Propagandhi interview

Ten years have almost passed since the last time Propagandhi played in Greek territory and their return is definitely a fact, impossible to overcome. After six incredible albums and twenty-seven years of a career that made the band amazing musicians, Propagandhi are definitely on the peak. More metallic than ever, with progressive ideas and tastes, and always dedicated in the intensity and the attitude of punk rock, they were in the best mood to answer some of our questions just before their show in Athens, the capital of Greece.

Hello Propagandhi! On Sunday 14th of July you are playing in Kyttaro club, in Athens city. Your last album "Failed States" easily took a place in Rocking.gr' s top year list for 2012. How is to tour with such an amazing album in your pockets? Isn't it unfair for your previous releases?
(laughs) Well thanks for saying so! Playing live with newer songs that you're stoked on is always fun and a little weird. Sometimes you have to grow into them a bit. At the same time, a lot of the older material is fun to revisit live. We like to think we play the older stuff with a little more flair now and manage to make them seem more seamless.

I believe that in "Failed States" your playing level is extremely high and much more different than your first ever full-length. It seems that this band taught you how to play -better- music and this is the most beautiful. Of course this thing took you probably some decades and I'm sure that talent is also needed. But what else did you need? Studying? Something else?
A combination of staggering naivete and sheer tenacity. That's it. I think it's safe to say that none us have any natural talent whatsoever. Haha, it sucks buts its true. But yes, you are totally correct that being in a band that people listen to has encouraged us / forced us to work much harder than we did when we first started out.

I separate Propagandhi's music in three periods. The first one(two first albums), the transitional one ("Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes), and the third one (latest releases). "Failed States" is my favorite one from your third period 'cause it combines metallic riffs, elements and ideas, along with a fast hardcore punk structure. How did you come up to return into short and fast tracks?
I don't know. Definitely not a conscious decision. we are often surprised ourselves when a record is finished. that was definitley true with Failed States. Maybe it's like when slayer followed up "Reign In Blood" with "South Of Heaven"? You just naturally go in whatever direction feels a little more intriguing at the time.

In track "Things I Like" there is a reference to the album "Grace Under Pressure" by Rush. Do Rush are responsible for the progressive structure of your brand new tracks?
Definitely a huge influence for me and Beave, yeah. Voivod has always been very influential in that respect too. Todd listens to a lot of stuff like Dream Theatre and Fates Warning too, so I'm sure that helps account for some of it.

Can you name few more artists that you now consider as your main music influences?
Same as they've always been really! Rush, Voivod, Razor, Scrifice, Bad Brains, Cro-mags, Dead Kennedys, NoMeansNo, SNFU, etc...

What I always liked in Propagandhi is that all of your releases are something like political sources of information. From your amazing lyrics and the catchphrases that you quote 'till the links and the books that you suggest in the end of every booklet. "Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes" is something like a book or school for me. Do you think that music, as an aspect of our life, must be separated from political and social concerns?
No. everything we do on this crowded and out of control planet is 'political'. There is no such thing as being apolitical. Doing nothing is simply deferring to the interests of the prevailing order, which is most political (and cowardly) act there is.

Have you ever changed opinion about a specific issue that you mention in one of your tracks / releases? What was it? People change, we change!
I don't know if I've ever done a total 180 degree turn on something, but obviously there's some things i would have said differently with the power of hindsight and life experience. It's less about shifting values and more about recognizing that some of the past approaches in the lyrics are no longer adequate.

Care to say few things about your collaboration with Epitaph records? It's an amazing label with great history and important names in its list. However, sometimes I find some of its editions a bit expensive. It's impossible of course, to press by yourself 5000 or maybe 10000 copies, but if you had the ability then would you do it?
They've done a great job for us thus far. At the same time, I am very intrigued by the crowd sourcing model. I think it is much more efficient.

Let me do an intrusive question. What Propagandhi members do in their daily routine? Jobs, hobbies, more stuff that they like?
Lots of things! Jord was recently bar tending. Beave teaches guitar lessons and does some landscaping. He'll be starting school again in a couple months. Todd has been painting record covers recently (including our last one!) and does boxing/ Jiu jitsu. I take the odd audio engineering gig, play hockey and spend a lot of time with my three year old boy!

What is your opinion about the current political and social situation in Greece and the world in general? Every day a new riot begins in a different country. Turkey, Brazil, and who can imagine what will it follow. I' m sure that you follow every incidence and event.
Of course I can't speak to specifics on the ground in any of those cases, but my general opinion is that these are events created by the very nature of capitalism. The rich control the system, their system is a failure, the rich make everyone else pay for their greed and incompetence. socialism for the rich, 'austerity' for the rest of us. Concurrently, the incompetence of the system has made fertile ground for the far right to leverage the malaise and anxiety of a politically disenfranchised segment of the population. Similar stories throughout modern history of capitalism.

Is it Canada affected by global crisis' effects like unemployment, police brutality, corruption, and the rise of right wing political parties? What do you think we are now supposed to do? We' re also responsible for many of our problems, but it doesn't only need to just say 'let's take our lives in our hands'. I mean capitalism, religion, and generally new world order are beasts. I think that sometimes we just forget of it.
Yes. Of course it's affected. Oppose the prevailing order how ever you can. That means different things to different people of course. Support existing movements that seek to decentralize concentrations of power and wealth. Look to alternative real world models. Look to Venezuela. Educate yourself. The powers that be want us to be mindless consumers. Let's be citizens instead.

Guys, thanx for your time and thanx for this interview. I just can't wait to see you playing live. It will be my first time! Last words yours!
Can't wait to get there! it's been too long.