The Class Assassins Interview

by Phil H for Winnipeg's Stylus Magazine, Aug/Sept 02

In any genre of music it's far too often the case that bands end up concentrating more on image than substance. Oi! and punk rock have been no exception. That's why it's so refreshing to hear a band void of any pretentiousness like The Class Assassins. This past spring, the Toronto band thoroughly blew me away with State of Emergency, their first full length on Insurgence Records. The working class anthems featured on the album hammered home thoughtful and empowering lyrics over a streetpunk-meets-hard-rock sound. I got to ask singer Chad some questions after the group finished a string of CD release shows. Here's an abbreviated version of that interview:

Stylus: Your CD is out on Insurgence Records in Canada ... a label that seems to have a strong political message and convictions. Was it a similar point of view that drew you to them rather than somewhere else?

Chad: I met the Insurgence folks through the pub, got to know them, and introduced them to the band. And, yes, we have similar points of view. That definitely helped everything fall into place.

Stylus: In the States, you're the first Canadian band to be put out by TKO. How do you feel about that and how did you hook up with them?

Chad: We did a six-song demo and sent out about twenty or thirty copies to different labels. TKO was the first one to contact us and offered us a dealt that we thought was very fair. Knowing that they're a very reputable label, it didn't take us very long to decide.

Stylus: Labels like 'Oi!,' 'streetpunk,' and 'streetpunk,' are used pretty much interchangeabley these days. With you guys though, I find 'streetrock' would really be the best way to classify your sound. How do you characterize your sound? What kinds of influences find their way into your music?

Chad: Yeah, I guess 'streetrock' is the best category for it if you like to categorize. But I mean we all bring in different elements into our music so that I think our sound is really fresh. Not that we're doing something that's never been done before, but Dan and I grew up listening to punk, Oi! and reggae. Chris was into hard rock and heavy metal, while Dave grew up listening to early '70s stuff. Gary listens to pretty much anything. I think you can hear a bit of all those elements in our music, but mostly punk and Oi!.

Stylus: You sing in another band (Bitter Grin) as well. While there's definitely differences between that and the Class Assassins, both bands fall into the same general genre. How does that affect your writing? Do you ever write a song or lyrics and not know which band it suits more?

Chad: Yeah, that's happened once or twice before. I used to have a better vision as to which band suited certain songs more. Now I have so many lyrics to write, I can get pretty fucking confused.

Stylus: What kind of message do you try to get across in your lyrics?

Chad: We all come from working class backgrounds and we're singing about how things are at this end of the spectrum. But the difference with us is that we sing about how NOT to accept how things are. It's about getting out there and doing what you can to fucking change it.

Stylus: In "Full Control," it sounds like you're saying politics have taken their rightful place in streetpunk again. Could you tell me what inspired you to write that song, and what you think of it?

Chad: It's saying that what punk said back in the late '70s is still relevant today. Nothing has changed ... if anything, it's gotten worse. It's also saying how certain politics divided and almost destroyed the original ideas of what it was all supposed to be in the first place. It's about how the true ones are now taking it back, hence "Full Control."

Stylus: Not necessarily in terms of influences, but what bands really impress you these days?

Chad: Me personally, I still listen to all my old punk and Oi records but I'm really enjoying Swollen Members (the band that is!) right now. Just because they're so real. They say what the mean and if you don't like it, they don't give a shit. They have such an original sound compared to all of their counterparts. I also really liked the last Generators record on TKO. I like pretty much anything as long as it's good and fresh, but unfortunately there's so much shit out there.

Stylus: What's your scene like in Toronto right now? Is there a mix of punks, skinheads, hardcore kids, etc., at your shows? What kinds of bands do you play with?

Chad: Yeah, there is a good mix and I think it's great. It's about fucking time everybody dropped their petty differences and enjoyed the music for what it is. As far as bands we share the stage with, we generally play with punk bands, but we try to play shows that will cater to a wide range of punks, skins, etc.

Stylus: What kind of touring have you done and where do you plan to go in the future?

Chad: Because we all have full-time jobs, we've really focused on Ontario and Quebec, but we're trying to get something of a network on the east coast. As far as future plans go, we're looking at doing weekends in the States to get our name out there. And on the strength of our first album, hopefully a full-on tour of the States as well as Europe in the near future.

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