ITS - So who inspires you individually and as a band?
NO - "Some common influences we all share are AlexisonFire, Protest the Hero, Avenged Sevenfold, System of a Down, Tool, and Chevelle. A few of us are into heavier bands like Killswitch Engage or Trivium, and a few of us are into more melodic rock like The Foo Fighters and Biffy Clyro. Over all we're pretty well rounded in our influences, so we don't aim to be a genre-specific band when we're writing."
ITS - What were some of your shining moments in 2013?
NO - "Expanding our line-up to a five-piece was definitely a big step up for us. Up until mid 2013 we were a four-piece, with TJ Muhl on guitar as well as lead vocals. We added Ben Hughes on guitar, allowing TJ to focus strictly on vocals. It's really made our performance that much more energetic and entertaining, and gives us a bigger, tighter sound. Another great experience in 2013 was playing our first outdoor festival; "The Summer Shinedown Carnival" which took place last August over on the island."
ITS - What does No Operator have planned for 2014?
NO - "Our biggest plans for 2014, and of our career so far, is our "Going for a Rip" BC/Alberta tour this June. We'll be kicking it off in Vancouver, June 10 at The Roxy, with other stops in Kamloops, Vernon, Calgary, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Edmonton, Rossland, Kelowna, Victoria, and Nanaimo. We're really excited to hit the road, and spread our music to new audiences in new places.
Once the tour is over we'll be focusing on writing some more new songs. We have a couple new tunes completed, with lots of loose ideas, and we're a band that never stops writing. By the end of 2014 we'll definitely have our sophomore release planned out."
ITS - Being a band from Vancouver Island, what are most bands struggles on the island compared to Vancouver?
NO - "The most obvious challenges on the island are less people and less venues. There are also less industry people (photographers, promoters, managers, writers, etc.), so it kind of forces island bands to be very self sufficient. We don't feel like being from the island is a disadvantage by any means. There is a lot of great talent over here, and a few really cool places to play. Gigs at The Cambie (Nanaimo) and Logan's Pub (Victoria) are always great shows. They are strictly rock bars, they let the bands play until close, and they are always packed."
ITS - Now you guys have played some shows in Vancouver, what would you like to see happen for the music scene in the next 5 years?
NO - "Our experiences playing in Vancouver have been great so far. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from our audiences and fellow musicians, and we're grateful for the help we've had from Hammer Records, Rednyne Productions, and 99.3 The Fox. One thing that Vancouver seems to lack is a bar that puts rock bands first. We've played some awesome gigs for awesome crowds at The Cellar and Joe's Apartment, but both places push aside the live music in favor of DJ's at 11pm. Vancouver needs a place like The Cambie or Logan's, where live music can close down the bar, and be the main attraction of the night. We know that it's ultimately up to the bands to fill the venues over and over, and prove to the bar owners that they can make just as much money off of live music as DJ's. Other than that we're excited about the direction the Vancouver scene is headed, and we're happy to be a part of it."
ITS - Final question - a fun question I like to ask, what are some pre gig rituals you guys have to get you pumped for a show?
NO - "Watching other bands play is the only one we can all agree on for this one. Any show we play where there's a great band playing before us, we really feed off their energy. Other than that its different for each member: coffee, beer, redbull, singing in the car, etc."
If you want to follow No Operator on social media you can in the following ways
and you can check out their track "State Your Allegiance" here http://nooperatormusic.
No comments:
Post a Comment