Last Laugh by Matt Dixon, June '10

Photo by Paul Hammond

We're delighted to bring you an exclusive interview with one of the hardest working bands in Halifax, Nova Scotia --nah, forget that; this is one of the hardest working bands on the Canadian East Coast! They have a new cassette tape coming out, are in the midst of planning a summer tour and have a lot to say about their hometown. Read the full interview below!

Stranglehold from Disarray

1. Hi Last Laugh! Could you firstly please introduce the band?
Last Laugh is Alastair McDonald on bass, Alex Gillard on guitar, Chris Wilson on drums, Ian Langille on vocals and Shawn Gagne on guitar.

2. What are your thoughts on the state of hc/punk in Halifax, and in general? What are some things that get on your nerves and what makes you optimistic?
Halifax is hit or miss. There are lots of good bands, with a little something for everybody. Those into older pop punk, there's Cold Warps, Mean Mug and Tongan Death Grip. For UK '82 fans, Get Wrecked and Gone Drinkin. Contagium and Napalm Raid are doing the crust thing. Spew are a good combination of thrash metal and punk, Envision perfect the youth crew sound and Eyesore are the only powerviolence band. However, there are a lack of venues, both all ages and bars. A lot of bands around here are combinations of members of other bands too. Besides Castle Wolfenstein, Megalodon and The Rejected, there aren't many new kids making music, so it would be nice to see some new faces starting bands. Being so far away from any major cities, it is not often good touring bands make it out here either. It is what it is though and for the size of the city and the location, Halifax does have some decent shows that are a lot of fun. Lots of bands are doing good things now, so hopefully that is motivation for others to put out new releases, put on shows, tour, etc.

3. Venues and getting new blood into the scene are main struggles within the Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island music community as well. It's something we seem to always struggle with. In respect to the situation in Halifax do you have any ideas as to how to combat these problems? Is it a problem of accessibility?
It definitely isn't a matter of accessibility, it is easier than ever to get people into the music scene. Communication is the key factor. Talking to people about the scene, making mix tapes, inviting them to shows are all good steps. The person needs to have a general interest in the music in order to get into it, you can't force it on them. Postering for shows is important, too. The internet is a good tool for show promotion and meeting people, but you still need to get out there and have it on the street poles.

Venues are a little trickier to get in Halifax than newcomers. With Halifax, the story usually is that you have a show or two at the venue and that's it. There are a few places that will do shows: CD Heaven, Gus Pub, Pavilion. A way to combat that is to ask every venue, warehouse, bar and coffee shop about doing shows. Whats the worst that happens? They say no and you're still stuck without a place to do shows. The best thing is that they say yes and you potentially have a new venue. Ultimately, people need to get their own places and start opening up their basements, sheds and kitchens to doing shows ... because those are always the funnest shows!

4. You guys have a tape comin out in the near future, could you tell us a little about the release?
Aaron Cole from No Control Records in Prince Edward Island helped us out with this one. This is the first release on his label and we are happy that he had picked us to be the first victim. You can pick one of these up through Last Laugh or Aaron, himself.

5. The end of civilization will be caused by:
The juggernaut, bitch!

6. Thanks for the interview! Any final words?
Have a good summer, hope to play Prince Edward Island soon.

Listen to Last Laugh:
myspace.com/lastlaughthrashcore

LAST LAUGH ARE NOT LOOKING BACK
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