Oh you’ll gonna like it! For those of you missing the late 90s and early 00’s solid, pop punk rockin’, this band is a must to check out. PARKSIDE consists of 5 young Canadians who know exactly how to put you in a good mood. Their latest EP “I would rather be asleep” was the anthem for emo kids around the GTA and they’re not done yet. With more shows around Ontario and Quebec and a re-release their EP on cassette, they’re bound to take over your ear buds.
Can’t wait to hear more from these guys, but they should keep in mind that only if they develop they sound and continue doing their thing in such consistent and coherent manner, can they remain on our radars.
Read my interview with PARKSIDE below.
Hey guys! What’s up? How’s weather in Oakville this fine November? What is it like to be on the verge on another harsh Canadian winter? Is it intimidating at all?
Hey what’s up? We are Cole, Rob, Simon, Deven and Spencer. We like breakfast food, Kelly’s wine and Slipknot.
The weather has been so inconsistent, man. One day we have snow, one day we have a beautiful sunny day where I can wear just a hoodie. We are not excited for another winter, it sucks, but whatever, hockey season is just getting started so we will suffer through!
Do you feel more a citizen of Toronto, Mississauga, or Hamilton? How do these cities interact with each other? Can you introduce the geographical area of this Ontario region and proceed to a general portrait of your local music scene?
None of the above, we are from Oakville, a suburb of Toronto but 3/5 of us go to school in Hamilton and I can 100% say they all feel more comfortable calling themselves a citizen of Hamilton opposed to any of the above! So basically, it goes Hamilton > Oakville > Mississauga > Toronto, so that is all going east. Our local music scene in Oakville doesn’t exist, we used to have a well established scene but everyone just grew up and went to school sadly. The only band that is worth mentioning from Oakville is our pals in Seaway. But in Hamilton the music scene is insane, so many punk shows and hardcore shows to go to at any time. Our good friend Ethan Hibionada documents all of these shows and puts them on his youtube channel, so that would be a perfect representation.
So what’s it like to live in Oakville and be a pop punk rocker? What do you do with your time and where do you hang out? Are there some cool spots, venues, and places you’d like to mention here?
We mostly just hang out and smoke weed and make fun of each other when we are together. Some of us are working full time and some of us are in school full time so there isn’t really a whole lot of time to hang unfortunately, but we make it work. We hang out in Rob’s room whenever we are in Hamilton though, always a nice place to be! Shout out Starbucks, Coles home away from home.
Any new local artists that you guys dig and would like to promote on IDIOTEQ?
Hell yeah, KEEPSAKE, FIGHTING SEASON, MONTHS AND YEARS, SEAWAY, PROPHETS and FIRST GHOST. All wildly talented bands coming from Hamilton/ London/ Oakville, shout out!
Thanks! How did you decide to put PARKSIDE on the map? Can you introduce us the main goals and reasons behind forming this partyhouse?
One word. Break-ups.
“I Would Rather Be Asleep” definitely marked your best record to date. Are you proud of it? Was this something you were aiming for when you started writing it?
We are all super proud of this record. It was our first record as a band and it was done with me (Cole) living in Ottawa while everyone else was in Hamilton, so that was a learning experience but everyone made it very pleasant and welcoming for me. As cliche as this is, we just wanted to write a record and play shows, it has definitely escalated to something much more than just a record now but a staple in our lives, as dramatic and corny as that is.
What is the inspiration behind this record?
Well, I Would Rather Be Asleep is as literal as it sounds. I was going through a horrible time from at 17-19 being dragged along by a girl who we just refer to as Kingston. She was miserable and wanted me to be miserable too and I was stupid enough to follow. All I wanted to do was smoke pot and sleep and frankly, I was pretty damn good at it. Fast forward to being 20 years old and none of this mattering anymore. All the inspiration came from Kingston and past break ups and shitty life experiences just like every other pop punk band from 2000-2006.
Did the songwriting come easy for you this time?
Yeah, Rob is luckily really talented and got most of the writing done with Simon while I was in Ottawa sending Roberto awful ideas. Simon just knows what we all want and drums it. He is really the heart of this band and one of the best kids we know. Truly a blessing to have someone like him in our band who we can all connect with.
Any funny moments from being in the studio, or the writing process?
Nothing that stands out to us. But we were always cracking jokes and dicking around with Anton Delost of Lost Recordings (London, Ontario) He is super funny and really easy to work with.
A great thing about it is that there is no main theme in your music, OI really appreciated it. Where do you guys get your inspiration from for lyrics?
There actually is a theme and its very present. Our theme is getting over things that seem to crush you and act as if they are permanent but we slowly realize that all these things are temporary. Everything is Temporary. Rob and Cole write the lyrics and I grew inspiration from dealing with Kingston and smoking with 128 Henderson. Rob gained his inspiration from simple past events, break ups, man. They get to ya!
Are there already more ideas for new songs? What can fans expect from your next release? By the way, will it be a full length album?
We started writing a while ago but nothing is set in stone. We are always sending each other ideas lyrically and musically but nothing will be put together until we are all in the same room and ready to go! Unfortunately we barely know how to play our instruments minus Simon, so you’ll have to suffer through another EP about lame me shit.
Ok buddies, so what’s the furthest you traveled with PARKSIDE? Are you a heavy touring pack?
We all work and go to school but did a quick run in June and August of 2014, the furthest we have ever been is some butthole town in Quebec about 8-10 hours away from us. We wish we were touring, but we will hopefully be doing that once we are all finished school.
Between your local area and other places you’ve been to, whose food would you say is the best?
CHEZ DANY IN MONTREAL HANDS DOWN BEST PIZZA I HAVE EVER HAD! That June run was filled with such good food. Other than that we LOVE Sonny’s in Brampton. But don’t get it twisted we are a breakfast band!
What shows do you have booked for this Winter?
Nothing right now, trying to do exams and work through the holidays but we have some shows booked for 2015. You will just have to wait and see!
What other stuff do you have in store for the coming months? Any outside-PARKSIDE projects you can reveal?
We are just trying to get this record finished but Cole and Simon are always trying to start new projects. Rob is always filming this and that band.
Ok guys. A bit more. What’s the biggest difference you see in PARKSIDE from your super early days in October 2013 to now?
We actually give a shit. Our writing style has merged, we are now more comfortable with each other and don’t worry about stepping on anyones toes. Back in October we were just getting high and learning individual parts, now we are getting breakfast and really working on every single aspect of our band. Musically, lyrically or artwork.
What is the significance of DIY approach in music for you?
It’s just nice to sit down at the end of the day and think “Holy shit, we did this, and just us.” It is just a nice sense of pride at the end of the day.
Thanks! Thanks a lot for your time. Good luck with your work and take care! Greetz from cold Warsaw!
Thanks for asking a lame pop band questions, this was so cool. Shout out to Kingston!
