VKNGS
WL 352 - Sunday, March 4 - 10pm
Purveyors of: Ravaged Villages

“All Non-VKNG Related Media Blackout”, the band’s debut single declares, and the song definitely commands attention: aggressive hardcore guitar and vocals, raw but clean, melodic and energetic, with one foot firmly planted in post-punk territory. It seems more than likely that, having trained in bands like Sharp Like Knives, The Holy Shroud and North Of America, these modern-day VKNGS are capable of attacking on a lot of levels, land, sea and air. If there’s such a thing as village insurance, now is a good time to buy in. Demian talked to Jim MacAlpine, man of few pretensions and fewer words, and laid down the basics.

Hey, there! Tell us about the band and its members. Names, roles, quirks, secrets?

Dave, Mark and I live together, and (as our previous bands were crumbling) we decided to form another band while listening to records in our breakfast nook. Drummers are very hard to find here in Halifax, but luckily Nick stepped up. As far as quirks go, this tour will be a great way to find out. Three of us live together so we know each other pretty well. Nick's the wildcard here. He might have some “tendencies” that we don't know about yet.

What are your songs about? With titles like “Win One For The Gorch,” I have to wonder.

Are you familiar with the Gorch? The lyrics are just random lines that sound decent together, I don't really have an agenda or a message. The song titles are not related to the lyrics in any way. In practice and on setlists, the songs are numbered in the order that we wrote them.

I really like your band logo. Is that a crab doing hot knives? Do you like hot knives?

Holy shit, that's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. I did that in about 30 seconds in my first foray into the world of MS Paint. It's supposed to be a viking helmet, and the horns make the 'I' s in VIKINGS, but then we got lazy and shortened it.

I often wonder what inspires people into a life of music. What drew you in? As teens and as adults, any formative experiences worth mentioning?

My experience is probably not unlike many others. Got into punk rock through skateboarding, things went downhill from there. Going to shows and seeing friends play in bands made me want to try it. I always thought you needed to be a virtuoso at your instrument before you could start a band, I never thought I could do it. If I knew then what I know now...

How have your past bands made you what you are today? How is VKNGS unlike those bands, or doing things differently?

I'm still friends with all the people I used to play in bands with. Bands come and go, you try to learn something from them, collectively and individually. VKNGS is just another band. We're serious in that we want to write good songs and be good live, but, come on, we're a bunch of dicks in a band.

Do you like the “rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle”? Do you guys really “get into it”?

If by “rock 'n' roll lifestyle” you mean “drinking”, then yes, we get “into” it. Dave is really looking forward to finding some Mongoose in Ontario. I had some a few years ago and it really messed me up. And apparently Faxe comes in one-litre cans in Quebec now, so there's sure to be some buffoonery from all of us.

What would you say your best show experiences have been? And maybe your worst?

All of our shows have been pretty good so far; the worst was when we played a big room to maybe five people on a Thursday night. That was a bit harsh.

“All Non-VKNG Related Media Blackout”, your single states. Are you advocating culture-jamming and media terrorism?

Since I never plan on providing lyric sheets, yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about.

Are you going to make us forget every other band we’ve ever seen, and shave our heads, and sell our stuff, and join your cult/army/holy war? If yes, how?

Through sheer volume.

By Demian Carynnyk