12 Dec 2013

You’d be hard-pressed to find a music fan in southern Ontario that hasn’t heard of The Creepshow. If you listen to metal, punk, rockabilly, rock, swing, or any related genre, you’ve no doubt heard of the band from Hamilton, Ontario. Their sound and history make them a well-established band both in Ontario and internationally. After seven years and a few lineup changes, The Creepshow have released their fourth full-length album Life After Death and are on the road to help promote the latest release. The band played the eBar on December 12 with Hamilton punk band The Vanishers and the pheRamones, an all-female Ramones cover band. The night was a high filled fun time for all.

We got the chance to chat with Kenda, the lead vocalist and newest member of The Creepshow, and Sean McNab, who rocks a mean stand up bass.

Music Lives: The Creepshow are kind of known for amazing live shows. What do you think makes you different from other bands out there when you perform?

Kenda: We really love what we do and hope that it shows in our performance. Everyone in the band has such high energy and gives their all when we hit the stage. It’s a place for us to release everything we’ve got. It’s where we feel free. I love to climb everything and anything I can, and the stage gives me an opportunity to do that without getting in trouble. We don’t think about being different from other bands, we just do what feels good for us. One thing we love is getting the crowd involved, whether it be getting off the stage and dancing around with them or having them sing a verse with or without us. We love seeing them as pumped up as we are.

ML: The Creepshow spends a lot of time on the road. What’s the best and worst part about being on tour so much?

Kenda: The best part of tour is being able to meet so many new people and seeing the different countries and cities. Making new friends is an absolute bonus. Being able to experience the different cultures, seeing the beautiful sights and history to each place is amazing. We have so much appreciation for every place we go, so it makes it exciting to be there. Aside from missing our family and friends, there aren’t many downfalls to touring. Sure we get tired sometimes and can get cranky. But compared to all the awesome things we get to experience, we really have nothing to complain about.

ML: Life After Death is the first album featuring Kenda on vocals. Was recording the album a new experience or similar to your other two albums with the line up change?

Sean: It was similar, yet different! We have recorded all four albums with Steve Rizun at Drive Studios, so we felt very at home. The one major difference was that our lead guitar player Daniel lives in Germany, so he recorded all of his guitar tracks over there, then emailed them to us. It’s fascinating what you can do with recording technology these days.

ML: Life After Death is listed as self produced on the Interpunk website. You don’t see that very often anymore. What was behind the decision to produce the album on your own?

Sean: We have pretty much always produced our own albums. Steve Rizun is an amazing engineer, and makes us sound fantastic. We are not opposed to working with a producer, but it’s very important and hard to find the right one. But we are very excited how this album turned out.

ML: You have one heck of a run lined up for this tour! How do you keep energized night after night?

Kenda: We’re barely alive during the day. The long drives allow some of us to sleep. Naps are usually a must. But as soon as we see everyone and hit the stage we’re up and ready to go. We definitely feed off of the crowd’s energy. But at the same time, we’re excited to be playing shows so that gives us our second or third wind.

Make sure to check out Music Lives for details on the upcoming show, and you can pre-purchase your tickets directly from Music Lives at https://musiclives.ca/events/the-creepshow.