Interviews

Reach The Sky

Interview with Ian on Nov 30, 1999 by Archive Bot

Thanks to Delphine at Victory Records and of course Ian from Reach the Sky for being so awesome. Reach the Sky are doing a few dates with Hatebreed later this month, make sure to check them out. For more info visit www.reachthesky.org.

PB: You guys are on the "Pop Goes Punk" comp. You did that Britney Spears song "Sometimes". Did you guys choose the song, and if so why? 
Ian: We picked the song because we thought it was a good jam and one we could easily turn into a punk/core song. We arranged the song the way it was done in the original but played it like we would one of ours. We weren't about to go and sing it like hers or anything. I guess its cute and fun. Who knows.

PB: Who's your favorite boy band?
Ian: My favorite boy band of all time is obviously the Monkees. Come on, a made for TV band featuring cute little Davy Jones and goofy Mikey Dolenz? The show was actually funny and they could actually rock. Total genius.

PB: You're all tough and hardcore. What makes you cry?
Ian: Canadian customs agents, traffic jams, getting lost, waiting in line, Sept 11 tributes, waving flags and movies. Any and all movies make me cry thats why I don't go to them.

PB: If the band ended tomorrow, what would you do?
Ian: Get a 9 to 5 yuppie job and get back to the real world like I should be.

PB: Ok after that pepper spray episode here in Toronto, where, I dont even know what happened but pepper spray went off during your set. You realize how stupid kids are sometimes. What is one of the worst things that has happened during a Reach the Sky set and how did you deal?
Ian: It was actually a fire extinguisher and remains equally as stupid. Occasionally, someone will get a busted lip or something when we play, thats not so cool. Actually, the list of injuries during our shows is somewhat impressive, considering most of the people who get hurt are people we know. Bob's brother got his nose broken, one of my friends broke his leg, and one time our drummer Bob had to miss a show of ours (because he had broken his own arm dancing for Bane at a different show) and he was up front singing along and Brendan, the bass player, swung his bass and clobbered Bob in the face. To wit, Bob might just be the only person ever who was injured dancing for his own band. What a maron.

PB: You are on the Warped Tour this summer (moving up in the world) Are you on all the dates?
Ian: No, just the last 2 weeks.

PB: What are you most looking forward to about the tour? 
Ian: The whole experience, I suppose. Bands always have mixed reactions to the whole thing. The shows are awesome, of course, but I guess the drives are long every night, you can't stay overnight because you have to be there everyday at 8am to load in. So showers and food are minimal and the summer sun can be unbearable sitting outside, all day, for consecutive days. But who cares, its a great opportunity and we can't wait to come to Canada on it.

PB: You guys are an incredibly hard working band. You're constantly on tour and one of the things that I only realized after seeing you on the Victory Tour is that essentially you guys take care of your own business. You do your own merch and you guys even drive your own van. What is the most rewarding thing about that entire process?
Ian: There is nothing rewarding about it, at all. The only thing is we all know we have our jobs and what to do, so when we roll up, the four of us know what needs to be done before we can go goof off with the other bands. I sort of like doing the merchandise because I get to yap with everyone at the shows, but if nobody comes to the table during the show, thats a huge kick in the nuts. We've always handled all of our affairs this way though, doing it by ourselves. It seems to work.

PB: Who drives or do you take turns?
Ian: The driving thing is another issue. Chris is a good driver, but gets caught speeding too often and is now without a license and can't drive. He would handle the night drives when the rest of us were drunk. Brendan is a workhorse driver. He can just go and go and go, but he gets a little spacey behind the wheel and doesn't always pay attention that closely, especially to the car's brake lights in front of us. Bob is the worst driver ever. He's too jittery and drives fast, then slow, then fast, then slow and tailgates everyone in front of him. He can only do 2 hours before he has to stop for some unknown reason. He also is prone to rapping or playing drums to the music while driving, therefore sapping his mental reserves to focus on keeping the van on the road. I know all of this because I do not drive. Actually, I am forbidden from it since I am a horrible, horrible driver. So, I sit in the passenger seat for every single drive, no matter what hour or what time and critique the others driving styles. I am a total nuisance.

PB: What is the thing you miss the most when you're on tour?
Ian: Touring takes you away from your friends and family and their lives that continue on without you. Thats what I miss the most.

PB: I ask this a lot but cause it's interesting.......Comment on this quote I read "Bands stay on the road to preserve their adolescence in an econoline never never land."
Ian: Yes, that and free beer! 

PB: What's the deal with all those Victory bands and their weird dice throwing and gambling that they do, I don't get it.
Ian: C-lo. Some sort of dice throwing gambling game that I do not partake in. Since I avoid the game, other members of the touring party will mention to me, happily, how much money they collected off their "friends" or, more often, will approach me in a despondent manner seeking an extra dollar or spare change. That request is generally met with an extra hard kick to the nuts.

PB: Where are your favorite places to play?
Ian: Boston, Southern California, Pittsburgh, Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal.

PB: In your Victory Records bio it says that your bass player and guitar player's names are Chris and Brendan.......why do you call them both Stu? I don't get it.......
Ian: Get with it, Vanessa. Brendan is Stu. Chris is Sassy. Bob is Boob. They are just nicknames. Like, duh.