Musicians always remember their first show. It’s a lot like the first time having sex - it’s fun and you’re really enthusiastic about it but you know you could do a more professional job if you could just try it again.
And you would like to try it again as soon as possible.
That energy only exists at a first show, and if any band is ready to jump in the Wavelength sack and become instant Casanovas it is Skirtchaser. Roving scribe Doc Pickles hooked up with frontman Fuzzy.
How did you teach the rest of the band your Skirtchaser songs?
When we first started with the present lineup [Fuzzy's brother Danny on drums, Alex Durlak on bass], we had a stockpile of songs to play. I almost always write songs using my four-track. It’s easier to present the way I envisioned the song. After hearing the tapes Danny and Alex usually mutate the songs into something much better. A song like "The Trouble With My Lungs" took on an entirely different persona once it was engulfed by Skirtchaser. Newer songs are much more of a collaborative effort, since they begin as a tentative series of guitar riffs. Because of this, I think the newer songs are much better.
When you go to see a show, what instrument do you pay closest attention to?
I usually try to enjoy the total package that a band brings to a show, but I'd be lying, if I didn't tell you that I'd noticed the drums the most. I’ve been playing them since I was a kid, and it’s the only instrument I was formally taught. I guess I also want to stick up for the underdog. Out of the local bands I really like what Dean is doing with Kid Sniper and what Paul is doing with Neck.
You’ve been exiled to the other side of the world to go to school (Hamilton to be precise). Do you miss Toronto?
Yeah, I miss everyday Toronto. I feel like a tourist now that I have to take a 45 minute drive to get here. There’s not too much going on music-wise in Hamilton, although you can always catch a half-decent jazz band. Every once in a while, a Sonic Unyon band will be playing, but not often enough. I also miss the 24-hour amenities such as bowling, greasy food and bus service.
How is the sound of Skirtchaser different than that of your other band, The Connoisseurs?
Rarely do you find a third part in any of Skirtchaser's songs, so I guess we’re simpler than the Connoisseurs. Songs usually go A-B-A-B-destruction. Skirtchaser is not nearly as loud as the loudest rock band in Toronto, but I'd like to think that the energy is about the same. I like the fact that we don’t have to switch instruments at all. That leaves more time for ear-splitting rock and roll. you’ll also find that the drummer for Skirtchaser is superior to the hack they have playing for the Connoisseurs. Besides that, the bands are identical.
What is your opinion of duct tape?
Myself, like many others are proponents of the theory that duct tape binds the world. At the centre of the earth exists a giant ball of rolled up duct tape, not molten lava.