PRP: How was Chore formed, and what does the band's name mean? Any "secret" meaning behind it?
David: I went to high school here in Dunnville with Mike Bell and Chris Bell. I was playing drums in a band, and the Bell brothers had their own thing going, but a couple of times we played in the school cafeteria just for fun, playing covers as a trio. We played a bunch of stuff, Pixies, Helmet, Shallow ND, Tool. That was the spring of 1994. Then the next school year we played again and called ourselves Chore for lack of a better name. That was December 1994. Eventually Chris and Mike quit their other band, and I left mine to play with them full time. We toyed around with other names, but Chore was the best we could come up with, so it stuck. No special meaning behind it at all, we just needed a name. I think we officially became a band in January 1995.
PRP: The band's sound changes a lot throughout the CD. At times you can sound as heavy as Helmet, while at others you can sound much more emotional, similar to, let's say, Sunny Day Real Estate, and even some Foo Fighters and Quicksand. Even while being at most times a loud band, you still carry tons of emotion in your music. Is that a path the band always intended to do, or has it just flowed naturally?
David: I would say that all of it just kind of happens. Every person in the band writes on guitar, so of course there are 4 different varieties of musicality meeting in the middle. For the most part we've moved away from so-called "riff-rock", the dropped-d chugga-chugga-chugga stuff, and we're doing it somewhat unconsciously. Some may disagree, but it's not that hard to tune a guitar to dropped-d and come up with 3 or 4 Helmet rip-off riffs and put a song together, which is what a lot of bands do. Helmet has already done it, and they're the kings, so why bother? We have our basis in a heavier style of music, but there's a shitload of melody happening in the vocals and instrumentation that has always been there...it's just happening a lot more now, mostly in the songs that Chris and Mitch sing. Generally Chris and Mitch handle vocals for the more melodic tunes. When a more straight-forward/heavier song gets written, I'll take the vocal duties.
PRP: Being such a versatile band as you are, I was wondering what influences the band as a whole have?
David: Wow, I could go on for days...Pixies, Helmet, Drive Like Jehu, Depeche Mode, Quicksand, Sunny Day Real Estate, Shiner, Jawbox, Hum, Rheostatics, Shallow ND, Tool, Guided By Voices, Posies, Shudder To Think, Melvins, Failure, Fugazi, Radiohead, Zappa, Slayer, Metallica, Johnny Cash, Joy Division, Clutch, Sugar/Bob Mould, Sebadoh, New Order, Deftones, Weezer, Underworld, R.E.M., Superchunk...there are so many more.
PRP: As far as I know, your last album was acclaimed as one of the best rock albums to ever be released in Canada. Do you think that the fact that you guys are from Canada, or even worse, from a small town such as Dunnville, is kind of an obstacle for you and your music, as far as international exposure goes?
David: Well, the guy that reviewed us and said we were one of Canada's greatest musical treasures is a big fan. I guess it all depends on what you consider an obstacle. When we first started out, being from Dunnville was hard because we knew no other bands from the bigger cities that we could get shows with...luckily we hooked up with a couple that really helped us out early on. I don't think that being from Canada is an obstacle at all...there are indie bands in this country that have substantial followings in the U.S. and/or Europe. So it can be done on an indie level. On the major label side of the coin, there's a band here in Canada called the Tragically Hip. They're for the most part unknown in the States, but they're the biggest band in Canada. They're just 5 guys in a band, playing the music they want to, in Canada, and they're not too concerned about the rest of the world. I think that is very cool. They've also taken many indie Canadian bands out on these huge arena tours, and that is quite commendable. So no, I don't think that being from small-town Canada is an obstacle at all. It all comes down to how hard you want to work. Sonic Unyon (our label) just opened an office in Europe, and our next CD will be released there, so we'll see how it goes.
PRP: When can we expect a third album from the band? Also, what can we expect from your third album?
David: Third album….hmmm, I'd say at least another year. We're still writing songs, and we're broke. I can't really say what to expect...more of the same, but better, of course. It's still in the same vein musically, perhaps leaning more toward the melodic, but it'll be us. The 6 or 7 songs we have so far are the best we've ever written. I can guarantee that there'll be no rapping.
PRP: If Boy George called you to collaborate in his next CD, would you do it?
David: If we were payed up front. Then we'd just take the dough and not show up. If we decided to show up, we would throw stuff at him.
PRP: I'm not sure at the moment, but back in the day the band had 2 bass players. Why have you felt the necessity of a 2nd bassist for the band's line up?
David: Well, we didn't feel that the 2nd bass was a necessity, that's why we don't have it anymore. When we first started, the additional bass was a cool gimmick, something weird, but it wasn't essential. Now we have two guitarists, one bassist, and it's totally comfortable and right for us. People always say things like "2 basses is so HEAVY!", but to me 2 guitarists is so much more substantial and truly heavy. I played in this band for 4 ½ years with 2 bassists, and the first time we practiced with Mitch on guitar we all looked at each other and laughed because it sounded so good and much more full.
PRP: What did you guys mean with the album's name, "Take My Mask And Breathe"? I'd like to know what it means. I have my own interpretation for it, and want to confirm if it means what I think it means.
David: The title is actually taken from the song "The Unison Crew" on the album. It's a lyric in the song. I won't get into the details, I'll let you read the lyrics yourself in the CD booklet, but the literal meaning is in reference to some sort of underwater breathing apparatus.
PRP: How much has Internet promotion helped you guys to get where you are today?
David: It's helped quite a bit. For example, you wouldn't be interviewing me if it weren't for our MP3 page, http://www.mp3.com/chore/. Our website, http://www.chore.com, really helps to get the word out too. We have an email list you can sign up for there, and that's indispensable as far as promoting shows. I take care of a lot of band business through email as well. Basically, I don't think I could function without the Internet, as far as everyday Chore affairs are concerned. It also gives the people who hate us a chance to send death threats.
PRP: What's the band's opinion about MP3 files? Is it a bad or a good thing for music in general?
David: It's a mixed bag. For a band like us they can be great, because people can't always find our CDs in stores. When the video came out, people were emailing me left and right saying they couldn't find our CD anywhere, so I just made an MP3 of "General Warning" and put it on the Internet. People might as well have it for free if they can't find it, but ultimately I'd rather make some money off of the work I do. On the other hand, MP3s can be detrimental to a band like ours. We're an indie band that needs to sell records, and every CD sold counts, and people getting our CD for free off of the web and burning it could really hurt us. But for the most part, MP3's are not a problem for us yet, I still believe that people enjoy buying an album and having the whole package in their hands, being able to look at the artwork and read the liner notes and lyrics. The only people that seem to be overly worried are these huge record companies and corporate rock bands; basically it's these rich fuckers that are getting all worked up. Heaven forbid Dr. Dre loses a couple of bucks...whatever.
10 years ago the music industry was getting it's shorts in a bunch over home taping. "Home taping is going to kill the music industry!" was all over the place. Yeah, sure...home taping really dealt the final deathblow. This MP3 bullshit is the same thing. Record companies will always find a way to survive. Like cockroaches.
PRP: "Take My Mask And Breathe"'s 12th song, "The Homesteaders" seems to run away a bit from what the band has done on the rest of the album. That's one of the most beautiful tracks of the album, though. I was wondering if you plan to do other tracks such as the one mentioned in your future releases, or was it just a one-time thing?
David: I could see us doing things like that again, definitely. A friend of ours, Brad Faulkner, played the violin on that track. Brad can play pretty much any instrument you put in front of him, and I'd love to have him on another record. An ex-member of the band, Brian, wrote that song. It was good, but a lot different than the other material obviously. The idea was hatched to have Brad play on it, so we just did it. It's completely out of left field on the CD, but that's why we put it on there. Some people compare it to Dirty Three, which is cool.
PRP: Ever considered relocating from Dunnville to a larger town, not necessarily in Canada, but maybe in the US?
David: I wouldn't say it's out of the question, but I don't think it's necessary. Once again, it all depends on what you want to accomplish and how hard you want to work. My idea of "making it" is living comfortably off of my band, and by that I mean being able to tour most of the year, selling enough albums to make some cash, and not having to get some crappy job when I'm not touring. I believe that can be accomplished where we are now. It would be great to do it on an indie level, too. We're not rap-metal, we're not a boy band, so who knows if we would ever be offered a major label deal anyways...and if we were, I have no idea what we would choose to do. I'm not an indie purist, but I'm not too fond of what I've heard about or seen of major labels either. Who knows? Not me.
PRP: What is more of a chore, to wipe your ass or clean up after masturbating?
David: I can't answer your question, because I don't jerk-off or take shits.
PRP: How do you guys feel about your video for the song "General Warning" getting moderate play on Loud?
David: Pretty good, I guess. I'd feel even better if it received heavy airplay, I suppose. I like the fact that we made the video 6 months after the album came out, paid an all-time low price for it, and it got played more than some major label videos. We just kind of did it for the hell of it. It's too bad that the music video plays such a part in music, because let's face it, videos are just commercials, and 99.9% of them are unadulterated garbage. Indie bands can't afford the $30,000-minimum shooting budgets that major label artists enjoy, so their videos naturally get overlooked. But we were lucky, the director Chris Mills did a brilliant job, and Muchmusic is pretty good about giving little bands like us a shot.
PRP: In your opinion, how much has Chore evolved since the band's first CD, "Another Plebeian", released on 1997 also through Sonic Unyon?
David: I think we've evolved light years. Especially now, I think our material for the next CD is the best we've done. There'd be no point to any of this if we weren't improving. Why be in a group if you're not getting better with every album? Also, we're different people now. The first CD was written for the most part in high school. When the first songs on that CD were written I was 17, and I was 19 when we recorded it. I'm 23 now. When that CD came out we hadn't even played a show anywhere more than an hour away. Now we've been all over Canada and the U.S. We're just more experienced. I look back at some of the stuff we wrote, especially lyrics I wrote, and I chuckle because it's just bad. We're better players now, Chris is an excellent vocalist, and the addition of Mitch really gave us a boost. That's how I feel...but I'm sure that some people think the first CD is the best stuff we've ever done.
PRP: "Take My Mask And Breathe" isn't an easily digestible album, requiring a second and third listen and demanding a bit of attention, so it can start to grow on the listener. Was this something the band intended to do on this album?
David: Not really. We wrote the songs, recorded them, and released it. The only thing that we intentionally do is put an effort into our songwriting. That's intentional. We're not some goddamn rap-metal band putting out the same album every 10 months. If the album takes a few listens to grow on a person, fine. It took a lot of effort to write the songs, so perhaps people are getting a little more out of them.
PRP: Your songs' lyrics seem a bit too personal, and even a bit feel a bit like nonsense for me. I'd like to know if it is the band's intention to write lyrics for which the listener could give their own interpretations for it? Also, if possible, would you like to explain what the songs "Coprock" and "Buffalo Pound" are about...?
David: I'm pretty sure you're talking mostly about lyrics I've written, since you mention "Coprock" and "Buffalo Pound". The lyrics I write are somewhat ambiguous and abstract, and that is intentional. They may appear as nonsense as you said, but each lyric has a solid meaning to me. People can interpret them if they'd like, but I don't write with the intention of leaving the lyrics open to analysis; they represent exactly what I've intended them to represent. "Coprock" is about "political" rock bands, and my oldest brother Mike. People are curious about the "I say we give the cops a break" line. Mike is a cop...simple as that. "Buffalo Pound"...too hard to explain. I'll let you perhaps insert the lyrics here if you like, maybe the folks at home can try and figure it out for themselves. (click here to read the lyrics for Buffalo Pound)
PRP: Do you have any favorite track(s) off of "Take My Mask And Breathe"?
David: My favorite tracks are probably "Superville", "General Warning" and "Imperial Roast". Lyrically, my favorites are "Imperial Roast" and "Buffalo Pound". Other than those, I don't really listen to the CD much at all.
PRP: Is anyone in the band in any side projects?
David: Sort of. Chris (singer/guitarist) has recorded an album's worth of his own material, and he played almost every instrument on it, with our friend Erik Culp recording and playing other instruments. It's different than the Chore stuff, more acoustic based. It's really good, I like it. Mike and Chris play in a cover band for extra cash, and they have also done some session work in the studio for local artists. I make music on my computer, sort of techno/electronic-based. I probably won't do anything with it, I don't even know if it's any good, but it's fun.
PRP: What's in the future for Chore, now?
David: Hopefully recording some new stuff in the fall, depending on our money situation. We're supposed to be doing a 7", we've recorded 2 cover songs, a Depeche Mode song and a Bob Pollard song, but we have to get our asses moving on it or it will never come out. We're touring western Canada for 2 weeks in the fall as well. There will definitely be a new CD within the next year. I have a year of school left, as does Mike, and after that we'll see where we're at.
PRP: Any favorite quotes?
David: Uhhhh…probably. I just can't think of any right now. For lack of something better, when I was about 16 I was hanging out with Mike and Chris, and Chris was going to the fridge to get a drink, and on his way he blurted out, in this loud southern drawl, "I'm thirsty out my butt!". We thought it was the funniest thing we'd ever heard.
PRP: How's the relationship between the band and the label you're on, Sonic Unyon?
David: They pay for our CD's, so it's great. As long as they keep paying for stuff, we're the best of friends.
PRP: Even though you are on Sonic Unyon, has any other label, be it a major or an indie, ever approached Chore?
David: No.
PRP: In your opinion, is Chore completely ready to sign a record deal with a major label and tour the world?? When I ask this, I want to know not only technically ready, but emotionally ready as well. In other words, would you be ready for fame and pressure?
David: I have no idea. I'm sick of borrowing money from my parents, I know that. I like to tour, I like to play, and I don't want to work...any label, major or independent, that can help me get to that point sooner is the label for me.
PRP: If you were eating a pack of M&M's and they came to life, would you still eat them? And if you would eat them, would you chase them if they ran away just to eat them?
David: One time, my brother was chasing me with a shoe, and I ran outside and started running down the street because the goddamn shoe was going to hurt when he hit me with it. As I was running I tripped and smacked my head off the curb. My brother ran up to see if I was OK, but I couldn't talk, I was mumbling incoherently. I had a huge lump on my head. Then I went to baseball practice and took a pitch right in the lump. I was fucked up.
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