Interviews

Propagandhi

Interview with Todd & The Beaver on Jul 11, 2007 by Archive Bot

Not much needs to be said in regards to Propagandhi; they are easily one of the most rabidly followed underground punk bands in the world. Even on this website, any news item post regarding the band brings comments from the readers and, oftentimes, quite a few of them. Punkbands.com’s Amy Meyer had a chance to catch up with some of the guys in Propagandhi at the Abbey Pub in Chicago, where they played their first Chi-town show in almost seven years!
 
By: Amy Meyer
 
How come it’s been so long since you’ve been to Chicago?
 
Todd Kowalski: Making tunes I guess, doing stuff around Winnipeg [Manitoba]. No real reason, there’s only so many places to play. We’ve never been to South America and all these other places. There’s no way to fit it all in and still play shows, but not so many shows that you’re not having fun or it becomes old…
 
Get burned out?
 
Todd: Exactly. You want to go out and play and have fun. There is no real reason.
 
How are the crowds in the states compared to Canada?
 
Todd: It goes show by show; it depends on where you go. It’s very similar; the crowds change whether it’s city or rural. You never know what to expect.
 
What about the hometown?
 
Todd: Usually it’s great; the last time we played it was just all right. I can’t say it was great; it was good, good enough. Usually it’s very good for us.
 
Is the second guitarist a permanent thing?
 
Beaver: Oh yeah, I hope so.
 
How did you get involved with Propagandhi?
 
Beaver: I’ve been friends with them for a while now and one thing just kind of led to another and I wiggled my way into the roster.
 
How long have you been with the band?
 
Beaver: About a year.
 
Todd: Wow, a year? It doesn’t feel like a year.
 
What comes first, music or lyrics?
 
Todd: I think it’s anything that works. Me and Chris both have notepads full of words and making music, but the lyrics have to fit the mood of the music, ya know? So sometimes you’ll have a riff and a big idea for it and somehow try to make them come together. You might know they both exist, but you’re kind of writing them separate from your music. It’s like trying to put seams together to make it a cohesive song that’s powerful and does not sound rhetoric; it has to be your own voice. That’s one reason why it takes us so long to make records; if we weren’t caring about our music so much, we could have a faster turn around.
 
Where do you find inspiration for lyrics, do you kind of just write everyday?
 
Todd: I would say anything that comes to my head, it’s just whatever. I’ll be writing, hopefully, all summer. I keep compiling ideas and then put them all together, and over time there’s enough that you can make a couple lines for a song.
 
Are you currently working on a new record at all?
 
Todd: We are.
 
Beav: After this tour, during the summer. The best part of being in a band is making new songs.
 
Where do you usually record?
 
Todd: I think we’re going to try and have Chris and Beav do it or go to the Blasting Room.
 
I just interviewed Bill Stevenson, he was really cool.
 
Todd: Yeah he’s a nice guy and they’re nice and you know they know what they’re doing [at the Blasting Room], and I know Chris and Beav can do a good job; it’s a close call.
 
Want to tell us about the situation with Fat Mike after the “Rock Against Bush”
record came out and the Fat Mike heard "Rock For Sustainable Capitalism?” Did
he get a kick out of it at all or was he mad?
 
Todd: I wouldn’t say he got a kick out of it, maybe he was more kind of disappointed, ya
know? We’re different types of people that think about things differently. You hope to put something out that the person is going to get it or you hope if he sees something he might absorb it. A lot of the songs, people, if it applies to them it does, if it doesn’t it doesn’t. If it didn’t make sense or it wasn’t sending on the right path, then it would be an embarrassing song. We’ve had people write songs about us, ya know?
 
Oh yeah, you got BigWig ragging on vegans.
 
Todd: They actually called and asked if they could do that. So that song too. I guess they
have their idea, but they, too, did not want to offend us. It’s odd though, if you’re going to make something that seems like a cheap shot then call and ask for permission, but I like those guys actually.
 
Did you play with them last time you were here?
 
Todd: No, I don’t think so.
 
When was the last time you were in Chicago?
 
Todd: 2001.
 
How do you feel you can change things through your music, because obviously you
have a lot of things to say in your lyrics, a lot of powerful things.
 
Beav: We have the approach of writing music that is honest. I don’t think it necessarily
has to be political or anything, just be honest and coming from a passionate spot. What hit me the most [about Propagandhi] is it’s honest stuff.
 
Todd: It doesn’t matter if it’s political or not, as long as it’s right from the peoples’
hearts. There’s a lot of people trying to write political songs…
Beav: But it seems like they’re trying too hard to do it, like it’s a conscious effort to write political songs.
 
What would you say your goal is as a band?
 
Todd: Just to play our very best as much as we can, try our hardest, have fun…
 
Beav: Be satisfied…
 
Todd: And incorporate things we like, like Sisters of Spirit. Reaching different people. I spend lots and lots of time volunteering. It’s not all for other people; I get so much from being around other people, refugees. With people coming from the hardest conditions, you realize your life is fucking easy.
 
www.propagandhi.com
www.fatwreck.com
 
Thanks to the guys for their time and thanks to Vanessa over at Fat Wreck for setting everything up.