Bats are the new Val Kilmer. If you've seen cut-out bats pasted around town, that's just Cancer Bats' way of spreading the disease. Liam Cormier, Scott Middleton, Andrew McCracken and Joel Bath haven't been ragin', rippin', trashin' and slayin' together for a very long time, but they've toured a good portion of the country and self-released a four-song self-titled EP. Shaunna Bednarek chatted with Cormier and Middleton over tea, pad Thai and French toast.

HOW DID CANCER BATS COME TOGETHER?
LC: For a while, there were a lot of bands that we weren't getting really excited about'¦ We just started this band to be the band we really wanted to see and the band we really wanted to hear.

WHAT'S A TYPICAL CANCER BATS SHOW LIKE?
LC: Us trying to get as crazy as possible. With this band, we love getting wild because we get really stoked on our songs'¦ Kids are starting to get into it more and more. When we first started playing, we were like, 'œThis band's gonna make people go crazy!'? and then we'd play and people would be like, 'œUhhh?'? Basically, what we hope for is people head-banging, fist-fighting and making out.
SM: We played a show in Fredericton, N.B. on our east coast tour and all these crazy Maritimes kids got super trashed and they just destroyed the place and got wild. We get really pumped when kids get into it like that.

I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOU GUYS WHEN I WAS ASSIGNED THIS INTERVIEW, BUT A FRIEND TOLD ME YOU GUYS ARE 'œALL ABOUT RAGIN''? WHAT EXACTLY DOES RAGIN' ENTAIL?
LC: Ragin' is the idea that you are going to live every day to the fullest, and doing whatever you want and just killin' it. If that means partying and getting drunk, then that's awesome. And if that's how you roll, then that's how you roll, and that's wicked. It could means going out and crushing the city, doing graffiti and going skateboarding or riding BMX bikes. Or if you love to write short stories on your typewriter, in a way, that is ragin', as long as you bang it out.
SM: Writing in your blog?
LC: Maybe having an online journal. That is a little wild sometimes! Sometimes you're doing two or three entries a day. That gets pretty heavy!

WOULD YOU SAY THAT YOU GUYS ARE A HARDCORE BAND?
SM: We grew up going to hardcore shows and stuff like that. I wouldn't entirely classify our music as hardcore. We're not going to be able to escape that influence, but if anything, there's huge elements of rock and metal and punk.
LC: We take so much stuff from everything'¦ We listen to Minus the Bear and Interpol all the time. We're really super into those bands and that gets us excited to make music, but those aren't hardcore bands. Those are all people that came from hardcore in that same way. We tend to play hardcore shows. That's '˜cause those kids know how to get sweet!
SM: We wouldn't ever limit ourselves to one specific subgenre. Hardcore is just an extension of punk rock and metal.

ON THE SUBJECT OF HARDCORE, WHAT'S WITH THE WHOLE XHARDCOREX THING?
SM: We're straight-edge, but we don't X-up at shows or anything. It's a personal thing. We're not here to flaunt it. We encourage our friends to get wasted and we can party with them.
LC: I'm straight-edge because that's a really positive way to live my life and that's how I get things done. Some kids like to get wasted and that's how they have a lot of fun. I'd rather everyone have the best time ever of their lives. And if that means bros doing PCP, then whatever!
SM: We're really good friends with this hardcore band called Keep It Up, and they've got this wicked song called 'œUnited Party.'? It's basically about the drunk kids and the straight-edge kids just partying as hard as they can together.
LC: In the end, you're all just people having fun. If you can't get down with that, then that's weak.

By Shaunna Bednarek