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INTERVIEW: Bob Calwell of King Pin

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King Pin are a melodic post-hardcore band from London, Ontario. With a sound and drive that’s unrivalled, the band are hoping to make 2015 a year to remember, and I was recently able to discuss their plans, as well as their upcoming tour, with vocalist Bob Calwell.

How would you describe King Pin to those who have never listened to the band before?

Basically, a person trying to vent out all of his problems and frustrations in the nicest way possible, but getting carried away and trashing your furniture as a result.

What makes the band stand out from all the other post-hardcore bands currently in the scene?

I’d like to think there are not a lot of bands, at least in London’s scene, taking the genre and doing what we do with it. We all have very different influences, ranging from smooth jazz to 90s pop-punk, so when we bring all of these weird ideas to the table, it usually creates something pretty different from what you might normally hear.

London appears to have a pretty large post-hardcore and metalcore scene. How do you feel this has helped in the band’s growth?

London has a lot of great bands and it’s definitely helped us grow. Most of the bands in the scene are made up of extremely kind and friendly people who are just as passionate about music as we are. Everyone kind of just wants to help everyone in the scene. It’s always fun playing a bill that’s stacked with a bunch of your friends.

You released your sophomore EP, Burrows, this past August. How has the response been thus far?

I’m finding that a lot of people [who] hadn’t heard of us before are the ones really digging the new EP, which is cool. We always want to expose new people to our band.

[Those] who were with us when we released our first EP [2013′s Damaged Goods] have also really been digging it. We also had tons of different bands who we look up to share the EP on their Facebook [pages], so that’s pretty cool. [It’s] something that didn’t exactly happen for us the first time around, as we were pretty much unknown.

Lyrically, the EP is very emotionally driven. Where does the inspiration for your lyrics come from?

Most of our lyrics are a result of me sitting alone in my bedroom. I kind of just reflect on what’s going on in my life and try [to] make sense of it through song. It’s hard to explain - it just kind of comes out. I don’t try and force lyrics.

What track would you say is your personal favourite from the release?

My personal favourite is definitely “Shallow Heart”. Fast, fun break-up songs are my jam.

You announced this past February that you’ll be embarking on your first every tour this April with Fossil. What are you most excited about, in regards to it?

We’re all pretty excited to have the opportunity to see new places and bring our music to them. That’s all we ever wanted to do with this band. I know our guitar player [Andrew Hoover] is really excited to find the McDonald’s that still sells pizza. Apparently, that exists.

Do you have any plans to tour this summer or to release new music?

We’re currently working on a few cool things. We’ve got a few video ideas in the works. We’ve [also] got a bunch of songs written, it’s just a matter of how we plan on distributing them, whether it be a split, an EP [or] maybe a full-length - we’ll have to see. We’re also booking a bunch of shows, so hopefully we get enough to call it a tour.

Are there any local bands you feel your fans should be listening to?

Lately, I’m really loving Bike Cop and Dry Heave. Also, Molly Drag if you’re into the softer stuff. He just recorded a 20-song album it’s pretty awesome.

Also, not really local, but Fossil are definitely a band worth checking out.

King Pin have been a band for about two years now. What would you say has been the band’s biggest accomplishment thus far?

I think just having people dig our music so much is pretty cool. The first EP turned a lot of people onto us, so I think to me that will always be our biggest accomplishment. Also, being able to travel to new places with our music. At the end of the day, that’s all we really care about.

Last question: If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Stanley Kubrick because I really need to know what was up with the last shot of The Shining.

You can catch King Pin on tour with Fossil this April, and be sure to follow the band on Facebook and Twitter.

By Clare Fitzgerald