BSD: What genre of music do you consider your music to be? What bands really turn you on?

I personally just consider Punishment to be a Heavy Rock band…genres and labels are for others to figure out. We do what we do…no preconceived notions…thinking like that can tend to alienate your audience….

BSD: How long have you and the other band members known each other? How did you meet?

Kev, Karl and I have been mucking around for almost two years…Kevin had an idea in his head to create again, and spent some time looking for players…he stumbled across me on Facebook…Ha…what a way to meet. Then shortly thereafter hooked up with Karl, whom he’d known from years ago….me and Kev did some writing, jammed it with Karl…but something was missing…and went on the hunt for the right Bass player…we held some auditions and hired Tyson right away…it just seemed to fit. We all have different backgrounds, Kevin and Karl being Toronto boys, I’m living up in the country and Tyson being from Hamilton, but it just seems right when we’re writing….

BSD: When did you form your band? Where are you all from? What inspired you to make music together?

The band as a whole was born in January 2009…that’s when the EP was released. As for inspiration…Life in general inspires me lyrically. I write what I know…I don’t try to create a novel…just little glimpses of what I’m feeling at that moment.

BSD:    How would you define the word “success”?

Success is a pretty enigmatic word. It means a lot of different things to each of us. At first I just wanted to write some songs and record them. Now that that’s done…I wanted to do some big shows around Toronto. Now that’s done…I would like to tour and do another CD…haha…the more you get the more you want…if it all ends tomorrow,I’d say we’ve had a certain amount of success…depending on what you’re looking for…

BSD:    Are you looking for an independent label deal or a major label deal? (Why?)

A label deal would be nice…monetary backing of any sort would be nice. We’re currently looking for some major management to help us develop both monetarily and artistically. Get the word out to the people….

BSD:    What was it like to hear your song on the radio for the first time?

That was an awesome experience. We released our first single “Colours & Skeletons” in early summer…heard we were picked up by a couple of stations, but hadn’t actually “heard” us on the radio. After doing our gig at The Reverb here in Toronto…we’d packed up and me and my girlfriend were driving away from the club and the opening riff to “Colours” came blaring out of the staero…we looked at each other stupidly…hahaha..was kinda chilling…the best way to experience it for sure…

BSD:    What's the best and worst thing about playing clubs

Clubs are great for an up-close and personal feel…I can almost reach out and touch the audience. It’s nice to have everybody rammed together sweating our collective balls off together.

On the other hand…some of the stages tend to be smaller…and dealing with some club owners can be a hassle when it comes to promotion and compensation…. Concert Halls and outdoor festivals are definitely my preference…haha

BSD:    How is it opening for bands like L.A. Guns? Those guys are still touring after 25 years...

They were cool…. think Tracii was the only original member left though. His son was playing Bass and the singer was from Love/Hate. Very down to earth guys though. 

BSD:    Do you play any covers?

We’re not a very good cover band..lol..because all of our varied influences, we can’t seem to agree on what’s cool when it comes to doing a cover. We’ve been known to do our own version of “Cocaine” by Eric Clapton on occasion. I sometimes wonder what he would think of our version. It’s a little heavier than he intended it to be J

BSD:    What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?

Our biggest challenge so far has been not killing each other. LOL just kidding…we get along Great…”Brothers in Stupidity”. The music industry as a whole is pretty challenging. Just getting noticed among all the rest is frustrating. Especially when most of the industry is looking for carbon copies of what is currently selling. Not many Ahmet Ertegun’s left in the business anymore looking for a new sound.

BSD:   We've read your definition of Punishment, but why did the band name themselves Punishment?

Kevin had the name from the very beginning, which in turn became a title of one of our songs. We tend to push ourselves sometimes to the point of torture, so it kind of suits us at this point.

BSD:    You've been recording your first video, "Colours and Skeletons," how was your first experience with making a video?

It was truly the first time I personally had done one, and it was a little strange on the first day for me. Kevin had done a few years ago with much bigger budgets, so he kinda coached me through it. In the end it was a lot of fun. An experience for sure. Andre Becker and John Nichol had an excellent vision for direction. Am looking forward to seeing the end result.

BSD:    What tune on your debut EP, "Beautiful Suffering", is most personal to you?

Pretty much all our songs are personal to me, that’s the way I perceive music. If I had to pick one of the 4, I’d probably have to say “Colours & Skeletons”, because I still relate to it on an emotional level. “Brother” is also a pretty personal song, as I wrote it about Kevin , and what we were going through at the time.

ok, now let's get to THE DIRT!!!!

BSD:    What are some of your pet peeves?

Stupidity, ignorance, shallowness, selfishnessand over all…DRAMA. Can’t stand it, no time for it…life is too short.

BSD:    What turns you on?

Music…haha…how stock is that answer. :p

BSD:    Who has the biggest love gun in the band?

I have no idea…but Kevin is mentioned on “Metal Sludge” if that matters ;) 

BSD:    What's your favorite pick up line?

I can’t remember. Could have been the whiskey…lol

BSD:    What band annoys the crap out of you?

Any who don’t support the industry and think music is only about what “THEY” do….

Any last words? any shows you want to plug?

Just hopin’ people are diggin’ what we’re doin’, and hope to see you all very soon….