Smooth Brains - Greatest Hits!
I recently got a chance to catch the North Bay band, Smooth Brains at The Raven & Republic, headlining a show they were originally supposed to open at. The whole night was rockin’ and I knew I needed to get an interview in with them to learn more about the band. Luckily, having an in with the bass player (who was also the reason I was at the gig in the first place), made it nice and easy.
As they gear up to release their first EP, I put a few questions to these rock’n’rollers and got some wonderfully hilarious, practical and surprising answers. Learn about their musical influences, addition of a new lead singer, upcoming show date and favourite member of The Sex Pistols (because why not) right here! There may even be some sneak peeks at the EP itself!
All Things Music: Where did the name of the band come from?
Nick: Well it was partially from a meme and partially from an insult I overheard, "your brain is so smooth I could skip it across a lake", as in that person was really fucking stupid.
Drake: We juggled a bunch of stupid band names around for a long while, but ultimately settled on Smooth Brains because rock'n'roll, especially ‘77’, has an inherent level of stupidity to it. Plus we just do dumb stage gimmicks that are stupid but funny to us (and probably only us).
Alex: Not really anything else to add, both these guys summed it up nicely. It's intended to be a bit of a joke name.
ATM: What inspired you guys to pull from the raw classics of the punk genre?
Drake: I listen to 1960s garage and early rock'n'roll/blues more than almost anything else really, and the classics of the punk genre were basically all inspired by that music. The songs themselves are mostly simple, which is good for me to play, but high energy and raw. Plus I've always enjoyed music that was written by teenagers. Think Undertones, Buzzcocks, Protex, etc.
Nick: Because that's what I like. I've always gravitated towards the unrefined bits of Rock'n'Roll. I like music that breathes, that has a pulse....that feels alive. It's mostly due to recording techniques and advancements in production, but I find a lot of newer music feels a little sterile and gets squeezed out sounding vaguely like everything else. I mean, that's pop production right? It's not the artist's fault, it's just what happens when you stop recording a band that's together and firing on all cylinders and start doing everything to a click and a grid and use standardized presets.
Alex: Aside from what's already been said, it's the energy and realness that attracts me. Nothing like being stuck in a small practice room, sweaty as fuck, no windows or AC, losing track of time playing rock music with the fellas.
ATM: Do you consider the more polished deviations like “pop punk” to be in punk by nature of their acceptance of the mainstream?
Drake: Sure, I think most people who say that pop punk isn't punk are lying to themselves. Travis Barker is dating a Kardashian. Aquabats to Kardashian pipeline is definitely insane.
Nick: No, because what most people think of as pop punk is just pop music with loud guitars. Pop punk is punk with pop sensibilities, end of story. I'm sure someone's already scoffing and to that I say go listen to State Champs and cry about it.
ATM: When do we get to hear your first record?
Nick: In the fall I hope. Probably October.
Drake: I'm not too sure when it'll be done. It's being mixed and mastered by the fantastic James Miles, but at his own pace. There's still some stuff we need to do prior to releasing it, and then there will be a record release in the fall. Sometime then.
Alex: What they said. Huge shoutout to James for putting in the time and effort recording everything for us.
ATM: What’s the writing process like for you guys? Does one person head up the music and lyrics or is it more of a shared effort? Is the writing done separately, or do you figure it all out while jamming together?
Nick: I generally come in with lyrics and the bones of the song, just the chords and maybe a lead. We build it from there together.
Alex: Nick tends to come up with the raw ideas and the lyrics- I leave that in his control. I give my two cents on the structure of our songs and help him write transition points. I think one of the most important aspects of writing an individual part is to think about how it interacts and compliments other parts within the song. As such, sometimes I revisit my initial drum part ideas many times before settling on what fits best.
Drake: I figure out what the root note is and typically play that. Root, third, fifth, octave.
ATM: What are your biggest influences?
Drake: Teenage Head, Stooges, The Dirty Nil, Flamin' Groovies, The Nerves, Joe Jackson
Nick: The Replacements, The Clash, Johnny Thunders, The Dirty Nil, Radio Birdman, The Chats, 60's Garage/R&B…
Alex: Some of the drummers who have inspired me past, and present are Travis Barker, Josh Freese, and Keith Moon just to name a few. More recently, I've really found JD Beck's style a lot of fun and love any groove from Benny Greb or the legend Eric Moore.
ATM: How do you go about choosing the covers that you play? Is there a particular criteria?
Drake: Nick and I are very much on the same page when it comes to music that we like, and at this point we have a pretty solid idea of what'll sound good within our dynamic. I'd say we just pick a song, try to learn it, if it sounds good, roll it.
Nick: There's no real strategy. Usually I'll hear a song I haven't heard in a bit and go "oh yeah that's a ripper". Sometimes it works, sometimes it never leaves the jam room. Being a trio we had certain limitations.
Alex: Also trial and error mostly. If we like a song, we give it a chance. Being a trio had its limitations for certain songs, but now with the addition of Simon it should broaden our potential repertoire a little.
ATM: What was it like to lay down your first record with the band?
Drake: It was my first record, and it was great. Lots of good friends came out to support. Nick and Alex are both griseled recording veterans, but I'm not. I think the strength of our band is playing tight together, versus playing tight to a click track. Many of my favourite albums are live albums, and I'm hoping the energy translates into this recording.
Nick: This was definitely the easiest record I've ever made.
Alex: We had fun with this one, I'm optimistic that it will turn out the way we intended. Looking forward to hearing the final product of two, covid-filled years being stuck in a basement writing.
ATM: Do you have a prospective name for the EP yet?
Alex: Smooth Brains, Greatest Hits
Drake: Smooth Brains, Live at the Ferg. I actually have no idea.
Nick: Live at the Ferg? Fergilicious? We'll figure it out.
ATM: What are you guys writing about in your own music? Are you taking on the establishment and social norms, or are you just having fun and saying “fuck it” to convention?
Nick: My favourite songwriters tend to keep a balance between light and dark and I try to do the same. There's alot of personal experiences both good and bad in our songs and some humour. As far as specific content? Misadventure of all varieties, I guess. I don't consider us a punk band so I tend to sugar coat and dress up any politics that may or may not sneak in there. Sex drugs and rock'n'roll. If it ain't broke…
ATM: What is the plan for the future of the band? Any goals regarding where you want to go and what you want to do?
Nick: We have a new lead singer, Simon Gange, who really stepped up the energy of these past couple shows. Adjusting some of the originals that we had prior to Simon joining has been pretty seamless. Some songs didn't make the cut, but they'll be immortalized on the EP. We plan to come back swinging with some new material and a deeper sound now that I can focus on my guitar playing. Beyond that, just take it one step at a time and see how it goes.
Drake: Play some more local shows, maybe go out of town for a few dates here and there between the New Year and now (Bovine? Targ?). Ideally I would like to throw more local shows. The metal scene has it right and can consistently fill up the Fraser/Highland for shows with out of town bands, why can't the same be done for RnR? There's a killer scene in Toronto centered around a few small local venues that play everything from psyched out garage, to power pop, to hard and fast RnR, so it would be cool to draw some bands up here.
ATM: When’s the next time we can see you play live? Do you have many dates scheduled as of right now?
Drake: We're playing a Halloween show on Friday, October 28th at Lou Dawgs. It's a completely stacked lineup with all of our friends. Tall Pork, Peach Pact and the return of Buffalo Jump.
Alex: And after that, we've got nothing planned, outside of the previously mentioned EP release.
ATM: What would you say to your current and prospective fans who are reading this right now?
Nick: You can do so much better. No, really, they're the key to all of this. Without fans we'd just be four dudes in a small sweaty room breathing in each other's farts. So, thank you thank you thank you.
Alex: Appreciate all the support so far. It's always nice to know you have people in your corner.
ATM: Who is your favourite member of the Sex Pistols?
Drake: Jones. Still killing it, check out Jonesy's Jukebox if you haven't already.
Nick: Glen Matlock, for obvious reasons.
Alex: Obligated to say Cook, but I'm just the drummer, what do I know...
Make sure to head out to Lou Dawgs, North Bay to see Smooth Brains in action next weekend and don’t forget to follow them on Instagram!
