*First off, who are you and what do you do in the band?
My name is Ants, I try to play guitar and sing as best as I can. My band is called The Real Deal.
*Let’s begin with a bit of history on the Real Deal. How did the line up come together and when did it all begin?
Just a little over 5 years now, myself, Nico (our drummer) and Davy (our other guitar player) started up TRD as a side band. We started by playing lot of covers and playing a lot of shows. Then we started writing our own songs and continued playing a lot of shows. Our bass player at the time was Nicky but he left the band after about a year. Franki, our then merch bitch, has since become our bass bitch. He has a lot of tattoos and will eat anything if you pay him enough money.
*What bands most influenced your sound and what bands are you digging currently?
We all grew up listening to Fat Wreck and Epitaph bands, who didn’t? So it’s inevitable that that brand of punk influences our writing. We listen to all different kinds of music though and while it may all not be evident in our music, I’m sure it influences us in other aspects of our life that in turn influence what we write or don’t write about. I’ve always been an admirer of DIY bands, whether they be punk, ska, rock n roll, hip hop, whatever…sometimes the ethics behind a band are more inspirational than the music…
*Can you tell us the story behind the cover art of your CD? It reminds us of the Maurice Sendak book, Where the Wild Things Are.
Does it?!! Dammit, I’ll be suing the cover artist for defamation of character! Her name is Lindsay, we crashed on her floor in Halifax one time and she had a bunch of similar sweet art she had painted all up on her walls! It was right around the time we were coming up with the name and concept to the record and it just seemed to fit. P.S. I just google’d Maurice Sendak…I’m pretty sure I could take him…
*I noticed that you have some shows planned in the US. Is this your first tour outside of Canada?
Good observation! It was our first tour outside the country - we just got home from it actually. It was a good time! The underground seems to be different from our Canadian scene.
*What do you do to battle boredom on the road?
Pabst Blue Ribbon is a good remedy! I get a lot of songs written on the road as well.
*What is your dream tour?
I want a bus… with a driver! Oh and my own bathroom …with a never-ending supply of toilet paper!!…ahhh living large!
*There seems to be a really great underground rock scene in Canada with a handful of bands heavily influenced by late 90’s pop punk ala Fat Wreck, Epitaph etc. While this scene seems to have all but disappeared in the US, it appears to still be going strong with a handful of bands pumping out new albums such as yourself. Would you agree with this statement, and if so, what do you attribute to the fact?
Totally, this question has come up a lot lately! It’s awesome that people are starting to notice it. Like I’ve said recently, a lot of veteran bands have been coming back with kick ass new records and everyone seems to be remembering how much fun punk rock is again. I don’t think bands ever stopped playing skate/melodic punk, I just think the masses forgot about it for a while. It seems that the focus of mainstream may be shifting again, that’s good news!
*How would you compare the scene in Canada to what you’ve experienced in the U.S.?
The scene in the U.S. feels a lot more DIY, more bands doing everything themselves. It’s kind of cool to see so many hard working bands, helping each other out. There doesn’t seem to be the same kind of competitiveness that exists in Canada *cough*Ontario* cough*. I’m sure if we got to spend more time in NYC or get the chance to go to L.A. one day, I’ll probably have to revise that last statement, but in the mean time, any cheap shot I can towards the Ontario Industry Scene, I’ll take! We also got to play packed matinee bar shows…what the fuck is that all about?
*What can we expect from the Real Deal in the future?
A whole lot of touring! We hope to conquer the world by 2012. You heard it here first…well maybe fourth…
*What is the hardest part about being in a band? The easiest?
Being away from home gets hard sometimes; being away from family, girlfriends, the comfort of your bed, a home cooked meal…but we’re lucky enough to have so much support from our entourage, it makes it a lot easier. The easy part is having fun! Partying with friends every night and making some of the best memories anyone could ever wish for. I don’t think there’s any better feeling that hearing other people sing your songs louder than you, and all this 2000 miles away from home, that makes it easy.
*Any closing words? Thoughts? Website?
Hookt awn foniks workt 4 mee!
www.myspace.com/therealdeal, love it!