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sometimesalwaysmusic · 7 years

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COASTAL PIGS

Coastal pigs are Jeff Kainz (JK), Scott Terry (ST) and Leigh Newton (LN). They just released their fantastic album, Becomes a scene, becomes the nothing, at House of TARG and we got to pick their brains about their history in the scene, their prolific writing approach, and ideal tour-mates (both local and not!). Read on and give the record a spin!

VITALS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coastalpigs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coastal_pigs/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/coastalpigs

Latest Release: Becomes a scene, becomes the nothing (LP, Sep 2017)

Upcoming shows: Stay tuned!

SA: How did Coastal Pigs start, and when did you start playing together? JK: Version 1 existed from June – Dec 2014, me, Scott, Tom Werbowetski (drums) and Paul Stevens (bass gtr). We all lived in Quebec, centred around La Peche. I hadn’t played music for 12 years, this was a good re-introduction, then I moved to Ottawa, followed by this version of Coastal Pigs ending and followed later in 2015, by Scott moving back to Ottawa. By March 2016, I was better prepared to again, try and start a group. It had to be a three piece and wanting to keep playing with Scott, I asked if he would be willing to play bass guitar instead of 6 string. Like the good punk kid he is, he swore and kicked at me, and with a smile said, sure. Leigh, I would see him every so often and would bring up the idea of playing together, which he liked, along with the dormant name. I eventually got to a place where I felt ready and arranged a rehearsal, and it felt right, it felt great, Version 2 began. Having Leigh on board is something special, he keeps Scott and me in line, our attitudes fresh and is musically so smart, it pushes us all. Without Scott and Leigh, this wouldn’t exist.

SA: What bands or musicians would you say are the biggest influences on your sound? LN: I've been trying to take a really different approach to the drums in this band than just about any other I've played in before. Trying to keeps things really simple, let the song speak for itself without punctuating every little shift in the music with a drum fill or whatever. Influences with regards to that approach would be Joy Division, Public Image, early Cure, Killing Joke, Sonic Youth, Spacemen 3... ST: limp biz........kidding: FAITH NO MORE, KILLING JOKE, SMITHS, MORISSEY, BAD BRAINS, BLACK FLAG. JK: As a kid, I watched The Lawrence Welk Show every week, and that made me want to play the accordion, and I got one, so, that got me into music when I was 6. It wasn’t necessarily about the music, it was the style, the entertainment with a smile. But it seemed like behind all those smiles, there was tension, mischief, secrets & mystery of other lives. I liked that. Smile, have fun, be professional, everything is fine… I eventually began to play guitar and the first Clash album was a big influence. It sounded bad, in a great way, an honest way, in a way that made it seem attainable to a novice. From there, Keith Levene (PIL), Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), Eric Johnson (Archers of Loaf) and Sterling Morrison.

SA: Thus far in the band's career, what has been your biggest accomplishment? LN: Being featured in Brooklyn Vegan and mentioned on CBC Radio are both pretty neat but honestly, for me it's our high rate of productivity - lots of quality songs in a very short amount of time. I love that. ST: WE WROTE AND RECORDED OVER 30 SONGS IN A YEAR. JK: I would also say our productivity, which isn’t obvious from an outsiders view. Personally, it’s important and really shows off the talent, patience and resilience in Leigh and Scott. And it’s very nice being mentioned in the media, press when that happens. Friends being positive and supportive feels good.

SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? LN: The usual - trying to fool people into giving a crap about the band. ST: THIS INTERVIEW....PREFER NOT TO SAY JK: The internal option of not doing it, not rehearsing, it’s an easy option, but, I’m still drawn to standing in a small room, with friends, turning the amps up loud and destroying my hearing for a few days. It’s an energy, it’s fun, and playing with Leigh and Scott is great motivation to keep producing and not caring too much about what my ears have to say. Playing shows, recording, sending out digital copies of an album, that’s all easy stuff.

SA: How do you guys approach the song-writing process? JK: For the most part, I’ll bring finished songs or ideas to rehearsal and we then start playing, that simple, straightforward. We only rehearse once a week, sometimes, every other week, so, not a lot. We’ve become very efficient, and I’ve loosened up a lot from past ways, giving the idea over to Scott and Leigh, let them at it, let them develop the song, it’s a real confidence booster, for me. It’s bouncing ideas around, trying things out, editing out what we think might be dragging a song or passage down. Keeping the lyrics tight, melodic, not overly repetitive. We have to like it and want to play it, or else it’s forgotten about and we move on to the next bits. Scott and Leigh both write songs, music in other projects, so, the 3 of us have a solid understanding of what we want to make happen in each song of ours. We draw from both our shared and different musical tastes, so, there is a good chance that we’ll land on something good. The Process, (insert smile).

SA: You guys are veterans now: what are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene, from your beginnings in it until now? LN: I think it's great. ST: If someone walks into the scene now and says its difficult to break in, it isn't. The folks who whine its non-inclusive are dreaming. And fuck them. Ottawa is strong, inclusive, and very open to new ideas , it always has been. anyone whining has a chip on their shoulder. No one comes to our shows, all of our friends have kids and don't give a fuck. You can't expect to be loved right off the bat, regardless of anything. We've worked hard, we've networked, we've been at shows, we've played festivals. In some cases since the 80's. You can't expect the world to be your oyster if you just storm in with a manifesto. The scene in Ottawa is good, but its fucked. Do we care? No. do others? who fucking cares. Do certain people wish they could make more money off our backs? Probably. JK: It really is great, there is something out there for all tastes. It’s cyclical, all the good, the bad, the ugly, the positives, negatives, the danger, the safety, has always been there and every so often, different elements pop through and get some exposure. I’m sure if you spoke with musicians going back to the club days of the 50s-70s, you’re going to hear a lot of the same stories and issues, maybe peppered with a few more fist fights. Find the good, there is always good out there, and there is a lot more good than bad.

SA: You guys just released "Becomes a scene, becomes the nothing", your debut full length album, at House of TARG. What's YOUR favourite song off the record, and why? LN: On a Map because I think it's got the best vocal of any of the songs on the album. ST: Landlocked, by rivers. CP bottled essence. JK: Today, it’s Cut Gums, it has a great feel and energy and a good chug to it’s rhythm. There’s no place for us to hide in it.

SA: Also on the topic of the live show, what is the band’s favourite song to play live (and why)? LN: I like Skull Fuck Summer (non-album track) because it's easy and a lot of fun. ST: Skull Fuck Summer, it’s fun and catchy and reminds me of my misspent youth, throwing dirt on cars from the side of the Sir John A. Parkway. JK: Kill the Killed, which we’ve only just started to play live. It reveals itself and keeps on revealing itself, it’s a one trick pony with 4 packs of playing cards. And for me at least, it’s a challenge to play and sing. My talent as a young, frustrated accordion player didn’t fully transfer to playing the guitar, the subtlety of picking single strings and notes mostly escapes me.

SA: Now, a question just for fun: Your three dream tour-mates (active or defunct, local or global), who would they be and why? LN: Ottawa's own Expanda Fuzz because they're awesome and playing with them is a blast; No Joy because I think they're one of the best Canadian bands going right now; and then some really shitty-but-popular band like July Talk just to ensure that we'd be playing in front of a crowd. ST: John Coltrane, the music. Bob Weir, seems like a nice guy. Greg Ginn, seems like a total douche. JK: For a tour of the western provinces, I like what Leigh chose. For a few shows around the Newport Jazz festival, 1\3 of Scott’s choices, and for me, a Maritimes tour with Andy Kaufman, ¾ of Fugazi (Guy, Brendan, Joe) and Lester Bangs (all defunct). All of the down time around sound checks would be pretty interesting and fun, something it never usually is.

SA: Lastly, what’s on the agenda for Coastal Pigs moving forward into 2018? All the best, guys! LN: The songs that ended up on the album represent about half of what we've got recorded so I imagine more releases will be on the way. Hopefully lots more shows, hopefully some out-of-towners, maybe a video. We'll see! Thanks Pierce! Always a pleasure! JK: Writing, rehearsing, more releases, album , ep, whatever works. Live shows and some out of town shows would be good. A video? Yeah, what Leigh said! Thanks Pierce!

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