Apr. 17, 2007 - Issue #600: Closer and Closer Apart
This fond farewell packs a Drive by Punch
When Leduc’s Shawn Kilgrain was in Grade 9, he used to spend his freetime skateboarding. He remembers noticing Chris Reddy rollerblading in the park, usually with a guitar in hand.
“I remember seeing Chris rollerblading with a guitar and said, ‘Hey, why don’t me and you start the band today?’” begins Kilgrain. “So I went over, and from that day on we just kept going at it. We didn’t really know each other that well, but that’s how it started.”
For 10 years now, Drive by Punch’s screamo pop punk sound has been a local favourite to many. The band has released a couple of EPs and a full-length, A Good Start to a Bad Day. But as all good things must come to an end, so must Drive By Punch.
“We decided in November that we were going to call it quits,” says Kilgrain. “Same old story. We all have other jobs, and that’s part of the reason we ended up disbanding in the end. We want to be on the road but we can’t. The other jobs kind of overcame and opportunities were presented. I can’t blame them for not passing on them.
“They’re still my best friends and we are just as tight,” he adds. “Chris and I wanted to pursue it stronger than we were, so we decided to start our own band. That’s what we’ve been working on.”
When Drive By Punch was in its prime, the boys were on such a strict
schedule that they would get together to write songs everyday. Eventually,
they slowed it to five times a week.
“God, my fingers would get so sore,” muses Kilgrain as he waxes
nostalgic about his time in the band. “Our first show ever was at
Chris’s high school. It was for a talent show, but he had graduated
already. We covered a few Brian Adams songs and a couple of our own. They
wouldn’t let us compete in the end because no one else went to the
school. I was only in Grade 10.
“They are a great group of guys,” he continues. “Touring
with them was always a good time. It was something we didn’t even
expect, being on tour in hotels. We enjoyed our nights out on the road and
drank way too much.”
Despite the sense of melancholy that can pervade endings, Kilgrain is hoping
for a grand exit for the band.
“We were at it for 10 years,” he says. “We hope all our
friends come out to see us and send us off in style—we’re
celebrating. It feels really great that we got to be a part of this together.
When you’re looking back—definite hindsight—time flies. I
can’t believe it’s been 10 years. I will miss being a part of
this band.” V
Sat, Apr 21 & Sun, Apr 22
Drive By Punch
Sat, Apr 21 (8 pm)
With Today and After, Broken Nose, This Civil Twilight,
the Februarys
Sun, Apr 22 (6 pm) (all ages)
With Passenger Action, the Johnsons, Down the Hatch,
No More Parachutes
Powerplant, $12
New comments for this entry have been turned off and any existing ones are hidden. We apologize for any inconvenience.
