FEATURED INTERVIEWS

Bison B.C.

The beast from the East, East Vancouver that is.
By: Gian Erguiza - - November 19th, 2008 - 2:49 pm PST

Monstrous riffs, heavy as bricks, and a juggernaut sound, this is the sum up of the larger than life Bison B.C. Hailing out of East Vancouver to deliver the message of straightforward heavy music, Bison B.C. know a thing or two about the basics of metal: Heavy, aggressive and crunchy as fuck. Easily one of the best releases in metal for 08, Quiet Earth is a carefully crafted metal album that crosses the gaps between stoner rock and abstruse metal. James From Bison B.C. was kind of enough to let us chime in all about Bison B.C.

Hey James, what’s new and what is Bison B.C. currently up to?

We are currently driving through Kansas on our way to Lawrence. We’ve been on the road now since October 9th, and won’t see our home until Dec. 1st. Its been a lot of fun, we have played to a bunch of stoked people, and shared the stage with some pretty rad bands Like Three, Black Cobra, The Sword, Hightower. This is our first substantial tour and I think the response is awesome, people are getting it.

‘Quiet Earth’ is an impressive showing of power for you guys and I definitely dug the album inside out. What was the main focus of getting this album done and how much fun did you guys have recording this album?

Thanks for the stoke, we are quite proud of it. It was time for new material. At the time we had a bunch of songs and we had the time booked… closer to the session we made the deal with Metal Blade – so we wrote hard for about 2 months to top up the album – it was a challenge, even arranging one of the songs and rewriting parts of it in the studio. It was a new experience for us. Also we had more time in the studio than any of us had ever had. We had approximately 2 weeks to make Quiet Earth… which is a luxury to a guy like me. I make albums in like 3 to 4 days. I think that all lends to the tension that comes through on the album, I had wanted it to have a certain tension or anxiety about it, I think that comes through. Being in the studio with the dudes and Jesse gander, who recorded our last album ‘Earthbound’, is always a blast. Playing tunes and drinking beer, just like band practice, except its recorded. Jesse creates a very comfy atmosphere, easy to work in. We feel at home in his studio. You know, hang out in your underwear drunk kind of comfort level.

That sure spells out comfort! The sound of the album overall, especially the guitars, are crunchy, heavy and hard. What did you guys do to the sound to make it come off sounding the way it did?

Well amps go to 10 for a reason, and Dan’s goes to 11. Seriously, Jesse, again is a wizard. He knows amps and how to get the best sound out of them. We layered the guitars, some tracks recorded differently, different mics, different rooms etc. At the end of the day we play the amps we do for a reason – they can destroy you. It comes across in our live show as well, we are very loud. I think heavy music should be loud – you should feel it, not only emotionally, but feel it in your gut, beating against your chest. I love volume, being totally consumed by the music is a lovely feeling.

I agree. ‘Dark Towers’ by far is the best track on the album in my opinion. Which track to you guys speaks volumes and really represents what Bison B.C. is all about?

"I’d like to think we are trying out some new ground. I mean at the end of the day it’s still loud guitars, bass, drums and yelling – not exactly rocket science you know? We definitely aren’t big scary metal dudes, we ain’t tough guys. We like peace, don’t much care for violence, god or the devil. People also would assume we are stoners, only one of us smokes weed. I think we play some gloomy shit, but with a positive vibe. We want people to smile at our shows, and get drunk with us after."

Yeah, ‘Dark Towers’ is definitely the barn burner of the album. I think ‘These Are My Dress Clothes’ is my favorite. Its got a very different feel to it than any of our other songs. The structure and style of it – we went on a different tangent for that one for sure. I think it has a very new sound to it, I’m very proud of that one. The song ‘Quiet Earth’ is very representative of Bison. We had all of our friends come into the studio to sing the final chorus – 40 of our closest friends in that studio screaming their hearts out – that’s what it is all about. We don’t play that song live because we can’t have all those people singing with us all the time. I like the idea of having the people I love involved in this band, because they are a huge part of the reason this band exists, the support we have had is overwhelming and I am very humbled by it. I want my good friend to record us, I want my good friend to draw the cover, takes photos, you know, I want my community involved as much as possible for as long as possible. That is what Bison is all about.

Awesome. What is the significance of the album title ‘Quiet Earth?’

Its apocalyptic. The human race is on the way out man. Mother nature is on the verge of sweeping us away. ‘Quiet Earth’ is the calm before the storm. We can recycle as much as we want and talk about electric cars, I think we have sealed our fate. I have very little faith in the future of our species. It’s just that we seem to learn our lessons too late – we have to be standing at the edge of the abyss, looking into the eye of the end before we think to change the way we exist. It’s sad. I’m just as much to blame – I have used this world as my personal toilet for years, and know I regret it. Human beings are generally selfish and ignorant, which is a pretty heinous combination.

That was deep. The artwork for ‘Quiet Earth’ is pretty darned cool. Where did the idea come from and what does it say about Bison B.C.?

Where did it come from? Lots of beers. What does it say about Bison b.c.? We get awesomer with the more beer we drank. Really though, it’s a continuation from the first album. On ‘Earthbound’ the Bison warriors are leaving their planet, which they have destroyed through war and neglect. On ‘Quiet Earth’, they have arrived to take over Earth, and save us from ourselves, because they have learned from their mistakes. It’s a loose theme that may keep on going. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t true theme albums – there is a lot of shit going on in the content.

8 songs for an album, sometimes is just not enough for people. How come ‘Quiet Earth’ only has 8 songs when in reality, you guys could’ve put more than 8 songs on the album?

I think quality over quantity. Also in reality, I like shorter albums… I think 40 minutes is pretty near perfect. I grew up with punk, so all my favorite albums are like 30 minutes tops. In this day and age, people are gonna chuck it on their computers and forget about it anyway. That’s why vinyl is still around. CD’s seem like a business card.

Excellent point! What do you guys think most contribute to the style and attitude of Bison B.C.?

I never really thought about it. The music comes from our hearts. We live in a really beautiful part of the world. But there is an underlying darkness to our city – I think that contrast seeps into our music. It makes us really happy and it’s a beautiful thing, but there is a darkness to it as well. In Vancouver there are many people who struggle to survive, surrounded by all this wealth. Lots of drug abuse and homelessness. Even with the mountains and ocean right in front of you, there are some pretty dark places to go to.

Where do you guys fit into the equation of the musical landscape of metal?

I’d like to think we are trying out some new ground. I mean at the end of the day it’s still loud guitars, bass, drums and yelling – not exactly rocket science you know? We definitely aren’t big scary metal dudes, we ain’t tough guys. We like peace, don’t much care for violence, god or the devil. People also would assume we are stoners, only one of us smokes weed. I think we play some gloomy shit, but with a positive vibe. We want people to smile at our shows, and get drunk with us after.

Bottoms up! Do you guys think that changing the name from Bison to Bison B.C. might’ve either turned some people off or have gotten you guys all mixed up now for the right or wrong reasons?

I think we did it early enough, there hasn’t been much confusion or backlash. I get tired of explaining it – you know, the ‘b.c.’ is actually silent. Or I guess it could stand for whatever you want it to, for example: brutal crucial, beer crisis, beer coma, be crushed… etc.

Alright guys, give me the 3 best metal phrases of all time or 3 best metal albums of all time that have made a difference in the world of metal?

That’s easy. 1) The opening scream in Angel of Death. 2) The line, ‘Ride the tiger, you can see his stripes, but you know he’s clean, don’t you see what I mean?’ from Dio’s Holy Diver – because we still don’t know what the fuck he is talking about, but it didn’t matter, because we are all in this together, banging our heads because Dio says so. 3) The Budgie album ‘Never Turn Your Back on a Friend.’ If it taught a young Metallica a thing or two about riffs, we should all worship Budgie.

Ha! What the fuck was DIO talking about? One of the greatest mystery lines in metal of all time for sure. What’s the best advice that you guys have gotten as a band or do you guys have any advice for up and coming bands about to break into the scene?

I would say if you don’t love it, don’t do it. You have to love what you do. True success, and by that I’m not talking about record sales or magazine covers, takes a lot of passion, and love – not just making it big or whatever, making connections with people, audiences. If it starts to feel like your going to a shitty job – don’t do it. Everybody should get the same show - If you’re playing to 5 people or 5000 people, play it like it was your last – people can tell if your stoked, and it rubs off on them. Also remember where you came from, just because you can play guitar on a stage doesn’t mean you’re king shit and allowed to be a douche bag. Only work with people you trust - the music business is full of rat goofs.

You can say that again! Bison B.C. thinks that _____________________________are beautiful.

Wow, this could be a fucking long list. Our friends are the most beautiful, our van, riffs, volume, mountains, oceans, cold cans of old style pilsners, traveling infinite miles to play music. I am only speaking for myself here, but I think the other dudes would agree.

Why so serious? What do you guys do to keep yourselves amused while out on the road and how do you guys keep it interesting when playing onstage?

Oh dude, we are far from serious. I mean, we take the music seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We want to have a good time all the time. We are total idiots on the road, ask anyone who has met us, we are always laughing at the dumbest shit. Playing live, its like we’re just hanging out on stage, drinking beer, playing tunes, jumping around like idiots, shooting the shit. I mean, the lyrical content is serious, but that is the songs job… my job is to have fun and meet rad people. And it’s the best job in the world.

In you guys opinion, what are some of today’s obstacles or problems in the music industry of today?

I think the fact that a lot of people need to be told what band to like… people need to make sure what they like is cool. I’m not a cool guy. I hate hair doo’s. I fucking hate obviousness. We are very proud dirt bags. I’m not a fan of image conscious bands – making sure their clothes are right, getting the right pose for the camera. That shit’s not real… I am a fan of real people making real music. Musicians that regurgitate the same shit over and over again – it’s just boring, you know? People cashing in on fads, it’s just disappointing. We are fortunate enough to have a great label backing us, we’ve met them, hung out, drank beers, feels like family, right - they don’t tell us what to do, how to dress, what to say… we are very lucky, because that shit happens to other bands.

Right on the button. Any additional comments or shout-outs?

Thanks to everyone who has supported this band in any way – especially all our friends in Vancouver, without that initial support this band would not exist. And we look forward to meeting our new friends… see you in the future.

James, you are a gentleman and a scholar! See you guys out on the road!

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