INTRODUCING TORONTO BASED FAST, LOUD MUSIC MAKERS TERRORISTA....
Terrorista is a two-PEACE post-post-post-punk band. We play fast songs consisting of guitar, drums, and vocals.
We met up with the guys outside the Tupperware store on Cheritan Ave as Sam needed a new lunch box and Rich wanted to see if they still sold those little clippy things that you can use to re-seal cereal packets to save the contents going all soft.
We entered the store, Sam was immediately drawn to a range of orange and pink lunch boxes, Rich was having no joy trying to explain to the nice store assistant what he was looking for, I took a seat and waited for them to finish. We found a nice bench on the street, sat down and had a chat about being 'rock n roll', cassette tapes and jaywalking, here's how we got on....
Hey guys, please would you introduce yourselves and your music in a couple of sentences?
Hi, we’re called Terrorista. Sam on guitar/vocals. Rich on drums. We’re from Toronto, Canada and we play fast, loud music. We like it.
You hail from Toronto, we like bands from Toronto and have interviewed a number of them throughout 2014, which other Toronto based acts are exciting you at the moment?
Rich: My friends are in a band called Fuss and they’re very fun. There are too many amazing bands here.
Sam: I like Weaves, the Holy Gasp, We Were Heads, Good People, Junior Bob and Sex Tape right now.
You recently released ‘Purple Tape’ which is no. 2 of 4 cassettes that you’ll be releasing over the next few months, what is it about the cassette tape that appeals to you so much?
Rich: There’s something nostalgic about cassette tapes. You can hold them, you can smell them. They look cool. The first albums I listened to were on cassette so that’s kind of important. But really I would’ve rather released our music on vinyl but it’s too expensive right now.
What’s the most ‘rock n roll’ thing that you’ve ever done?
Sam: One time I ate nothing but pizza for three days.
Do you ever see the cassette tape making a serious come back?
Rich: Oh definitely not. It’s not great…I like vinyl or Mp3s when I’m travelling.
Sam: Not as a way of listening to music.
You describe yourselves as a Two-Peace post-post-post-punk band, what does this actually mean?
Rich: I just put that into the about section of our facebook page. Then we kind of started to tell people that. I don’t really like genres at all, they don’t mean anything. It’s just trying to fit music into categories that don’t exist. It’s silly.
Sam: We booked a show before we’d ever written any songs so we didn’t really know what we’d sound like.
Who would you class as your influences?
Sam: I always feel influenced more when I see a live show than when I listen to music. So my influences depend on the shows that I’ve recently seen.
Rich: Most music I listen to now doesn’t sound like us at all. Caribou, Andy Stott, The New Pornographers...etc. I liked the new Death From Above 1979 album though and that’s pretty aggressive. Broken Social Scene was a massive influence on me in the last few years…just knowing what’s possible.
Who would be the LAST person on earth that you’d want to be stranded on a desert island with?
Sam: Kony 2012.
Rich: Anyone who enjoys sports.
What is your favourite live venue to play in your home town?
Sam: The Bevdale Mansion.
Rich: The Bevdale Mansion shows were amazing…it was a house in North Toronto where Sam lived and we’d have parties there. There’s a venue in Toronto called Cinecycle that’s great but we haven’t had the chance to play there yet.
Describe a ‘typical’ Terrorista live show (if there is such a thing?)
Rich: Sam usually breaks a string. Hopefully there’s an audience.
Name one act that you have both discovered during 2014?
Rich: We played a show with a band called A Troop of Echoes, from Providence, RI. They were pretty cool.
Sam: Guerilla Toss.
Which one guitar riff/solo still gives you that ‘funny feeling’?
Rich: “Yet Again” by Grizzly Bear.
Sam: The beginning of “Parabola” by Tool has held fast over the years.
When was the last time you did something illegal?
Sam: I jaywalk everyday.
What was the last track you heard that you just couldn’t get out of your head?
Rich: Out of the Woods by Taylor Swift.
Sam: Rabies (baby’s got the) by Six Finger Satellite
If you had just one chance to collaborate with someone, who would it be and why them?
Rich: There are a lot of people, but I think a female vocal would work really well with the music we make. Amy Millan from Stars has a really incredible and unique voice so she’d probably be my top choice.
Sam: Fever Ray.
Any new years resolutions? How long until you break them?
Rich: So many! We have our year all planned out. Hopefully we won’t break any. We’re putting out 2 more tapes and then we’ll release an EP in Octoberish. Hopefull we’ll be able to do a small tour.
Which social media platforms have assisted you the most with your music?
Rich: Twitter probably. We’ve met some cool bands and people just from twitter.
Is it easier to pull chicks when you’re in a band?
Sam: No. We get really sweaty and I always walk out of a show like I’ve just been screaming at everyone there.
What was the worst job you have ever done?
Rich: I worked at an ice cream store and this guy tried to make me give him massages because he thought he was my manager…
Sam: I’ve had it pretty easy on the job front. The worst I can think of is probably a grocery store.
What was the last book you read?
Rich: Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Sam: Slippage by Harlan Ellison. Do short stories count?
What was the last movie you saw and thought, “I’d really like to watch that again!”
Sam: The animated adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns was fantastic.
What are your plans for 2015 both musically and personally?
Rich: We’re releasing the last two tapes and then working on our EP for release in October. Hopefully we can play CMJ in New York and some other cool shows.
Sam: I’m always excited about writing new music. We’re working on some new stuff already that’s pretty fun to play.
We decided it was getting pretty cold on the bench so we decamped to a coffee shop and grabbed some frothy milk with some coffee in, took a seat and started supping away, whilst I was waiting for my milk to cool down, I threw in a few quickfire questions for the guys to chew over....
Coffee or Tea?
R: Both
S: Coffee
Coke or Pepsi?
R: Neither
S: Even dirty water has been proven to be healthier than either
Drum machine or the real deal?
R: Both
S: Both
Mac or PC?
R: Mac
S: Don’t care
Christmas or New Year?
R: Happy New Year!
S: New Year
Summer or Winter?
R: Summer of course.
S: Winter if there is a lot of snow.
Beard or no beard?
R: No comment
S: Beard
Cassette Tape or MP3?
R: MP3
S: Tape
Sunday Roast or Not?
R: Only if it’s a vegetarian roast
S: Nope
Lemmy (Motorhead) or Ozzy (Black Sabbath)?
R: Neither again.
S: Bruce Springsteen
CD or Vinyl?
R: What’s a CD?
S: Binary!
Car or Motorbike?
R: Bicycle for me.
S: Skateboard
Playing live in the street or inside a venue?
R: Venue usually
S: My bedroom
Shower or Bath?
R: Shower.
S: Shower
Dexter or Breaking Bad?
R: Does anyone ever say Dexter?
S: Reboot
Tattoos or Piercings?
R: Tattoos
S: Tattoos
Robert De Niro or Al Pacino?
R: Don’t really know.
S: De Niro.
God or Google?
R: Both are horrendously oppressive.
S: Whichever one is easier to understand.
We'd like to thank the guys for sparing their time to sit and answer our questions, we'll leave them to undertake more rock n' roll antics like leaving the washing up for a few hours and not putting the trash out for a couple of days, we wish them every success with the launch of the remaining two cassette tapes and look forward to, one day, maybe catching them on UK soil for a show!
Take 5 mins out of your hectic day to check out their social media pages, they're all below, all you have to do is click....
Interview by Steve Muscutt