>>PREVIEW
CANCER BATS
Friday, June 1
The Underground
Sounding perky and rejuvenated on the phone from Portland, Oregon, Cancer Bats front man Liam Cormier is just past the half-way point of a lengthy tour. Fresh off a stint with Rise Against and the Bronx in Europe, Cormier and the rest of the Bats are still riled up and energized by their tour partners.
"Every single night was amazing," he begins, referring to getting to watch the established bands night in, night out. "Especially with both those bands so on their game. So to get to play with those dudes and kind of have to play at that level was rad for us, pushing us a lot."
Not that they’ve needed a lot of outside motivation. Since cementing their initial lineup three years ago, the Ontario quartet has pummelled through an EP, a full length (Birthing the Giant) released last June and hundreds of shows. A well-deserved break is to come this summer when the band will turn its attention to writing a second album, with recording slated for the fall.
"I’d say the biggest thing that’s changed this time around is that everyone in the songwriting process knows each other a lot better. We’ve played over 250 shows since the last record’s come out, so we’re a lot tighter as players but also in terms of what everyone’s thinking. So, when we’ve had the chance to write new songs, albeit very brief, it’s come a lot quicker. Whereas before, to get through a new song would take us a few weeks."
Another change in the songwriting process is due to their original bassist, Andrew McCracken, reassigning himself and leaving the guitar behind to focus on graphic design – his other full-time job. His new role is designer of Cancer Bats merchandise and records.
"Definitely a huge influence on us is a lot of contemporary art, be it tattoos or graffiti or a lot of graphic design," Cormier says of the Bats’s commitment to utilizing innovative graphics and arts in their work. "Punk rock and hardcore have such a connection to the arts, especially a lot of street art. Kind of like a lot of people who are outside of the box coming together."
As for the Cancer Bats’s distinct design style, he can’t help but chuckle at the simple formula. "Pretty much just everything with bat wings. To have little ideas and slap bat wings on them." |
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