This cat is not Trooper. This is Chabby. This is the cat of Kristy-Lee Audette and Byron Slack, both of Rong (fronted by Kristy-Lee) and Dead Bob (fronted by John Wright of Nomeansno fame); the latter, herr Slack, is also in Invasives (interviewed by me here, but also see here, from the first time I saw Rong, also with Invasives on the bill). Alienated in Vancouver would like to congratulate Ms. Audette and Mr. Slack for their extreme, trend-bucking forbearance in not having posted a bazillion photos of Chabby on social media. People who have not seen Rong in their present incarnation, with Emilor of Night Court and Pet Blessings (now added support for Mudhoney's upcoming show) are directed here for a taste of what's happening...
Tonight, of course, is night three of Trooper Fest, a fundraiser to buy catfood and pay vet bills and such for Noelle Chaos's diabetic cat Trooper, whom Noelle and I talked about for a recent Straight piece.
There is, in fact, a matinee show before that, starting at 2pm today at Red Gate (for those of us not preoccupied with with folk fest, of course). I've only seen Kidz Help Fone of these bands, but I quite liked what I heard of Natlak, who sound pretty wild... don't know the other bands... won't be there... but you could be!
People unsure of the venue could just go to Red Gate for the matinee and ask someone. It's a pretty cool space, actually. The Hairy Cherries are on the bill, too -- haven't seen them yet! Plus comedy by Not George, the bands Salvation and Clay (NOT Clay Holmes, note), and Copshuvit.
All of which might be fun, but we are thus far only devoted to Rong; we threw a few questions at Ms. Audette and they stuck.
Allan: Is this Rong the Emilor-Byron Rong, or...? (I really liked the previous trio and feel bad that I like Emilor and Byron better!). Why did the membership change?
Kristy-Lee: Yes, Emilor and Byron are here to stay thankfully. I still haven't updated all of the social media stuff or the Kinda Cool Records website bio, I'll admit I've been dragging my feet on that a bit. As for the reasons behind the roster change, Jen and Sophie have very full plates, they play in like 3 other bands, and they had to sort out where they wanted to focus their energy and make some difficult decisions. Emilor was actually our first bass player, and left back in 2020 for similar reasons, but times have changed and now she's back. Byron has had great successes in his band Invasives, where he sings and plays guitar, but he's actually a drummer first and absolutely crushes. The three of us are best friends and I'm unbelievably lucky that they wanted to come play with me.
Allan: Is this Rong the Emilor-Byron Rong, or...? (I really liked the previous trio and feel bad that I like Emilor and Byron better!). Why did the membership change?
Kristy-Lee: Yes, Emilor and Byron are here to stay thankfully. I still haven't updated all of the social media stuff or the Kinda Cool Records website bio, I'll admit I've been dragging my feet on that a bit. As for the reasons behind the roster change, Jen and Sophie have very full plates, they play in like 3 other bands, and they had to sort out where they wanted to focus their energy and make some difficult decisions. Emilor was actually our first bass player, and left back in 2020 for similar reasons, but times have changed and now she's back. Byron has had great successes in his band Invasives, where he sings and plays guitar, but he's actually a drummer first and absolutely crushes. The three of us are best friends and I'm unbelievably lucky that they wanted to come play with me.
Allan: What are your associations with Noelle? Did you ever play the Black Lab, or benefit from her support of local music?
Kristy-Lee: I never played Black Lab, but I went to a few shows there. I know Noelle from "Thor's Palace," an East Van house named after a cat, Thor. I'm not actually sure if she used to live there, but a bunch of our mutual friends lived there, and they used to throw awesome shows and parties. Nowadays Noelle and I see each other at shows, I go to her shows, she comes to my shows, I think she's awesome and I appreciate her support and enthusiasm for the music scene here in Vancouver.
Allan: Will you be doing anything special at the ______ (I gather there's been a relocation).
Kristy-Lee: DOING anything SPECIAL? Not really, but Byron made some new stickers that we're going to premiere and sell by donation for Trooper.
Kristy-Lee: I never played Black Lab, but I went to a few shows there. I know Noelle from "Thor's Palace," an East Van house named after a cat, Thor. I'm not actually sure if she used to live there, but a bunch of our mutual friends lived there, and they used to throw awesome shows and parties. Nowadays Noelle and I see each other at shows, I go to her shows, she comes to my shows, I think she's awesome and I appreciate her support and enthusiasm for the music scene here in Vancouver.
Allan: Will you be doing anything special at the ______ (I gather there's been a relocation).
Kristy-Lee: DOING anything SPECIAL? Not really, but Byron made some new stickers that we're going to premiere and sell by donation for Trooper.
Allan: Do you think of Rong as your main band, or Dead Bob? Who has to fit into whose schedule?
Yes Rong in my main band. I've played in many bands over the years, but this is where I get to write the songs, design the merch and album art, direct the videos, I'm a creative person and this is my main outlet. In my other groups, including Dead Bob, I'm more of an ingredient in the recipe, but I'm not the chef, you know what I mean? And as far as scheduling goes, it's first come first serve, everybody puts their unavailable days in the Google calendar, and we schedule around stuff, or book things way in advance.
Yes Rong in my main band. I've played in many bands over the years, but this is where I get to write the songs, design the merch and album art, direct the videos, I'm a creative person and this is my main outlet. In my other groups, including Dead Bob, I'm more of an ingredient in the recipe, but I'm not the chef, you know what I mean? And as far as scheduling goes, it's first come first serve, everybody puts their unavailable days in the Google calendar, and we schedule around stuff, or book things way in advance.
Allan: What other Rong shows are coming up before Dead Bob departs for Europe? (Have you done Europe before?).
We have a fun rip out to Alberta at the end of July/beginning of August. And we have a show on August 29th, but it hasn't been announced yet, STAY TUNED!
I've only played in Europe once, at The Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, I'm excited to go play in a bunch of new places!
We have a fun rip out to Alberta at the end of July/beginning of August. And we have a show on August 29th, but it hasn't been announced yet, STAY TUNED!
I've only played in Europe once, at The Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, I'm excited to go play in a bunch of new places!
Allan: Are you actually a Weird Al Yankovic fan, or do you just sport his shirts because your hair is a bit Weird Al-ish? (What's your favourite Weird Al song? Mine is "Bob" by far).
Kristy-Lee: Am I actually a Weird Al fan... I've only seen him live like 5 times. And yes, we both happen to be blessed with absolutely incredible hair, but it is just a coincidence. My Dad was a big fan while I was growing up, so I learned about Nirvana, Joan Jett, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Coolio etc through his parodies and polkas. I think he's hilarious, and I love him.
Favourite song is a really difficult question, I'm partial to his originals and pastiches. In no particular order: "Mission Statement," "Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota," "Everything You Know is Wrong," and "Nature Trail to Hell."
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