mix of warm and catchy chorus lines like on "Agonist". 

But Darius doesn't stop there. 

On the topic of his solo project he elaborates: 

"Its almost done. I mean, its all recorded, but there's like a day worth of mixing. Hopefully, i'm assuming it will be out for late spring."

Coming back to the newest installment from Swingin Utters, Darius comments on what fans can expect from "Fistful of Hollow":

" Its a little bit different than the last. I mean, our whole goal has always been to make each record sound different, even though there's obviously a thread that runs through it all. Whatever we sound like."

He goes on.

"I dunno, I keep hearing that everybody thinks its different, it's a departure' and that's good. Thats exactly what we want to hear, and that's what we heard from the last one too. I mean, Miles chipped in this time and he hasn't done that before, so him and Johnny (Peebucks) did four songs that dont really sound like stuff we've done before. So its kinda headed in an even different direction. But it's not like a Jazz Odyssey or anything. Its still us. We love the way it turned out."

One thing is for sure. If the fans don't keep an open mind, they will miss out on what Swingin Utters has to offer now, and in the future. The Utters will continue to branch out and mature in their sound as they have on their latest release. 

So as fans and listeners, do yourself a favor and pick up "Fistful of Hollow" and allow room for what might be unfamiliar.

You will enjoy this one.

-Jay Caption-