This Is A Standoff

I met up with Nick Kouremenos, the bearded bassist from This Is A Standoff, at Remedy café near the University of Alberta and Whyte Ave in Edmonton, Alberta on a cool fall day. Despite the drop in temperature Nick came in wearing shorts and a big smile, eagerly talking about the ten week tour the band had just completed, which spanned Canada, as well as many European countries. Having attended the same small rural school briefly in our youth, we sat down to discuss our mutual love of punk music that brought us back together more than a decade later.

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Dustin: So you just got back to town from tour. How was that? 

Nick: It was pretty amazing. Europe seemed like it was… the shows seem like they are getting better every time we go there. Plus we got to bring friends this time. I guess we did last year for the spring tour, but bringing Carpenter for the first three weeks and The Evidence for the last three weeks was so much fun. Carpenter is one of the best bands to tour with. They are the sweetest dudes. It was endless fun every second. 

Dustin: Do you have any crazy stories?

Nick: Hm, like crazy as in? There are some crazy stories that I shouldn’t talk about. It wasn’t really crazy, but there was a really enjoyable moment on our last day with Carpenter in the Netherlands where we were so excited that it was our last day, yet sad that we could only party together one last day. The first half of our set, we didn’t see any of their dudes around anywhere and we were just like, what a bunch of bastards, they aren’t even hanging out. Halfway through our set, we see them come in with this giant garbage bag and they run up on stage and rip it open and there were balloons everywhere. It was such a simple thing, a bag of balloons, but it was so perfect at that moment. It warmed our hearts. 

Dustin: How was it touring Europe then coming back across Canada? How did you find the different crowds? 

Nick: Definitely, Canada is still hit and miss. One day you are playing shows to 40 and the next day you are playing a show to 250 people. It’s not consistent like in Europe that’s for sure. For me, this time was interesting, especially Saskatchewan, because I haven’t toured there since 2007, so going back to Saskatoon and Regina was so exciting, even though Regina isn’t my favorite city, it was exciting to be back there. I forgot how beautiful Saskatoon is. That show was amazing too. Getting to drive across the country. I’ve never done an overnight drive from Calgary to Vancouver before. I tried to sleep most of the time, but it was beautiful seeing that again. I haven’t seen the Rockies since 2007 either and that is a drive that is always so beautiful. 

Dustin: I ask because it seems to come up a lot lately: the whole European versus North American music scenes. I was wondering how they were different. It seems like here it’s just “not cool” to go to punk shows once you are in your young 20s, but I’m like what the hell, I want to go until I can’t physically go anymore. They say that in Europe they don’t have the age stigma that we do here. 

Nick: You get a mix of old ages in Europe for sure. Kids don’t specifically go for one band; they are excited to see the whole show. Anywhere in North America, you see people filter in and filter out and there are different people for different bands. You rarely see everyone stick around for every band. Seeing that in Europe reminds me of us when we were young. You remember going to shows and you were stoked on every band. When all of the Fat Wreck Chords bands would come by we would be so stoked. 

Dustin: You just don’t see as much of that anymore. When NOFX came by last time, which was one of the coolest shows I’ve seen in a while where the whole crowd was excited for the show. That was a cool lineup too, with a lot of diversity. 

Nick: Did you notice any younger kids there or was it an 18+ show? 

Dustin: I don’t know if it was specifically an 18+ show, but I definitely didn’t see a lot of people who were much younger than me. It was definitely an old school NOFX crowd. 

Nick: You can tell especially in venues like that, I don’t know if kids just don’t come out to shows anymore or if kids just aren’t that into this genre of music anymore. When a bar/venue separates the kids from the older crowd, they stuff them way off into the corner so that they can maximize the beer drinking crowd. Those people are just getting drunk and not paying attention, while the kids are so stoked to see these bands and they are locked up like sheep. They are so excited trying to see their favorite bands and they are in the worst spot in the whole venue. If they try to climb over to see better, they are kicked out. 

Dustin: I definitely see that at a lot of shows. The venue owners get their money from selling alcohol, so they tend to push the underage kids to the side because they don’t care about them. The other day though, I was at the Devil Wears Prada and they gave the kids the bigger area and they definitely went off on that music. It was nice to see them having a good time.

Nick: So what you are saying is that kids these days are into shittier music?

Dustin: All of the biggest shows I have seen there have been the kids’ screamo metal stuff, so maybe. It just makes me feel old when I’m sitting there thinking “all of their songs sound the same.” How is the reception to the EP, Be Delighted? 

Nick: It’s been really good. A lot of people really enjoy it. They are already asking for a full length, which I don’t know when that will happen. It seems like they are really excited about it. One of my favorite songs on that EP seems like it is going to be one of our bigger hits, the Vanadian song, which we didn’t get to play on this tour, but hopefully next time. Great reviews that I have seen so far surfing the net. I haven’t seen a shitty review yet, but if there is, I hope someone sends it my way because I love shitty reviews. In The Johnsons, I only ever saw one shitty review and it is pinned to my fridge to this day. Everything else is packed away in boxes and that one review is pinned to the fridge. 

Dustin: Only one, that’s not that bad. 

Nick: Only one that I’ve found, hopefully there are more. 

Dustin: With you guys being split up all over the place, do you get together when you are writing new music or practicing for tour, or do you do that all on the fly?

Nick: It is pretty much on the fly. John writes most of the songs and then sends us ideas through emails just to grasp the concept of the songs. This is my only writing process I have done with them. Basically John came out to Calgary and worked on songs with Steve for a few days, then they came up to Edmonton and we jammed in my studio for a few hours and quickly demoed the songs. We met up again a couple of months later to freshen up and change a few things. Obviously, one song completely changed. The next day we were in the studio. For me, it is a very interesting process. It is not what I am used to for sure. 

Dustin: So it is obviously different from what you did with The Johnsons?

Nick: With The Johnsons, it would take us however long to write a song, then we would play it live, take it on tour and maybe after playing it live on tour we would tweak it and add better ideas. Plus The Johnsons took like 5 years to record every album so it gives you a lot of time to work on new songs. So after doing a couple tours on songs and working on them a lot it is a lot easier going into the studio to get everything recorded and tight. 

Dustin: Do you think that you will ever do something with The Johnsons again? Maybe a reunion show?

Nick: I don’t know why, but this year I have been asked that question so many times. We will see. I doubt it. I want to say no, but if it happens it will definitely be one show, next year, possibly opening up for another band that is getting back together. If it was December 1st I would let you know, but it’s not. 

(It was leaked shortly after this that This Is A Standoff vocalist Steve Rawles’ former band Belvedere were doing a string of reunion shows. However, there is still no word of The Johnsons playing any of the dates.)

Dustin: Do you have more touring lined up for This Is A Standoff?

Nick: I don’t know what we have lined up for sure. I don’t know if we are going to arrange it, but I do know that for January we got offered an Australian tour. I still don’t know if it is a headlining one or going with another band. That is the only tentative one that I know right now. We also applied for Groezrock in Belgium, so if we get that I am guessing that we would do a short spring tour in Europe again. I know that the first small chunk of the lineup was announced today and it looks sweet. Lagwagon, Rancid, Counterpunch, Bouncing Souls…

Dustin: I always get jealous when I look at the lineups on these massive festivals. We just don’t have anything like that here. 

Nick: The closest, which isn’t solely based on punk rock, would have to be Sled Island in Calgary (which is similar to SXSW, where multiple artists play in multiple venues). It is definitely the hotter bands around. It’s alright. The couple times I have been were amazing, I thought. The first year when The Johnsons played it, I thought it was really cool because it was a new festival to the province and I was amazed at how well organized it was and how smooth it ran and how well they treated the bands, even a small band like us got treated like gold. I don’t even remember who played that first year. All I remember is that we played with the Koffin Kats and had so much fun.

Dustin: You have toured with some pretty big names over the years. Is that exciting?

Nick: For sure it is exciting. Sometimes when you play a big festival with some of these acts, it doesn’t even register that you might meet these bands, let alone see them at all because sometimes festivals are just chaotic. There was this one moment when we were playing a festival in Belgium and we were playing our set and I looked at the side of the stage for a moment and almost shit my pants. The dudes from 7 Seconds were sitting there on the side of the stage watching us. A few days later we played another festival with them and Kevin Seconds comes up to us and starts talking about our first set and how much he enjoyed it. They were sitting in their van and they heard a little melody and were like what is this? They pulled out their little schedule for the festival and ran to the stage we were playing. He said they enjoyed it and so when we hit the stage for the second festival they watched our whole set again. It was pretty sweet. When you get to meet those bands that you grew up listening to and meet them and realize that they are the sweetest dudes ever… they are just like anyone at home, just dudes who love music, it is almost reinspiring. We did for shows last summer with Lagwagon and No Use For A Name. Getting to do even one show with Lagwagon for me is a dream come true. Both of those bands are bands that I grew up on. To be doing a mini tour with them is like wow. Sometimes you have to just pinch yourself and be like wow, how did I get here? Why do I deserve this? Meeting those guys too and they are just the sweetest dudes ever. They have a giant bus that they tour in and they could be hanging out in their bus or outside their bus, but almost every night they would be hanging out by our dinky little van shredding some beers. 

Dustin: I like when I meet someone and they are awesome. Especially when they are someone that I grew up listening to and really inspired me. Have you ever met someone that really bummed you out with their attitude though?

Nick: Nothing comes to mind really. 

Dustin: Sometimes I have a bad interview, which is admittedly often my own fault. When I spoke to Chi Pig from SNFU the first time, it ended up with him yelling at me and then hanging up the phone. A couple of weeks later I sat down with him before their show and we talked and had a great laugh about the interview, which ended up being one of my favorite articles I’ve ever written. He’s a great guy and if I would’ve dismissed him after that brief phone call I would’ve missed out. 

Nick: I never really had any bad experiences, even when I was in The Johnsons. When I was younger I went to see Millencollin at the Rebar. I was so pumped and stoked to see them. Everyone wanted an encore when they were done. I don’t know if the singer was tired or sick or something, but when the rest of the band tried to go back on, he was standing close to the microphone when he said “fuck these guys, let’s get out of here.” When I heard that, I was like oh my god. I don’t think I have ever intentionally listened to Millencollin again. That crushed me as a kid stoked on the band. I know that it wasn’t any of the other guys in the band, but how could I listen to that voice after hearing those disgusting words. 

Dustin: It’s weird when that happens. You try to remember that musicians are human too and have bad days, but it’s hard to forgive sometimes. 

Nick: Yeah, that’s why I try to always be positive with fans. Aw man, there’s a fruit fly in my beer. Do fruit flies have diseases?

Dustin: I don’t think so. I’m sure that the dirty crust punks who eat out of dumpsters have lots of fruit flies around. There’s a question, have you ever eaten out of a dumpster?

Nick: Have I ever eaten out of a dumpster? I don’t think so. I’ve been in a lot of dumpsters, but I don’t think I have ever eaten out of one. I’m not against it. I’m down for saving money. I guess if you have a bunch of buds to dumpster dive with. I can’t really see myself going out every day; I’d rather pay a dollar for rice at the store. I found some sweet ass board games in a dumpster when I was a kid. I lucked out, I just happened to be at the right dumpster at the right time. 

Dustin: We are definitely a wasteful society. 

Nick: I was reading this article about dumpster diving in New York. The shit that people would find. People would throw out functioning ipods and cameras. Are you that loaded that you can buy the brand new one and throw out your other one?

Dustin: It’s good to know. If I ever get down there I will put that on my itinerary. 

Nick: Manhattan, dumpster diving, check. The article wasn’t just on dumpster diving, it was on freeganism. Could that be dubbed as homeless-core?

Dustin: I was just listening to the new Star Fucking Hipsters album, which is called From the Dumpster to the Grave. 

Nick: It would be homeless-core. Originally that would have started with kids who were so broke and so hungry. Now it’s almost the trendy thing to do. 

Dustin: Hipsters. Obviously, This Is A Standoff are not on the road or in the studio year round, so what do you do in your downtime?

Nick: Me, I just work, try to get by and try to create. I create new music, new riffs, new ideas, just being the normal dude I am I guess. I don’t do anything too exciting. The specifics on what I do, I work in a bar and I get to be involved in music in a different role other than my band. I get to serve liquor to bands and fans at New City, I sometimes put on shows, I am constantly involved with music. Whenever I get the chance I go to shows, I love it. Especially for an older guy in the scene, you don’t see that much. The Choke guys, although I guess they aren’t Choke anymore, there are so many people I hardly see at shows anymore. I get talking to my older friends and they are like how do you know about this band or this band? Because I try to go to shows, I try to be involved in the Edmonton community, even though I am in a band that is not based in Edmonton. I meet so many people here that don’t even know that I am in a band now. There are people who know me from The Johnsons, but don’t know about This Is A Standoff. My other job is I run my own independent silk screening business, so I am working with these younger touring bands. I get to meet bands through that. Working with certain bands, they hand my number off to other bands. Every band that contacts me, I say yes to, even if I have never heard of them. Then I make a point of going out to see them play, so that I have an idea of what these guys sound like if I’m going to be working with them. It would be shallow of me if I didn’t, like give me your money, I don’t care what you sound like. The Dirtbags recommended me to this band Geister, who I had never heard of. I don’t listen to that kind of music, but after watching them I am definitely a fan and will go check them out again. You know I still play shows to 10 people sometimes. It makes me feel normal, it makes me feel human.

Dustin: It seems like the scene has changed so much over the past 10 years since I moved here. So many of the guys I know who went to shows or were in the local bands I loved have put on a suit and tie, got a “real job,” had kids and left it all behind. It seems weird to me, but it is always changing. There are bands from 3 years ago that have just disappeared and you never see the guys around town. Every once in a while a band will resurface, like Mad Bomber Society are playing a New Year’s show. They used to be on so many of the local shows I used to go to, playing their ska music tucked between hardcore and skate punk bands, then they just disappeared. 

Nick: I don’t think a band should ever break up unless there is complete hatred towards each other and it would never work. If you are just tired of it, just take some time off and come back to it later. For me, the only reason I would like to do The Johnsons reunion is that I shared 10 years of my life with those dudes, such a huge part of my life and since the band ended I never see them. It’s like, why can’t we get together and do one show to bring back that time. I never see you, why can’t we get back together for one day and hang out?

Dustin: It is just something that happens. A bunch of guys that we went to school with also moved up here to the city, but I never see them. They have their own lives now. Some people grow up and some people like me never will. 

Nick: I think we all grow up; we just live our lives differently. I think if you are conforming… that may sound shallow, since some people may actually like what they do. Musicians who quit because they aren’t making any money, so they quit and get a job? If you play music for money instead of love, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons. I am 32 years old and broke as shit, but I will never stop playing music. Other people don’t see it that way I guess, which is a shame because a lot of people who played music don’t anymore. That hurts me because I’m like, man, I strive to play as amazing as you and you just drop everything and throw it all away. It’s interesting. 

Dustin: Sometimes I am like what the hell guys, why do have to forget who you were? I get that there are “adult” pressures that you face; I have kids now, so some things are different. 

 Nick: Even if I decide to settle down family style, I would still play music. Obviously if anyone is going to marry me they need to realize what I am all about. 

Dustin: I think that is awesome. I just recently interviewed Jim Lindberg and Tony Sly and we talked about being dads. When I feel the pressures of being “normal” I just think of those guys who are following their dreams and making it work. It was great talking to guys who have families and are still in the scene. Some days when my parents are on my back to grow up, I start to question things, but when you talk to someone who has it all balanced it is reassuring. 

Nick: What is Jim’s documentary called again?

Dustin: The Other F Word. 

Nick: Is it out yet or coming soon?

Dustin: They are screening it in the US now, so it should be here soon. It looks awesome. There are guys like Lars from Rancid, who definitely doesn’t look like a normal dad. 

Nick: I think that is going to shock me at how many musicians have kids. I know Joey Cape does, but I didn’t think Tony Sly did. 

Dustin: What about Fat Mike? 

Nick: He seems like the biggest coke head in the world. 

Dustin: Yet, when I was at the last Warped Tour in Calgary, he was hanging out backstage with his kids all day long. I spent the day back there and he just seemed like a really cool dad. Not the guy you see on stage. Maybe it is time for you to start reproducing and carry on your legacy?

Nick: Yeah, carry on my legacy. I heard that the Misfits were trying to get their kids to start playing in their band, so that they could carry on the band when they are gone. Is that true?

Dustin: I don’t know, but they couldn’t be worse than they are now. 

Nick: It’s all art in the end I guess. If you like it that’s all that matters. If people like it they will listen to it, they will, if they don’t they won’t. 

Dustin: One of the things about the internet is that it spreads things out, while bringing the world closer. I remember being young and having to dig to find things out about my favorite bands. 

Nick: Like reading through the thank you’s in an album?

Dustin: Yeah, that would be how I would discover new bands. I like this band and they like this other band that I like, so I might like this other band that they like as well. Rancid’s Let’s Go was one of my first punk albums and through them I gradually discovered new bands, like The Clash and Operation Ivy, but growing up in an isolated area with limited magazines and nowhere to buy albums, it took work.

Nick: I remember the first time I saw Green Day, I thought that it was the coolest thing ever. The Riverdales opened for them. I decided to put pipe cleaner in my hair and then braid it so that my hair would look like Coolio. 

Dustin: Hm, Ben Weasel. So Nick, do you condone hitting women? 

Nick: It’s punk rock isn’t it? Just kidding! I don’t think anyone should be hitting anyone. Times are constantly changing. If it was cool to do that in the late 70s to spit on people, fine, but I’m pretty sure I’d get mad if someone spit on me. But I couldn’t hit anyone. I can’t hit anyone. I’m one of the pussies in punk rock. 

Dustin: That’s good. There are more than enough tough guy bros out there. You are still very involved in the local music community in a variety of ways, but since This Is A Standoff are so separated and spend large amounts of time apart, do you ever think of starting a side project to play more? Watching you on stage, you are hands down the happiest musician I have ever seen play and it seems like you were born to be playing music. 

Nick: Definitely. That is something I have thought about before. I still play around with music on my own, but I haven’t written a whole song by myself since The Johnsons’ Gypsies For Life. A whole song from start to finish, not just pieces and ideas and having someone help out. I really want to get back to the creative side of things. It’s fun to tour and all, but one thing I miss about music is practice or jam, which is something I don’t get to do with Standoff. Getting together with friends, shredding some beers and playing music. Zoning out and jamming out on a riff for 20 minutes. I don’t really have that anymore. Definitely sometime in the next year, I will start a side project. I don’t know with who, but I really want to do it. It is so hard not playing for long times. Having an addictive personality, it is so hard. I like to drink, let’s just say that, so it’s not a good thing being home too long. 

Dustin: Did you record the album in Edmonton?

Nick: We tracked bass, drums and vocals in Edmonton with Greg Wright. Then we did guitars in Toronto, where Flatliners recorded Cavalcade and I think we mixed and mastered it there. Greg was amazing to work with. 

Dustin: For those who don’t know, how are you guys split up location wise?

Nick: Basically, Graham is in Morrinville, I am in Edmonton, Steve is in Calgary and Shawn is in Toronto. I would consider Simo the fifth member of the band. He has done two huge tours with the band so far, plays in the Actionmen and he is from Italy. 

Dustin: You are definitely far apart. I was talking to the Real McKenzies recently. They were all originally based out of Vancouver, but now they are all split up, one of the guys is in Calgary, some are in New York, another in Austria… It must be difficult to work like this.

Nick: If you are in it for the long haul, if you have a passion to do something, you do it. 

Dustin: Sometimes you get bands who are pretty well known in their hometown and they tend to get trapped in the comfort of that. With you guys not really having a home base, you don’t have to worry about that. 

Nick: Yeah, like they don’t realize that there is more outside of home. They never leave. Some bands that do that want to do that though. They don’t ever want to leave. Just because you start a band, doesn’t mean that you want to do it full time. If you only want to play one or two local shows a month, so be it. That’s one of the amazing things about music. You can do whatever you want. Just because you are in a band, doesn’t mean that you have to be in a touring band. But, being in a touring band is so much fun. 

Dustin: You guys have travelled a lot of miles, so you are kind of old guys used to the touring lifestyle. But you have to wonder what it must be like to be a new band leaving their home base for their first tour, like facing that long drive between shows in Winnipeg and Toronto. That must be daunting to take the first step. 

Nick: That is definitely not fun when things go wrong. To me, when I look back at everything that has happened in my musical career, I respect those hard times so much. I love playing music so much; I don’t let anything get me down. A cancelled show won’t stop me, a broken string won’t phase me, a broken down van won’t stop me. Shit happens in every part of life, not just music. You have to have a positive attitude. Ever since I heard this line from this band Hot Cross… not too many lyrics stick with me, I just really love the music, but these words did and I try to live by them. “It is with a dream and a heart that we proceed.” I always live by that. It’s so true. You look back at that and you are like remember the time our van broke down and we ditched it in the Canadian Tire parking lot and threw our gear in the trucks of Canadian Tire employees who took us to the Greyhound station, where we rode from Brandon, Manitoba to Edmonton, got picked up by someone’s mom and driven to Whyte Ave to play our last show of the tour. We ditched the van along with a lot of items we couldn’t bring with us. Looking back on that now, I think that is amazing. At the time it was pretty hard though. Now when I look back, that didn’t even get me down, I’m still playing music. 

Dustin: Well, we’ve talked for over an hour now. Thanks for hanging out.

Nick: Wow that flew by. It’s a lot longer than your 1 minute Chi Pig interview. Thanks.