All Alien Boys photos by Bob Hanham, not to be reused without permission
Okay, where to start? Let's start with Bob's photo, taken at the imperiled (?) Black Lab back before COVID: Sarinn (left) is the singer for Alien Boys and Erin (right) is the guitarist. Sarinn reflects a recent name change; it's the same singer as the last time I interviewed them. What I didn't clue into until just today was that Sarinn and Erin rhyme.
Mostly I wanted to interact with Erin, here, the guitarist, because her previous band, the Rebel Spell, actually played the Commodore before, opening, alongside the Bronx, for Bad Religion (I mis-remembered that gig, thought it was Propagandhi!). This was the tour:
Setting me straight that it wasn't Propagandhi, Erin also explains that this will be the first time Alien Boys plays the Commodore as well. As for other history with the venue, she doesn't go to the Commodore very often, she says, but she's seen Patti Smith and L7 there (both shows I was at, too, one of which I wrote about), and LP, who I don't know at all.
The rest follows Q&A style, including contributions via email with both Erin and Sarinn; but check out Alien Boys bandcamp and do not neglect them on Saturday; they're a vital, important, high energy band with a lot to say about life in Vancouver... they also cook!
Allan: Erin, can you recount your history around D.O.A.? I know the Rebel Spell opened for D.O.A. a year or so after Days of Rage (2005) at Richards on Richards, which is where I first saw you, also with the Furies...
Erin: Looks like the Rebel Spell opened a double show with them at the Rickshaw in 2013, a double show with them at Richard’s on Richards in 2007 and a show with them and the Excessives at the Brickyard in 2004! Holy shit.
They’re an institution. I cited them as an influence in the ad I put out that Todd Serious responded to, that’s how I ended up meeting him and playing in the Rebel Spell.
Allan: Very cool. If I recall your early history with punk, you were seeing bands like Black Kronstadt on the island in the 1990s (?), and into more political punk...? Re; Dead Bob, were you seeing Nomeansno a bunch back then? Have you ever opened for them? They tend to the more personal than political, but "No Sex" is a pretty amazing gesture, politically -- Sarinn might dig this, actually: a non-binary anthem from 1982! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO0iDbZewyg&t=2s
Erin: Nomeansno was a huge influence for me growing up on the island. I didn’t see them live a lot 'cause I was too young to get into their shows! But I had their albums. As a teenager there was a youth center in Langford where I’d go to jam and make friends and learn how to be in a band. We jammed their songs badly. I’m excited about Dead Bob. Sarinn saw them play at The Pearl recently and raved about it [so did Allan!]. Nomeansno is a massive influence for them too, so it's definitely going to be one for the books.
Erin: Nomeansno was a huge influence for me growing up on the island. I didn’t see them live a lot 'cause I was too young to get into their shows! But I had their albums. As a teenager there was a youth center in Langford where I’d go to jam and make friends and learn how to be in a band. We jammed their songs badly. I’m excited about Dead Bob. Sarinn saw them play at The Pearl recently and raved about it [so did Allan!]. Nomeansno is a massive influence for them too, so it's definitely going to be one for the books.
Erin and Todd of the Rebel Spell by Jen Dodds
Allan: Coming to the new album, I'm curious if "Old Friends" is written about any particular case -- it feels like it could be about a lot of women's/ people's experience of the police. Why is it called "Old Friends?" (Are there other true-life stories on the album that inform the lyrics?).
Erin: "Old Friends" was written about a mix of things. Some lived, and some taken from Sarinn's time working with folks who had experienced horrific things when they were forced to hitchhike along the Highway of Tears. It's called "Old Friends" because a cop once said to Sarinn, “Booze and bad decisions - the oldest of friends” in relation to people who have gone missing after taking rides from strangers.
Allan: Does "Anecdote" relate to the opioid crisis? That's where the chorus of "I only care about me" brings me -- stepping over people who look and may be dead in doorways, which has become kind of a common feature of life in downtown Vancouver. Are the band members advocates for safe supply? I see references to the class warfare waged on addicts in Vancouver in a few places on the album. What's the way forward? (There are some lyrics that seem like the band is advocating for full-on legalization of all drugs).
Sarinn: It is. This is a big theme for us (see "Lady Day vs. the State," "Shadow Puppets," "Dogs" [all on Alien Boys' album Night Danger]). As someone who has experienced the full effects of the war on drugs, it is critical to talk about these things in our music. People who are forced to access the poisoned supply of illicit drugs are at some of the most extreme intersections of identity. The full weight of colonial and patriarchal systems of oppression and violence work to Other, marginalize, and harm them. Politicians exploit this to their full advantage, claiming that people who use drugs are the threat - that they create violence and chaos in communities. Yet none of them want to adequately address the failing healthcare system, the inability for people to access mental health supports without cost, the housing crisis, the unaffordability of food, or take strong positions on appropriate taxation strategies for corporate enterprise. It is the ultimate act of distraction to weaponize stigma and inflate a false sense of superiority between those who have and those who do not. Over 42,000 people have died from opioid toxicity since January 2016 - and over 80% of those deaths have been in British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. It is unconscionable to keep thinking that we have run out of options when we haven’t tried everything - this includes compassion club models and safer prescribed alternatives that have documented positive effects for those who access.
Allan: Is "Brood" about Sarinn becoming a parent, or am I completely misreading it? Is that the second band-member baby you've had a relationship with? (Are you "auntie Erin" to a few people, now? You do not yourself have kids, right? Is it something you've ever wanted? Does Sarinn's baby change anything for the band?
Erin: Nah you got it right. It’s about Sarinn’s experience of pregnancy and birth. This is actually the third band member I’ve ever had who was pregnant. It’s not for me but I love kids and am leaning hard into being Auntie Erin.
Allan: Tell me about the cover art for The Weight of It All; it's a compelling image. Who is Mira? Did the band approach Mira with a concept, give directions as to specific things they wanted included, or was that an existing piece of work that you asked if you could use, or...?
Erin: Mira does very, very cool art. When we approached Mira, we asked what images might be available to consider. The cover of The Weight of It All was one of those options. We were immediately drawn to the themes because of Sarinn’s lyrics. It’s perfect, and it really fit with the collage on the lyrics sheet inside the record.
Alex of Alien Boys by Bob Hanham
Allan: Do you have a favorite guitar part on the album? It seems like the guitars are a bit more dominant on this record, a bit more of a force to be reckoned with, but I don't know if you've done anything different there?
Erin: Hopefully we’re stronger as a band! Alex is coming into her own as a guitar player. I dragged her out of her comfort zone and got her playing the lead on "Anecdote."
Allan: Anything else to say about the Commodore gig or the other bands? (Any relationship with WAIT/ LESS? I've only seen them at Keithmas but they had a very in-your-face, almost sleazy sexuality to what they did, with the singer grabbing her crotch and just being quite overt. Very strong contrast to how Alien Boys present!).
Erin: I saw WAIT//LESS at Green Auto a few months ago, the whole show was killer, they rip and I’m stoked to see them again!
This show is our first show since our drummer Lindsay moved down under. We have a brand new drummer [Juan], who we’re throwing in the deep end. Wish us luck!
Cool to see that Alien Boys have their own Green Auto show happening the next week. If we can talk about the Green Auto gig, who are the other bands? (Alien Boys are headlining?).
Erin: We’re headlining. We’re playing with a band we met at a festival in Nelson last year that blew us away called Chairman. Highly recommended.
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