Over the past year Hamilton, Ontario based fuzzy psychedelic doom rock’n’rollers from PET SUN, have been touring heavily in support of their recent EP and latest full length record released in March this year. We took this chance to learn more about PET SUN, their thoughts about being on the road, and of course their sneaky combo of chunky riffing, classic heavy rockin’ and some grungy, doomy rock’n’roll that literally seduces the listener with its evilish soul. Read the full interview below.
PET SUN is Stephane Senecal-Tremblay (vocals, guitar), Sam Rashid (guitar), Nic Arbour (bass), and Parth Jain (drums). The band’s latest record is “Pet Sun”, released in March 2016 via The Hand Recordings.
Hey there guys! So, it’s been a couple of months after the release of your debut LP. How have this Spring and early Summer been treating you so far? How are you?
Hey! We are feeling pretty good and well rested now. It was a bit hectic during the release time with our tour to SXSW and then we did a bunch of dates in April. But since then, we’ve been writing a lot more and just hanging out at home with our friends and pets. It’s been a nice little break but we are getting back out on the road at the beginning of July. So overall, Spring and Summer have been pretty ace.
How tiring was the March/April trek?
There were definitely some days when we were more exhausted than others and especially near the end of April when things were winding down. But we had some “chill out” days in between some shows where we were able to recuperate and sleep and watch X-Files and Sherlock. That was pretty essential to our rest, haha.
Can you drop us some crazy stories that originated on the road?
So much craziness went on when we were on the road. We were at a Whataburger in Pensacola, Florida, after our show and this chick came out from the restroom and sat in a booth and started randomly throwing her body around and then falling face-first into the table. Then would repeat this over and over. Turns out she was on a considerable amount of Meth and got arrested. That was nuts.
Also, we drove straight home from Austin and it took like 36 hours. We only slept for 45 minutes in a Subway Restaurant parking lot, and also drove through tornado warnings and almost lost our minds. But we made it, haha.
We also stopped at a Dairy Queen somewhere in Texas and talked Drake with the people working. They loved us and put on a dance for us. It was wicked.
Have any influences traveled with you from the spots you visited?
We like milk in our coffees and in the USA, they don’t put milk in at all. Only cream. So we are bringing milk with us on the road next time.
Are you already gig-hungry? Any plans to arrange a follow-up later this year?
Definitely gig-hungry. We are hitting the road in a few weeks with our Vancouver homies WAR BABY and we’ll be going out to Eastern Canada. And then we are hoping to record LP 2 this September. Gotta keep busy.
July 2 – Ottawa – House Show (message us for deets!)
July 3 – Quebec City – Ninkasi
July 4 – Halifax – Reflections Cabaret
July 5 – Charlottetown – Baba’s Lounge
July 6 – Saint John – Callahan’s Pub
July 7 – Montreal – L’Escogriffe Bar
July 8 – Hamilton – The Doors Pub
How about Europe? Would you like to go beyond your comfort zone and travel worldwide? :)
We would absolutely love to tour in Europe. That is the next major tour we would like to do. And then the rest of the world. We want to go everywhere and play everywhere. We are coming for ya soon, Warsaw!
Ok, so back to your closest neighborhood, what’s the music scene in Hamilton like?
The music scene in Hamilton is thriving right now. There are so many great bands and each band is doing their own thing and have their own sound. And everyone is super supportive too. There’s always shows going on and each one is always unique. It’s come a long way in the past few years.
Do you think there is something like a signature Hamilton sound? :)
I’m not too sure… There are so many different sounds floating through the city right now. There’s definitely a signature Hamilton attitude bands have though. I can always tell, haha.
What are some of the local artists we should check out then?
Oh! So many. THE ALLS, FLEA COMMITTEE, BILLY MOON, RED LINES, GOOD ANYA, ISLAND PEOPLE, TV FREAKS, THE BANDICOOTS, CARPENTEERS, WHITE CROWLEYS… That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. All great.
Again, back to your debut LP, how did this recording come together? Tell us about the writing and recording process.
We recorded at Dream House Studios in Toronto and it came together over two different sessions. Half the songs were done track by track and the second half were done live. The writing process involved us isolating ourselves in the forest in northern Ontario in our jam space and just playing through all hours of the night, drinking beers, playing pool, having BBQs and watching movies. And the songs come from everything that influences us in our daily lives like relationships and our surrounding environments.
“Pet Sun” sounds perfect for vinyl. What’s your view on the format and its role in these unrelenting crazy fast modern digital times?
Thank you! I think it’s such an important format for listening to music in these fast and crazy modern digital times. It’s nice to just get away from a computer and take out a 12″ vinyl from its sleeve, place it on the player and drop the needle. You get to read the lyrics on the inner sleeves and see the artwork up close. It’s a great opportunity to also just shut off your mind and take a minute to listen and breathe, which doesn’t happen to often with everything being digital and so immediate these days.
How do you approach themes, topics and lyrical content? Is there a particular message you hope to get across with PET SUN?
A lot of it is a direct reflection of our mood when we come up with a song. If I pick up a guitar and I’m feeling sad, the theme of what I am about to write will be sad. The chords will sound it, and then hand in hand, the lyrics will have that vibe. Same goes for if I am in a party mood, happy mood, relaxed mood… It all depends on the day and what is happening and what we are going through.
We just hope that people who like our music come to a show and mosh and rock out. We have fun and want everyone to have fun.
Ok, thank you so much for your thoughts. How’s the rest of this year looking out for you? Any new projects coming up?
We are really looking forward to this upcoming summer and fall. We’ll be hitting the road with WAR BABY. Playing some festivals. Getting back to the USA and then hopefully to Europe and the rest of the world. And also, hitting the studio pretty soon to lay down LP 2. And some singles will probably emerge along the way. We want to put out a lot more music. Not too many new projects though… Stephane and I do have a gardening business so we’ll also be doing some of that around our neighbourhood and city. Oh, our green thumbs! Also keep your peepers peeled for Travis Chavis and THE CHAVALIERS.
Great. Once again, cheers for taking some time with IDIOTEQ. Good luck with PET SUN and take care!
My pleasure! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat as well. Good luck on your end too and hope to see you in Poland soon. XO
