WITHIN PUNK ZINE INTERVIEW WITH
VINCE FOURNIER
OUR DARKEST DAYS
NOVEMBER 05, 2016 BY EMAIL
COURTESY OF TONY SHRUM EARSHOT MEDIA J.B: Okay so let’s start at the beginning I noticed right off the start the intro “Now my days are numbered” has that intro with the storm and the Train whistle? Is there a metaphorical meaning to that soundscape? Vince : Yes of course! We wanted to start A COMMON AGONY by adding from the beginning, the color of the whole parts of our album. The entirety of the production deals with subjects that mark us in life. That’s why we decided to include it at the beginning of A COMMON AGONY. The storm represents the trials that life brings us and the train passes, reminds us that it is for us to decide whether we take it or not. Time passes and it never stops. Basically, everyone is master of his/her destiny. If you choose to wallow in your sorrow and darkness, it’s you choice but it’s also your choice to roll up your sleeves and going head first. J.B: Of course that intro and track has huge influence of a Propaghandi sound? Almost a “Failed States” sort of sound? Vince: For sure, Propagandhi has a big influence in the way we write, the way we see and understand our music when we started to play. We’ve been playing music for over 20 years, our roots always rise to the surface. We are from the generation who grew up with Fat Wreck Chords so it’s normal to hear ‘’blast from the past’’ in our songs and in our sound. I’m agree you find that the sound sounds
much like Failed States. J.B: On this release you guys have really expanded deeper into the time signatures and fast tempo breaks is it possible to get even tighter? Vince: We gave a lot with this release and we are extremely proud of the result, but we are confident that we can give more. We worked hard to reach this result. The tightness and complexity of the riffs do not scare us. We are already composing [laughs]! J.B: And talking about time signatures and punk Prog you have Micheal Garcia of “Forus” on “The Burden of my Sins? How was that experience? Vince : Michel was a friend of mine and now a friend of the band. We respect the highest point everything Forus released. For us, it was a great experience, Michael is a good guy and ultra professional, it’s been really easy to work with him. The experience of working with a friend overseas to make a song was super rewarding. It allowed us to explore other ways of doing things, and improve some techniques that we had in the development of our songs. We have other projects coming up over that. J.B: I interviewed another Bird Attack label mate “Mute” recently and they said they would love to tour with you guys. How rad would of a tour would that be? Vince: Wow! Mute are not only label mates, but also friends we’ve seen for a long time at shows and events in the scene of our city and our province. They are excellent musicians who rock the house and I’m sure to tour with them would be rad as hell! J.B: So the cover art on this one is a master piece of graphic illustration that sets the mood perfectly for the album, what was the concept behind and who did the cover art? Vince: First of all, the layout of the album was done by Sebas Thériault at Sterio Design. He has worked with many good bands including This Is A Standoff, The Human Project, Belvedere, Counterpunch, The Swellers and much more. He’s a good friend of ours and he is THE man! The concept is very simple. The cover shows a man in a fallen city. It’s the past. The man facing himself. It represents
the man who hides all his life behind blinders, facing his inability to assume responsibility to improve his condition. Figuratively, the man represents each of us at different levels. The middle with the lyrics and the album represents the present, the contents. The back of the album represents the future, renewal, hope, the light at the end of the tunnel. Tomorrow will be better. J.B: What’s the meaning behind the title “ A common Agony”? Does it have to do with the struggles that we all face? Vince : Exactly! It’s a common agony in the sense that everyone has problems, everyone has to overcome challenges in their own lives, everyone has inner struggles to overcome. It is a discomfort to fight. It is also a reminder of our lives, that we have in society. The mistakes of our ancestors who often bring us back to the starting point. The agony is common, since we all live, but at different levels, in different aspects. J.B: You guys have had some line up changes and this release is a complete new direction how was the recording process? Vince: Yes we had a member change in the studio. But fortunately, Claude’s tracks were recorded before his departure. Claude lived very far from where we all live, so it became difficult for him to continue with us. Russ our first guitarist (the solo master), came to lend a hand. But a big part of the guitars were handled by Danny. He did a tremendous job in the studio. As for the rest, it was pretty fast. Guil-
“Our Darkest Day’s every angle – technical guitars, fast pickings, a ‘pedal to the metal’ beat and melody that stays in your head” laume recorded his drums in record time, same thing for Jam on bass, and for me it took more time, which was a question of tweaking the vocal melodies to the maximum. Following the departure of Claude, one of our friends offered to play with us, and it was the best thing that could happen to ODD. John is a bomb on two legs! [Laughs] J.B: Of course you recorded at Frequences Productions with Pierre Lemire and Micheal Fontaine? And who did the mastering cause
damn it’s clean and tight? Vince: Thank you in their names [laughs]! The bros at Frequences Productions did an amazing job! These guys are beasts! The recording was long, but it took time to achieve the result we were aiming for. For mastering, we put our trust in Darryl Phenneger, the master of sound. Darryl works with several Bird Attack bands and it’s been really easy to work with him. Although he is in Florida and we are in Canada, he managed to understand us and put his finger exactly on what we wanted. This guy is a machine! J.B: So Pouzza Fest is an amazing festival that’s so personal and a network of bands and friends, and of course that’s how this all came to be for this release with Bird Attack. What was your favorite Pouzza Fest experience? Vince : You’re right, It’s a really a cool fest! The 2015 Pouzza Fest, which was our second, was one that we liked the most. Playing in front of a full house with an incredible crowd, it moved us. Moreover, in this crowd, Garrett Wadford from Bird Attack Records was there, and that’s when he approached us more seriously. So it was all good for the 2015 fest! J.B: And of course how do you view being on Bird Attack Records man those guys are getting to be a huge family? Vince: For us it’s just amazing! We highly respect the excellent work done by Garrett and his team. This is a great label, a big family and we are extremely proud to be part of it. We really enjoyed the ‘’thumbs up’’ from other bands on the label when we released the teaser for A COMMON AGONY. Lenneke takes good care of us and runs great. It’s a great label with a big visibility and the bands lineup is just crazy! We will give everything to keep a high standard, as all the bands on the label have, for our upcoming releases. J.B: So let’s get back to “ A common Agony” what was the creative writing process for the lyrical content? Vince : It’s very simple, I wrote about all that happened to me in everyday life. I wrote thinking of people as a whole and not as individuals. I tried to reach everyone through my lyrics. Then, as English is my second language (I am French Canadian), I consulted friends who are English speakers to make sure that my texts were written correctly, to
finally choose those who would end up on the album. J.B: How did you decide on “Ceaseless” to be the first released track? Vince: For us, it was an easy choice. “Ceaseless” represents Our Darkest Day’s every angle – technical guitars, fast pickings, a ‘pedal to the metal’ beat and melody that stays in your head. To be honest, this piece means a lot to us. We worked hard on this song and the lyrics came straight from the gut. J.B: So what’s the tour plans so far? Vince : We will promote A COMMON AGONY in our province and in eastern Canada (Maritimes-Ontario) until spring 2017. After that, it will be the ‘’fests period’’ and we would like to tour all around the world - Europe, South America, USA and the rest of Canada are our priorities at the moment. It all depends on what opportunities will be offer to us. J.B: We always end with a famous book or a famous quote that inspired your lives anything come to mind? Vince: “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving -M.L.K