Originally published in A Short Fanzine About Rocking, 2009.
Interview with Andrew Neufeld, vocals.
How does the new record stand in terms of the evolution of the band? What makes it unique compared to the last?
I think that every Comeback Kid record has a unique quality . Every album of ours has sounded different. This is the next step for us. We brought a little more of a punk rock vibe to our songs this time around. Where I thought Broadcasting was more of a darker album, Symptoms + Cures is a brighter album in general and a more fun sounding hardcore album in general.
To what does the title ‘Symptoms + Cures’ refer? Does the record deal with any kind of themes, lyrical or otherwise?
The title comes from a lyric on the title track. “Can we breathe out new life in the air, send out a wave, use this is ammunition against the vultures that prey on the public’s addiction. They’re creating symptoms + cures.” It’s refers to people’s need for stimulation and the powers that be offering up solutions that may or may not actually work or be real at all.
The record deals mostly the transient lifestyle we live, and some of the ins and outs of that and how it affects my life and that of those around us. It’s not really one set theme for the album, lyrically though. It’s a collection of songs about growing up. Living and learning…
Is there a song off the new record that you feel really particularly nails the vibe you were going for?
I love “The Concept Stays” and “Crooked Floors”, but then there are heavier songs on the album like “Do Yourself a Favor” that kick my ass still so I don’t know. It’s all fresh and new still so I’m enjoying the album as a whole and really excited about playing some of these new songs live. We’ve been rotating a few new songs on this tour we’re on now and it great to finally have new material in our set list and having people sing along etc.
On ‘Broadcasting’, it sounded a little like you were trying to ease his harsher vocal style into what was becoming a signature sound. Would you agree that on ‘Symptoms and Cures’ the vocals are a lot more fierce, and perhaps more natural?
You hit the nail on the head. I was trying to find the balance when I moved from guitar to vocals. I always wrote with Scott our old singer the lyrics and phrasing. But the actual sonic tone of my vocals are different than his obviously. So I was trying to keep it the same band but with me being the new singer on Broadcasting. With the new album, I felt it was time to go full on the way I sing live, which is naturally just a a heavier vocal sound. Still try to mix it up a bit and give a a few layers to this vocal instrument. It’s a lot of fun actually!
What made you choose the particular guest vocalists for this album?
A Wilhelm Scream played Toronto when we were recording and we went to the show and asked Nuno their singer to come in the studio the next day before they bounced to the next city. The song he sings on I think makes the melodic singing part of his song sound a lot more rough and brings such a cool vibe to the song I think.
Liam from Cancer Bats and Sam from Architects did their vocal spots when I wasn’t even around. I just did a guide vocal for them and they did their thing, then we mixed it in. We didn’t necessarily want to have independent guest vocal parts but rather have vocal support parts. So we mixed them in, sometimes more obvious than other times. I think it’s great when musicians can collaborate, like on a hip hop album there is a ton of that shit going on. And everyone is good friends who sang on the record so it worked out really well.
Listening to ‘G.M. Vincent & I’, I can quite easily picture a frenzy of circle pits and fists flying through the air. To what extent did you write ‘Symptoms + Cures’ with the live setting in mind?
To the max my friend! We wrote S + C with a live setting in mind. Especially GM Vincent, as you said. Its kind of a festival party tune celebrating the fact that we’re still alive after some close calls and playing music. We are slowly working the new songs in and they’re getting more natural live every day.
On that note, who or what is ‘G.M. Vincent’?
G.M. Vincent and I is about a van accident I was in while riding along with grave maker and my friend Matthew Vincent Howes who we nickname M. Vincent. So Grave Maker, M. Vincent, and I. We rolled down a hill on the side of a road one late night in Canada about 4 times.
Everyone got fucked up. Some more than others. But my friend Matt ( M. Vincent ) was stuck under the van for an hour and it was terrifying to see my best friend, with his legs mangled stuck under a van and in so much pain. The song talks about how we keep passing that point and we’re still alive to talk about it.
Will you be filming any videos for any of the tunes off ‘Symptoms + Cures’?
We just filmed a video for “Because Of All”, and we’re hoping to do one soon for GM Vincent & I.
Is ‘Symptoms + Cures’ the first record you’ve put out on Distort? How does that label differ to your previous home at Victory, if at all?
Actually we are still on Victory Records. We have a deal with them where they put out our record worldwide MINUS Canada. Before we were on a label called Smallman Records here in Canada but they are not a label anymore and we found a new home with Distort. They are fucking amazing so far, and both labels are working together so that is cool to see.
A lot of musicians focus on negativity and catharsis through their lyrics and music. CBK seems on the whole like a more positive band. Would you say that’s true or not?
Yes and no, I write music a lot easier than I write words you know? So sometimes when I’m frustrated writing lyrics, I’m thinking “Fuck, I don’t have anything to complain or bitch about, what am I going to write this next song about?” But then somehow I figure it out, and lately some songs that have been written serve as a constant reminder for me which is really good at the moment. The new CBK is a bit more positive but still a very realistic view point.
I guess ‘Wake The Dead’ is still the tune that everyone knows (I remember in 05 Victory put it out on a bunch of different samplers and it seemed like it was everywhere), does it ever get boring to you, having played it so much for 5 years or more, or do you revel in the kind of reception it gets at shows?
Yeah I mean, its definitely our most popular song to date. It doesn’t really bore me because it’s fun as hell to play live and that is the song where there is a guarantee people will be singing along and most the time losing their shit. Like we played this small town in Quebec yesterday and the show was Okay, but then we do WTD and it went off hard. Obviously we prefer for the room to go crazy for our entire set but it will go in waves you know? It’s kind of embarrassing when I’m drunk at some alternative room in a club at 4 am and it comes on the stereo though haha. Hide in the corner.
Your touring schedule has taken you all over the the world – where’s your favourite place to play? Do you have a favourite venue?
I love Conne Island in Leipzig, Germany. I love playing SE Asia, S. America. Sao Paulo/ Chile/ Columbia is so killer. Me personally, I dig the wilder countries and cities. But I can’t do favs. I enjoy Toronto/LA/ London etc. just as much most times. As long as the show is cool and there are some friends around we’re psyched.
What do you do with the downtime when you’re on tour?
Downtime? Smoke a blunt and hang with friends, walk around the city (not often enough), try to keep in touch with friends but that hasn’t been happening too much lately. We’ve all been going out as a band more so than usual lately. Staying up late and drinking or whatever. I’ve been doing a lot of day time drive sleeping while Jeremy drives haha. I gotta get a little more productive during the daytime hours hey?
There seems to be a real sense of community among Canadian bands right now. For example a couple of years ago I also saw you here in the UK on tour with Alexisonfire, and on most of the bigger bands’ (Alexis, CBK, Cancer Bats, Billy Talent, etc) records, some guest vocalists will crop up. How has that friendship/respect developed?
I don’t think we really fit into any kind of Canadian music community but we know all those bands you mentioned and get along with them all really well. I think the 3 bands you mentioned tour a lot more together than we do with them. But we enjoy it when we do. We have a pretty strong connection with the Bats though since a couple of us used to play in a band called Figure Four with their drummer Mike. He’s a BFF.
Do you enjoy coming home from tour, or do you just want to get back out as soon as possible?
I don’t mind time off, but now that the new album is out we have an insane year ahead of us. We’re out with Madball right now in Canada and this is the best way to start off a huge literal world tour that will go on for at least a year. I think we’ll have Christmas off but I’ll most likely go rogue and spend it somewhere random. Everyone else I feel is a bit more grounded than myself. I put all my stuff back in a storage unit and I’m single so I just do whatever/ go wherever on my off time.
Can we expect a UK tour any time soon?
Yes! Never Say Die tour will be hitting the UK in November. We’re on that alongside Parkway Drive, Your Demise, etc.
What kind of music do you listen to on the tourbus? Do you like to distance yourself from punk/hardcore if you’re around it all the time/playing shows most nights?
I listen to a ton of shit. The last 24 hours for example took me all over the place musically. Some electronic stuff like Telephone Tel Aviv, listened to the Buzzcocks and some old 60’s soul songs last night. Checked out the new Terror album for the first time and it’s really good. Listening to The Black Keys now! I’m all over the place.
A lot of people still talk about hardcore being a stale genre, lacking perhaps in bands with a real creative attitude. Do you feel that’s the case?
We are musicians first and foremost, so we are trying to do something new and interesting with the genre. Jeremy and I do most of the writing and he is a little more into keeping things straight up hardcore, and I will sway a little bit more and its a healthy compromise where we butt heads all through the album. It’s a big filter that gets narrowed down into what became Symptoms + Cures. The fact that we try new things may alienate some people who are into our older material but we still think the new shit is the most ripping to date so we’re open to mix it up.
Whats your opinion on Facebook/Spotify/etc and all the new digital ways of dealing with music? Speaking both as a band and as a music fan?
It’s exhausting as a musician trying to keep up with all the social networking but I understand it’s how people are checking out music and finding out about shows,etc nowadays. The internet has always been a big part of getting our music out there. Even when we started Myspace wasn’t even around so we were using other kinds of message boards etc.
What are two classic records and two recent records you would recommend to people?
Classics –
Razor – Shotgun Justice (Canadian Thrash Metal)
Love – Forever Changes
Recent –
Alberta Cross – Broken Side Of Time
Mew – No More Stories
What things would you still like to achieve with the band? What’s happening in the next few months?
We’ve done most of what we’ve ever set out to do with CBK. Toured with our fav bands, and gone around the world. I really would like to check out South Africa and play Israel. That would be amazing. The next few months has us going to US/ Europe/ UK/ Australia/ Japan/ S. America and then some. So the shows are piling up.
What’s the best memory youll take from playing in the band so far?
Groezrock 2009… probably one of the craziest shows we’ve ever had. Nothing more mind blowing than thousands of people singing our songs.
Whats the best thing about being in a hardcore band in 2010?
Touring with Madball.
And the hardest thing?
Waking up early for a long drive and hung over after an awesome night of raging.
ROB DAND 