How the hell are you guys?
Ian (I): We're great. Better than ever.
Jason (J): Some of the best we've been yet today!
I: It was along day of driving around and getting stuff from all around the city.
J: It's supposed to be an eight hour drive from Toronto but it took us 14 hours to get here and the border was a bit of a lineup. We kind of expected it.
So you guys recovered pretty quickly after the accident... can you talk about how that went down?
J: It was very surreal. You don't think that's going to happen but it happened. It took a while to think in what had actually happened.
I: I was definitely in shock but I was trying to remain calm and accept that my injuries and I didn't want to start panicking.
J: We didn't know how bad it was going to be at first. WE were all happy we all survived. WE didn't know how hard it was going to be on Ian or how long it was going to take to be able to function normally again.
Ian (I): We're great. Better than ever.
Jason (J): Some of the best we've been yet today!
I: It was along day of driving around and getting stuff from all around the city.
J: It's supposed to be an eight hour drive from Toronto but it took us 14 hours to get here and the border was a bit of a lineup. We kind of expected it.
So you guys recovered pretty quickly after the accident... can you talk about how that went down?
J: It was very surreal. You don't think that's going to happen but it happened. It took a while to think in what had actually happened.
I: I was definitely in shock but I was trying to remain calm and accept that my injuries and I didn't want to start panicking.
J: We didn't know how bad it was going to be at first. WE were all happy we all survived. WE didn't know how hard it was going to be on Ian or how long it was going to take to be able to function normally again.
How was the recovery process?
I: I had a full torso brace for three months then the doctor said my spine had kind of healed the way it was. It's not perfect, one of my vertebrae is shaped like a door stop, it's not going to change so I could take the brace off.
J: How many months did it take for us to jam again?
I: Three or four months after the accident. I couldn't hold the guitar, I had to sit.
J: It was cool to know we could still do it.
I: I had a full torso brace for three months then the doctor said my spine had kind of healed the way it was. It's not perfect, one of my vertebrae is shaped like a door stop, it's not going to change so I could take the brace off.
J: How many months did it take for us to jam again?
I: Three or four months after the accident. I couldn't hold the guitar, I had to sit.
J: It was cool to know we could still do it.
Did you think you were going to break up?
J: That was never a thought that crossed our minds. It was more of a question of how long it was going to take. We all felt positive about his recovery we just didn't know how long it would take. We figured worst case he would just have to stand still on stage but we've overcome that. It's not totally the way it used to be but it's good considering what we went through.
I: I'm still recovering though. I think in February a year from the accident I'll probably feel better than I do now. This morning I was really sore and I only started feeling better when I got here. That probably comes from sleeping on a hostel bed. My mattress at home is like a rock, it feels really good.
Are you concerned about your back and the nature of tour life?
I: A little bit. I don't want to do a two month tour again.
J: We are off the long tours now. We want quality over quantity. We don't need to be in a van for six weeks at our age fuck that. We just want to do the good ones.
Was that a choice you were coming to before the accident?
I: Maybe subconsciously.
J: We saw the routing and the time year and how long it was but Enforcer are our good friends.
I: We definitely would have said no but the only reason we did that tour was because our good friends Enforcer would be on the tour. If it was just a bunch of bands we would have said fuck it, it's too long.
J: Before the accident I had been sick and hadtoget guysfrom other bands to fill in onvocals so we could keep going!
I: You can't do atwo month long tour without a bunch of things going wrong and sureenough one of the worst things possiblehappened.
J: At least there were no fatalities.
J: That was never a thought that crossed our minds. It was more of a question of how long it was going to take. We all felt positive about his recovery we just didn't know how long it would take. We figured worst case he would just have to stand still on stage but we've overcome that. It's not totally the way it used to be but it's good considering what we went through.
I: I'm still recovering though. I think in February a year from the accident I'll probably feel better than I do now. This morning I was really sore and I only started feeling better when I got here. That probably comes from sleeping on a hostel bed. My mattress at home is like a rock, it feels really good.
Are you concerned about your back and the nature of tour life?
I: A little bit. I don't want to do a two month tour again.
J: We are off the long tours now. We want quality over quantity. We don't need to be in a van for six weeks at our age fuck that. We just want to do the good ones.
Was that a choice you were coming to before the accident?
I: Maybe subconsciously.
J: We saw the routing and the time year and how long it was but Enforcer are our good friends.
I: We definitely would have said no but the only reason we did that tour was because our good friends Enforcer would be on the tour. If it was just a bunch of bands we would have said fuck it, it's too long.
J: Before the accident I had been sick and hadtoget guysfrom other bands to fill in onvocals so we could keep going!
I: You can't do atwo month long tour without a bunch of things going wrong and sureenough one of the worst things possiblehappened.
J: At least there were no fatalities.
How did that first jam back feel?
I: It was good. Ithink I play guitar better now!I was really glad that my hands weren't screwed up so now I take it a bit more seriously.
J: Any time we take a break the first jam back is way more fun. This was definitely the longest gap we've had though.
So what was the timeline like... The accident was in February and then you couldn't play for three months... how did you get the tour together?
I: Well by May I think we knew we were going to be okay.
J: This one was perfect for us. We're able to ease back into it in key markets.
Where do you want to go from here now?
I: We just want to make it to Philly tomorrow!
J: We have some shows coming up – Europe, Mexico, Newfoundland.I: We will hopefully be recording.
So there won't be another many year gap?
J: This is our longest gap between recording since we recorded our latest record in 2014. We won't be recording a new one in 2017. It's just that In Ruin took a while to come out. I don't think it will affect the album as a whole because we've remained fairly active in the jam space. The music sounds the same.
I: It was good. Ithink I play guitar better now!I was really glad that my hands weren't screwed up so now I take it a bit more seriously.
J: Any time we take a break the first jam back is way more fun. This was definitely the longest gap we've had though.
So what was the timeline like... The accident was in February and then you couldn't play for three months... how did you get the tour together?
I: Well by May I think we knew we were going to be okay.
J: This one was perfect for us. We're able to ease back into it in key markets.
Where do you want to go from here now?
I: We just want to make it to Philly tomorrow!
J: We have some shows coming up – Europe, Mexico, Newfoundland.I: We will hopefully be recording.
So there won't be another many year gap?
J: This is our longest gap between recording since we recorded our latest record in 2014. We won't be recording a new one in 2017. It's just that In Ruin took a while to come out. I don't think it will affect the album as a whole because we've remained fairly active in the jam space. The music sounds the same.
