REMAIN Interview

XM: What have you guys been up to since we last talked with you? I heard of a United States tour right?
Joe: Yeah, a US tour and Steve left the band hence Ryan fucking kicking thrash and comes in. We joined forces (turns to Ryan) what, 5 - 6 weeks before we announced the dates?
Ryan: Yeah it was about 5-6 weeks.
Joe H: Quite a while yeah, so about a month and a half before we announced the official dates for the U.S. tour. Went down fuckin’ L.A. was first date right across all the way to Tampa, flew back home then flew back out L.A. to play for a birthday, fuckin’ party up one more time in L.A. Since then we've been working on visa bull shit and starting a video for "Here I Stand" along with doing small Ontario and Quebec stuff and possibly do more States stuff. We'll be back here in July and crossing our fingers for Europe at the same time.
XM: Right on!
Joe: "Crossing fingers", that’s some big words. (laughs)

XM: Any festivals in mind out there in Europe or...
Joe: so our manager says yeah (laughs) we go by her word as our ear so yeah. What she's planning now for is 5 to 6 U.S. eastern dates for Boston and go all the way down.
XM: Going down the coast sort of thing.
Joe: Yeah yeah and then hit some of the bigger cities in Europe after that for around summer time. Everything is pretty much up in the fuckin’ air for show wise. Soon as visas are sorted out that confirms a lot more. It’s a big thing working with management on the other side of the continent.
Judd: Plus we're getting a couple songs on Rock Band!
XM: Yeah? Is there any release dates for that stuff?
Joe: We just missed the new game that’s coming out. Ramen Hurrah is helping us out with stems and supposedly putting the entire new album out on the following game so I guess it'll be sometime 2012.
XM: That would be your latest album "Remain" I would assume right?
Joe: What we hear so far is that he wants the whole fuckin’ album so.
XM: Nice!
Joe: We're also going to be working with Ramen on the new album. Kind of a hand shake thing where he does that for us and we go record out next album with him down in L.A. Can't go wrong (laughs) Win win for us.

XM: You guys worked with Peter Wichers on the last album right? How did that go? How was it?
Joe: Good man, I think it was more Blake and those guys who arranged that (Turns to Blake) wasn't that Indianapolis?
Blake: Yeah, it was Steve and I who arranged that back after the Indianapolis because we met a band who recorded with him and we said "hey you guys sound like “Figure Number Five” from Soilwork. You guys sound like that album" and he said "oh Peter Wichers recorded us". So we started talking to him and Lambesis Studios from As I Lay Dying and the guy from Kataklysm and Peter seemed like the most willing to meet us in the middle for what we wanted to do and he's help us to accommodate us and it worked really good. Plus we've been listening to his music since we were kids so it was a good experience. It was a lot of fun living in the States going to Philly then going to North Carolina (laughs) It was a good time.

XM: So it music have been different from the previous two albums then, in regards to the recording process.
Blake: The other two albums were us working in the day and going to record on the weekends whenever we had time and money.
Joe: Shane Heath opens up business whenever Remain says "Hey we're fucked up, lets record!" (laughs)
Blake: This album was planned ahead of time so we just lived it, day by day.
Joe: We worked a long time on that album. I think we had put in 3 or 4 months before going down there.
Judd: Some of the songs were a year old!
Joe: Yeah, just processing and laying around. I think we signed to do the album with him in August and we were there by the first of October to start recording. It was pretty much sign the contract and say "hey we're on our way" type deal and tighten up everything and be like "alight let’s see what the fuck we do"!
XM: I can't wait to listen to it! I just picked it up tonight so
Joe: Oh really?
XM: Going to pop it in when I get home.
Joe: Badass man, I hope you like it.

XM: Thank you! When was the last time you played here in Barrie?
Joe: January 8th, around then? We played pretty much because Ryan joined the band right around Christmas time.
Ryan: Yeah it was like early December. Something like that.
Joe: We had about 6-7 rehearsals and by that time we already knew we were supposed to be in L.A. for January 20th and he came in early December so it was like "Hey man can you fuckin do this?". He stepped up to the challenge and proved more behalf of what he could do. To be honest you can't send someone into battle without giving him some training first (laughs). He kicked ass and everyone loved it. We packed up 9 days later and hit the road. Couldn't have went better, couldn't have went worse either. (laughs)

XM: Really great crowd tonight though. It was a killer turn out eh?
- Everyone nodded and agreed -
Ryan: Good to get the crowd into it.
Joe: One of the best shows you're going to see for $5 in Barrie. Something like that in the States would cost you $15 - $20 I'd say. Good time and can't wait till tomorrow!

XM: Where are you guys headed tomorrow?
Joe: Hamilton. Yup, same boys fuckin do that up. It was supposed to be a full weekend thing. The band Endast was supposed to play with us instead of Exes for Eyes.

XM: Yeah I saw some mix up there for the promotions online, like on facebook.
Joe: Yeah just through them on. Big James there, his band Endast, one of the musicians couldn't make it so he had a side project (Exes for Eyes) he wanted to promote. Big James is a cool dude we've played with him before. Same with Threat Signal pretty much did this back on the underground 4 years ago. Remain, Endast and Threat Signal. Worked out good then and worked out good tonight. Good Ontario Metal...besides James. Frenchy (laughs)

XM: Seems to be more and more Ontario metal showing their faces recently. New bands keep popping up.
Joe: That’s it man. Seems like city by city is impressing the fuck out everybody around. Every town has that one band that will kick the shit out of you, you know?
XM: Barrie has Remain!
Joe: Yeah Barrie has Remain. Man, we used to have a killer metal scene in Barrie.
XM: I was hearing about that, yeah.
Joe: There used to be 6 metal bands that kicked ass here at all times. Now there's only 1 or 2 now.
XM: Dust in the wind now I guess, eh?
Joe: Yeah like, you got Crimson Shadows man in the city. Sudbury you got stuff coming out and London is just pumping out who was it, Baptised in Blood and Threat Signal in Hamilton. Ontario is starting to kick some ass. Won’t be long man.
XM: Take it away from Quebec and Vancouver (laughs)
Joe: Yeah! (laughs)

- Joe then went away for a minute -

Blake: Did you enjoy the show tonight?
XM: Oh I loved it. One of the best shows I've seen, and for $5! Can’t be beat man.
Ryan: Yeah and the cheap drinks.
Blake: They're not so cheap anymore. What, $4 beers? Used to be $2!! It used to be that you'd get $2 beers till 11pm and then it went up to $3.50 so like people were walking around with 6 beers in their arms. (laughs) They used to sell out at that bar like 4 times a night!
Judd: "Watch out for my tray" (laughs)

- Joe come’s back over to the group -

Joe: Is that all for us brother?
XM: Yeah, I think I'll let you guys be on your way.
Joe: You sure you don't want any nude photos of Judd for the interview? He don't mind.
Judd: Blake will send them to you on his phone (laughs)

XM: Anything you wanted to add before we sign off here?
Joe: Yeah check out www.remain.cc and MySpace "Remain Canada". Make sure you check out Ryan's side project "Crimson Shadows". Be prepared for end of summer for being back in Barrie. It'll be our 1 star anniversary which is always a good time! That’s a fuckin shit show. We don’t even play headliner. We plan on playing the middle of the show with 45 minutes of hell and being drunk as fuck! If we make sense of each other that night then that’s good. If we are playing the same song at the same time then even better.
XM: Right on! I can’t wait to see you guys again. Amazing show and thanks for the interview!