TwoWordHeap

The weather in Calgary has been somewhat bipolar in the last few weeks. The days have ranged anywhere from Spring-like where the streets became rivers to mid-Winter conditions where it felt as if your spit would freeze before it hit the ground. It was in those frigid conditions that I ventured downtown to see another metalcore show.

Of all places, it was taking part in a Legion. It was a place that had the unmistakable smell of impending death. The youth that were congregating seemed oddly out of place with the gaudy and decaying architecture. It was dimly lit and cold. The sweet smell of stale cigarette smoke hung in the air. I silently hoped that the intensity of the music would not collapse the building.

The majority of the bands had already arrived and were either setting up their gear or storing their instruments in various locations around the hall. The camaraderie between the bands was evident. Hugs were being exchanged frequently in an atmosphere akin to long lost friends being reunited. Equipment was being loaned and everyone was helping each other.

For Annalyce, the night was a tad nerve racking and constantly in flux. Busy promoting their freshman EP they were ready to perform third as scheduled. For no discernible reason the headliners, Callahan, decided they wanted to play in the middle of the bill. Annalyce were pushed back twice more so that they were eventually the last band to play.

Two of the band members, Jason Bank and Ryan Buckley, were able to quickly chat after their set. The following is a transcription of that interview.

*****

Two Word Heap: How do you think your set went tonight?

Jason Bank: It was pretty good. We had a couple of rough moments.

TWH: Yeah.

JB: Like Scott’s amp breaking, because it breaks all the time. I don’t know why.

TWH: You kept getting pushed back and pushed back…

JB: Yeah.

TWH: Is that more frustrating, or…

JB: It kinda is-

Ryan Buckley: Kills our momentum.

JB: You get the momentum up and then it’s gone.

TWH: I’m interested in your creative process. Is there one person who does the writing? One person who does the composing? Or, is it more of a group effort?

RB: I don’t know. It usually starts off where Scott or Jason have something, and then we all build around it. It’s not usually one person’s deal, it’s one person’s… like it starts at that point where that one person writes something and then we build around it. It’s not like one of those classic rock bands where one guy is writing everything-

JB: And he’s a genius.

RB: And everyone else doesn’t have their high school [diploma] and they just drink all the time.

JB (laughing): Yeah.

TWH: I’m interested, too, in you being a Calgary band. Do you think that shapes your music at all? Or, is that kinda just incidentally where you live?

JB: You know, that’s a hard one.

RB: There’s a lot of metalcore. It might be.

JB: Yeah.

RB: It’s just what people listen to, I guess, and we started listening to it too, right?

JB: Yeah.

RB: I guess that’s our kind of deal.

TWH: What kind of influences do you have as far as your band goes?

JB: I know Means influences me a lot…

RB: Taken.

JB: Yeah, Taken! I’m really influenced by Taken. Even Explosions in the Sky and really light bands.

RB: Yeah, I like soft stuff. Like metalcore stuff.

JB: Kanye West, PI..

RB (laughing): Kanye West.

JB: Dr. Dre, pretty much.

RB: Chronic 2001. That’s where it all comes from.

TWH: I’m guessing you all have jobs or school. How easy is it to get together? Or, is that hard?

RB: We’ve traveled fast, because we have set practice dates. We have two a week and if we miss those then someone is really pissed.

JB: And I’m always the one who misses them. It’s hard, man.

RB: We only have, usually, two practices a week.

JB: We have school or [a] job.

RB: There’s some of us who do our homework and some of us that don’t.

JB: But me and Ryan have grades.

RB (laughing): We care about our futures. The other ones, uh…

JB: They like the band.

TWH: About your futures, what do you want the band to achieve?

RB: I’d like to go on tour just once.

JB: Yeah.

RB: After I graduate. I just think it would be fun, right?

JB: I think traveling around would be fun.

RB: As long as we haven’t killed each other.

JB: We’ll be all right.

RB: We’ll be all right.

JB: We’ll still stick together. Yeah, I think traveling around would be awesome.

RB: We don’t even need the money, I just want to go.

JB: I already have money, I don’t need anymore. I have enough.

TWH: Who came up with the name of the band?

RB: That was way back at the start, I think. We were just looking for a name that was one word, and we tried to look for something that people couldn’t make fun of and was catchy. So we thought of Annalyce.

JB: It means grace or something, right?

RB: It means grace. But then I somehow managed to form that into the term Anal Lice.

JB: It’s a long going joke, I guess.

RB: So, as long as we started it I guess it’s all right.

TWH: No one has that, by the way, right?

RB: No, I don’t think so.

JB: I don’t think I have it.

RB: If anyone it’s Dean.

JB: Dean would have it.

TWH: Now I think, and I could be wrong, Jason, but you’re pretty new to this band. Is that correct?

JB: Yeah.

TWH: How is that coming into a band that’s already been formed?

JB: I thought it was going to be difficult, because in previous bands I’d play with I’d have people invited in and they wouldn’t even join in at all because they were scared that people had been playing together for so long. But I think they just had bad social experiences or something, because when I started playing with them I thought it was pretty dope. I thought it was pretty fun. This guy used to bag my groceries!

RB: Yeah I used to bag his groceries. That’s not a sexual term.

TWH: Well, it can be. So, final question: what are your favorite two words?

RB (motioning to a blackboard behind us): 420 Pussy.

JB: Who wrote that there?

TWH: I don’t know.

JB: I don’t really have favorite words. Oh my? I wish I was more creative.

RB: Can I swear?

TWH: Yeah, that’s fine.

RB: Shit a dick. Oh, that’s three words.

TWH: Awesome.

JB: Um, I love you? No, that’s three.

TWH: Yeah, all the good ones are three.

JB: I don’t know, I’ll think of something for next time.

RB: Two apple! One of them’s a number.

TWH: Just randomly two words. Awesome guys. Thanks!

To our dear readers: What questions would you ask Annalyce?

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