Evading taxes for as long as humanly possible and discussing the correct
pronunciation of 'œHüsker Dü'? with members of Hüsker Dü-- it's all a part of
the Statues experience. Hailing from quaint, picturesque Sudbury, ON, the power-punk-pop trio formed in May 2003 and immediately went into a self-imposed musical hibernation of writing, rehearsing, and practicing. When they emerged a full year later to play their first show, their Pelado Records debut, Aux, was done and ready to go. Since then, they've been tearing up the north and elsewhere with their catchy repertoire of tunes inspired by outfits like Buzzcocks and Joe Jackson. Mitch Houle (bass and vocals), Jeff Houle (drums and vocals), and Rob Seaton (guitar and vocals), promise to show Sneaky Dee's what a true Sudbury Sunday night (groan!) is when they make their Wavelength debut. Brett Clarkson corresponded with Rob Seaton via e-mail.

IS THERE A SIGNIFICANCE AT ALL TO THE NAME '˜STATUES'?

Not so much a significance, just that we're all pretty big Hüsker Dü fans.
When we were trying to find a name, one of us was looking through Hüsker
records and saw the song title 'Statues' and that was that. On an aside,
our friend Sean Maxey was recently talking to Grant Hart (the drummer from
Hüsker Dü) and, apparently, the proper pronunciation is not 'œHOOsker,'? but, in fact, Husker-- like corn husk. The umlauts would indicate otherwise, but they only
added them to the word Hüsker cause it looked cool.

I FIND IT INTERESTING YOU DECIDED TO RECORD AN ENTIRE ALBUM BEFORE PLAYING A SINGLE LIVE SHOW. WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR THIS, AND LOOKING BACK, WAS THIS A GOOD GAME PLAN FOR THE BAND?

Yeah, I think it was a good idea for sure. We just stayed in the basement
for a year and wrote and practiced and got pretty tight together. The reason
we recorded first was just kind of a luxury thing. I hadn't filed taxes in
five years and thought for sure I was going to jail. When I got around to
doing them it turned out I was getting quite a chunk back. So I paid off
some debt and we had enough to record. It was like winning a lottery...but
if I lost I would have been in some serious trouble.

SOMEBODY TOLD ME NASA TRAINED ASTRONAUTS JUST OUTSIDE SUDBURY BECAUSE THE HARSH ENVIRONS THERE ARE SIMILAR TO CONDITIONS ON THE MOON. WHETHER TRUE OR NOT, DESCRIBE HOW SUDBURY HAS INFLUENCED/SHAPED STATUES, MUSICALLY, OR OTHERWISE.

In '71, NASA sent some astronauts around here to play among the rocks as
Lunar training. That's really the one bit of trivia that people throw at us
when they find out we're from Sudbury. Sudbury's cool though. There are
parts that still look gross, but everywhere you go has places like that. As
far as influencing and shaping the band, I will omit the obvious rock pun.

IS THERE A MUSIC SCENE IN SUDBURY, AND IF SO, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT? ALSO, WHAT'S THE BEST VENUE IN NORTHERN ONTARIO?

There is a scene in Sudbury for sure. It's wickedly diverse and I honestly
think that regardless of genre, we have some of the best bands around. Bands
play and stay together for years up here because it's not about the two year
make-it-or-move-on plan. We also get a lot of touring bands coming through.
The ones that take the time to check it out always make a point of coming
back. If I didn't plug the The Townehouse Tavern as a best venue I'd be banished, but there is a little community arts space called Myths and Mirrors that
does all ages shows here. It's a great room. There was also this loft in
North Bay affectionately known as The Loft, which was cool, but the guys that
rented it moved out and there were too many stairs.

TELL US FIVE ALBUMS WE SHOULD BE LISTENING TO.

The Doers - Ready Set Do/I Can Enjoy Almost Anything
Pointed Sticks - Perfect Youth
Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade/New Day Rising
Futureheads - S/T
Hot Snakes - Audit in Progress

ARE YOUR GRANDMOTHERS FANS OF THE BAND?

I'm sure they are. I'm sure they would be if we were bank robbers too, as
long as it made us happy. That's the thing about grandmas...

ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?

We're just finishing up recording a new EP and we're planning a little side
project with Malcolm Bauld of the now defunct Frenetics. I would like to add
their discography to the list in question number eight, please.