It takes balls to wear a mask on stage. If you're some metal band maybe no one will care or the kiddies will just like you even more, but presenting yourselves as a faceless, anonymous unit to the perennially-jaded indie community is like shooting yourself in the foot. Luckily, the Vulcan Dub Squad care not about such nonsense. They prefer to let their swirling, hypnotic fusion of shoegazer and psych-pop to speak for itself. And they're probably giving you eyes behind those masks anyways, cuz how dare you wear those shoes with that shirt'¦. ugh. Mike Perreault talked to the band by passing notes.

AS A FACELESS, SOMEWHAT ANONYMOUS COLLECTIVE YOUR NEW ALBUM POSSESSES A VERY STRONG SENSE OF CANADIAN IDENTITY. AT WHAT LEVEL ARE YOU COMFORTABLE REVEALING YOURSELVES TO THE LISTENERS?
In a perfect setting, it would be just our names in print and on the CD's themselves, but the reality has us lugging our own gear around, setting up and sound checking, or sometimes in panel discussions/interviews to sell those CD's etc. so everyone knows who we are off stage and what we look like. Secrecy on that level isn't the point really. We separate the live show and music: a show/bit of theatre on the one hand and recorded music presented in its own light/art. The album does have a strong Canadian sense, but that's because it's our environment and heritage.

DOES IT BOTHER YOU WHEN PEOPLE TRY TO PEG YOU AS A GIMMICK BAND?
Yep. What if you don't like the way music is marketed, how do you evade/escape it? I dunno, anything you do is in turn considered your vehicle/gimmick/thing, so maybe there is none. We're playing live shows because we have to, but I wish we didn't have to and the music could sell itself. Still, any review of a show that goes on about what socks, hair or culture the band caters to, kills me. In all fairness, couldn't any band in a specific movement/fad be viewed as a gimmick band?

HOW OFTEN DOES YOUR BAND GET MISTAKEN FOR A REAL DUB COLLECTIVE? EVER HAD ANY IRATE REGGAE FANS SHOW UP AT ANY GIGS?
Ha! I wish. At least it would change the colour of the crowd a bit, though my family tends to do that (we're Paki's, watch your step). Dub is a bit of a misnomer, and I tried to get the boys to abbreviate the name to The Vulcan DS, but Nintendo beat me to the punch. An irate reggae fan at a music gig? Ha!

HAVE THE CROWDS BEEN MORE RECEPTIVE TO THE VDS IN RECENT YEARS, WHAT WITH THE GROWING POPULARITY OF SHOEGAZER/PSYCH POP MUSIC?
Shoegazer music is fairly old now (at least 13 years on since the British press coined the term) and I was a huge fan from '96-'99, and the earlier albums reflect that. But if you listen to late 60's soft-psych bands, you can hear a lot of similarities/roots. There's only so far it can go in its basic form, but combining it with pop-psych allows it much more space creatively with mood/colour, embellishments, structure, etc. so the current hybrid makes a lot of sense to me, and if it's an avenue through which people can enjoy The Vulcans, great'¦but I don't know. How many music listeners do their homework anymore? Lots I hope.

THE INDIE COMMUNITY IS INFAMOUS FOR THEIR CYNICAL VIEWS ON ANY TYPE OF VISUAL GIMMICKRY. HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED MUCH OF A BACKLASH?
Backlash? Before we get a backlash, we need to get a few on the front! We're probably the worst business men in the world; who in their right mind takes their career cues from The Residents?! Ack!

SUMMERTIME: WHAT'S UP FOR THE VDS?
Playing till August when I'll be getting married, a honeymoon tour of Scandinavia will be enjoyed and then it's preparation for the U.S College circuit in September. Sadly, our management feels we'll go over much better in the U.S, U.K and Europe than in Canada. They've got a dismissive attitude when it comes to Toronto and Canada for us, which I don't share, but what's to be done when your family's not interested and the neighbours are curious about the noise coming from your window?

By Mike Perreault