Bison guitarist/vocalist Dan And says it’s good for people in bands to get out of their comfort zone by playing with lots of different musicians. And the guitarist/vocalist for the Vancouver sludge-metal band is about to practice what he preaches: Bison’s show in Victoria—where And used to live—will feature the band playing older material, with ex-drummer Brad MacKinnon joining them for a portion of the show.
“The songs are a little more complicated, maybe, than what we’re doing now,” says And about the band’s early material. “There’s a lot more going on. But it’s not at the point where it’s too complicated. There’s some stuff in our mid-period—our second and third record—where I don’t even think we would be able to play it now. Any time I see any live footage from it, I’m like, ‘What the hell are we doing?’ Playing stuff super fast; I guess it’s just because we had been on the road for years and practiced constantly.”
As the band got older, says And, they gave “the songs space to breathe,” whereas with early records like 2007’s Earthbound EP, Bison was more or less still finding their voice, he says.
“I think it’s going to feel more like a nice return,” he says about the Victoria show.
Playing new songs is more uncomfortable for And, and it’s harder for the audience, he says.
“It’s hard to give the proper attention to new songs when you’re hearing them live,” he says, “but I feel like playing the old stuff is going to be more fun and relaxed.”
One of the people that And is grateful to play with is Bison guitarist James Farwell. The partnership, he says, forced him to “get my chops up.”
“He’d be like, ‘Oh, hey, why don’t you do a solo at this part?’ and I’d be like, ‘Oh, fuck, I don’t know how to solo. What the hell are you talking about?’” says And.
But Farwell didn’t know how to solo either, at least in the traditional sense, says And.
“That’s how it is. You just fake it,” says And. “He taught me a lot.”
The band will fly overseas in the spring for their fourth European tour. And says European culture values music and art differently than North American culture, but that’s not to say that North Americans don’t value it at all.
“It’s nerve-wracking,” says And about touring overseas. “It’s absolutely terrifying. You learn pretty quick—European audiences are completely different than North American audiences.”
Audiences will stay still in Europe, says And. It doesn’t mean they don’t like the music; it means they’re absorbing it.
“You kind of think at first, ‘Oh, they don’t like this at all; what the hell?’ Then the set’s over and they come over, they’ll buy every single piece of merch you have, and you’re like, ‘What the hell? I thought they hated us.’”
Even the people organizing the gigs can sometimes treat the band profoundly differently in Europe. Meals will often be set out for the band in Europe, says And.
“When you’re touring the States or Canada you just end up eating Tim Hortons or Subway the whole time and it really kills you,” says And. “You show up at a venue and they’re just like, ‘Oh, yeah, there’s a Subway down the street. Go fuck yourself.’”
Bison
Saturday, March 31
$17.50, Capital Ballroom
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