(awesome guys)
(awesome band)
(so nice just enjoy damnit)
Me: Interview with Drew Krech from The Bulletproof Tiger a fantastic band! Now first where did this awesome name come from?!
Drew Krech: ahh crap. embarrassing answer.
Its a quote from a tv show called Eastbound and Down. We couldn't really think of a good name for the band and we thought that show was pretty funny. In one episode the guy calls himself a bulletproof tiger and somehow that became our name. Now we feel pretty stuck with it. Hence the track title "Our Band Name Sucks"... The worst part is that there a bunch of other bands called bulletproof tiger because the show became pretty popular (which we probably should have expected)
Me: haha thats hilarious, i watch the show too but i dont even remember that part but the only character that id say is a bulletproof tiger is Stevie if thats his name i think i havent watched in like a year, so there are other bands with the same name?
Drew Krech: its the main character Kenny Powers that says it. I'm pretty sure it's in the first episode. He's arguing with his brother and he just yells out "I'm a fucking bulletproof tiger!". And yeah some other groups have the name as well. there is a two piece electronic outfit who wears stupid tiger masks, a post hardcore band that is actually pretty good, and some other random ones. I think there is even a folk band that is like __some girls name__ and the bulletproof tigers
Me: haha, well can you go through the stages of the band from the start up to now, going through releases, shows that changed things or stuck with you guys?
Drew Krech: We actually have a pretty long history, so this might be a long answer. We've known each other most of our lives and have played in a million bands together. Most were obviously garbage, but eventually I guess things got more serious. I was in university and had more or less stopped playing all together and the other three guys had a pretty fantastic band called ".D" going for a while. Pretty wild math rock stuff. After university I started two piece with James called Hurting People which was also math rock, but quite a bit simpler and centered around looping riffs. Eventually things got difficult with James trying to do both projects so we just sort of combined forces and started BPT.
The original idea was to marry the craziness of .D with the simplicity of Hurting People and do a more accesible style of math rock and it really clicked right away. We'd written the first EP in about two months and recorded it in my bedroom. After that it just sort of turned into an all encompassing thing. We started playing in our hometown all the time, people were buying cds from us in strange parts of the world so we just decided to go all in. We moved to Toronto and wrote this album, got it released on Friend of Mine Records in Japan and now here we are, trying to figure out the next step. As far as great shows we've had the honour of playing with some great bands like Caspian and Lymbyc Systym, and we've been able to become good friends with Giraffes? Giraffes! who are kind of our idols nowadays.
I know that is a REALLY long answer. I just like telling the story haha
Me: aha not a problem at all! so was Stab the new cherry also you guys? since you said there are other bands with the same name I am scared that it is not you now haha
Drew Krech: Haha Yeah that was us. That is the EP that we recorded in my bedroom. You can't tell? I know our style has progressed, but hopefully both records share a similar vibe. It's hard to tell because we're too close to the music you know?
Me: Man I can totally tell its you guys, im so insulted, not really, but I mean I had to make sure because then I'd look like a dumbass if I hadnt fact checked haha, that shit was all I listened to two summers ago! What has changed between the two albums in your views?
Drew Krech: I was just thinking about this the other day and it is actually an interesting answer (at least I think so). When we wrote the EP our lives were completely different, and it was just sort of a fun thing to do. We lived in a cheap city with easy jobs and all we ever did was party and play nazi zombies. When you listen to that album everything is so happy and laid back. Fast forward two years - by the time YWKAI? was finished the band had been through so many frustrating and bad experiences you can really hear the tension in the songs.
It wasn't a conscious thing at all, but everything is a bit grittier, a bit faster, things sort of change more frequently and there are some moments where the music just sort of explodes. I think maybe it just comes from having band practice when we all hate each other and just writing some fast angry shit just to keep ourselves from punching each other out haha. I think the happy melodies and things are all still there, but the backdrop is definitely a lot more tense and certainly mirrors the state of our band relationship over the last two years.
Me: damn so you guys had to kiss and make up after all of that? has the success of this record mirrored the success of stab the new cherry?
Drew Krech: We still have to kiss and make up definitely. The thing with working with friends is that there are always arguments and there are a lot of things constantly bubbling under the surface. You can't just go and sit at your desk and pretend your coworkers don't exist then punch out at 5 o'clock and go have a beer with your buds. Especially being cooped up in a new city, not knowing anyone else... we spent a LOT of time together over the last two years. That really takes it's toll.
YWKAI? was really a harrowing experience, but I feel like we've gotten past most of the rough stuff, and we have lots of new opportunities now to squander and then bitch about to each other hahaha. As far as the success of the album, it is hard to say as it has only been available for a few weeks, but the response from everyone has been positive. STNC was sort of a creeper and built our fanbase up over two years. I think everyone who likes STNC likes YWKAI? and we've also been getting new fans and meeting new people because of it. It's all just part of the journey. It's positive so far, I think it will continue to be.
Me: So now that the new album has came out and its starting to get some notices, is there more shows or something of a tour in the works?
Drew Krech: Well to really showcase our diy approach: I have no idea. We don't know what we are doing and we don't have a manager or a booking agent or any of that shit, so really it just comes down to what opportunities poke their heads out at us. We'd certainly love to play more shows and tour a lot more, and I'm hoping 2012 will be the year for us to really get out there and enjoy those things. As I mentioned previously we've become buddies with the amazing Giraffes? Giraffes! and the idea of touring with them in the summer has come up a few times. This would be amazing and we've had our fingers crossed for that one for a long time now.
Me: Damn dude if you dont tour with them then thats ridiculous, you will have the chance to go so many places meet people and also see alot of other great bands so why wouldnt you?! What about merch? do you have stuff so people can show off their love for you guys?
Drew Krech: Well it's really up to them. They are big potatoes and we are small fries. I'm sure they have opportunities to do some pretty great stuff next summer. We're just hoping their schedule will allow it and that they'll want to do it when the time comes.
Me: You can just get a van and fill it full of men with beards and have a great time, how does that sound bad? you didnt answer about merch!
Drew Krech: As for merch, at the moment we have a shirt and the new album for sale. We had some pretty big money issues this year and shelling out for a bunch of different shirts and all sorts of other crap just wasn't really possible. We had to do a fundraiser just to get the album mastered. For now people can email us at thebulletprooftigermusic@gmail.com to order stuff until we find a better way of peddling things. or better yet come to a show and buy it/hang out with us.
Me: Was your guys big move solely for your music?
Drew Krech: Nah I don't think so. As much as we love our home town, life just gets pretty stagnant in a small place where you know everyone. For myself, I was done school and wasn't really doing anything so I really wanted to get out of there and experience a different lifestyle. I'm sure the other guys all had similar reasons for wanting to make the move.
The move has made being in a band much much harder. Especially leaving a town like Windsor where everyone loves and supports local artists to a place like Toronto where most people have better things to do. It's been hard to build momentum here.
Me: So do you think that this new record will do it? Have you played any shows there?
Drew Krech: The style of music we play isn't really the sort of thing that has breakout hit of the summer potential. I think the album will get us some more fans and provide new opportunities for us, but I think counting on it becoming a huge success would be naive. It really is a niche market and we can only hope that after years of doing it we'll eventually get ourselves in a position where juggling real life and band life makes economic sense. Until then it will always be a struggle. We've played many shows in Toronto with varying levels of success. Some brutal ones and some really great ones. We just played on New Years Eve at a great DIY space called The Soybomb HQ. That was an amazing night.
Me: Are there other bands there of the same type of genre like how is the scene?
Drew Krech: We haven't really played with anyone like us in Toronto. In fact it has been a really long time since we've played with another math rock band. There are some great instrumental acts here that make for a nice bill (Isosceles Project and Sleep for the Nightlife are first to come to mind), but really those bands are unique to the city in their own way as well. Toronto is brimming with talented musicians and I'm sure somewhere there are some great math rock shows happening, but we haven't been invited to them yet.
Toronto's "scene" seems to be centered around huge acts streaking through on a nightly basis and huge underground raves and stuff like that. then you have all these little bars with talented musicians playing that no one goes to watch.
Me: damn haha ill be the first to say that it is bullshit that you have not been invited to other mathrock shows i mean come on, what had you expected going to toronto? why there?
Drew Krech: I don't know what we expected coming here. I think as i said previously, we just wanted to see what it would be like in a big city, if not for the band then just on a personal level. You can't deny that there are more opportunities in a huge city, but it is also way harder to get noticed. We just haven't figured it out yet I guess, hopefully we will one day.
Me: Damn, well lets cut this interview down and hit you with a last question! Through all of the fun Stab the New Cherry and then the bad times and the move, shows, and now Wanna Kiss About It? what have you guys learned through it all? Whether about the music, eachother, or just life through your experiences?
Drew Krech: Maybe it's just me, but I can't seem to answer that question. I must not have learned anything at all! That's pretty typical of me really. But really I'd say that BPT is a pretty epic success story. Anyone who knows us personally knows that we have been through a lot, and I guess the ultimate lesson is that you just gotta keep slamming your face into walls until you've broken them all down. The pain doesn't last and the devastation left behind is great fun to look back on.
Me: Wow, what a fantastic interview! Thank you so much for giving me the time and chance to get to know you and your music more!
Drew Krech: no worries man! I enjoyed it. Great to meet you and thanks for being interested in the band! show your friends, and post the interview up on the facebook so people can take a gander!
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