Before getting ready to pummel Atlantic Canadian audiences with their unique mix of hardcore, heavy metal and electronic-influenced music, Toronto band Abandon All Ships had a little business to take care of.
“The vehicle that we use to tour in is an RV that we have more-less converted into a tour bus of sorts for the band,” vocalist Angelo Aita begins. “And we just happened to learn that when temperatures dip as badly as they have been, the battery needs to be connected to a power source otherwise the whole system freezes up. So we had a bit of a hurdle to overcome before we even left town. It’s nothing crippling by any means, though; nothing that will stop us from getting to Atlantic Canada.”
Indeed, Abandon All Ships are no strangers to the East Coast.
Among the shows on the group’s return trip is a stop at the Riverview Lions Centre on Coverdale Road Saturday evening.
Life on the road is something that Abandon All Ships are well acquainted with.
When the group release its full-length debut record Geeving in 2010, Aita says that the band was on the road before, during and after the recording process. All in all, he estimates that the group spent a solid year and a half touring in support of the record.
“We really kind of killed ourselves touring behind the first album. By the time we wrapped up touring, everyone was a little burned out so we all took a bit of a break and opened our eyes to a variety of different kinds of music which we in turn brought to the making of Infamous.”
The group’s most recent album, Infamous was released in Canada this past July via acclaimed label Underground Operations in Canada.
While not dismissing the importance of their Canadian fans, Aita credits the American market where the album was also released with giving the band a significant push forward.
“If we had decided to focus solely upon Canada, I don’t know that Abandon All Ships would have lasted much more than a year or two,” he shares. “I love our country but realistically, there are only so many places and so many markets for any band to play in Canada. We would never want to wear out our welcome so it was natural that we would look outside of our borders.”
Aita says that while the group continues to actively tour, they learned their lessons about burning themselves out while promoting Geeving. While they are grateful for the experience and opportunities that they are being given, the group has decided to be a little more selective when it comes to the shows and tours they become a part of.
“As the band has grown and become more successful, we don’t necessarily have to be on the road all of the time. We do however want to stay on the road and stay current so right now is more about taking the right opportunities as opposed to just saying yes to everything. It is not that we want to tour any less, we just want to be sure we aren’t oversaturating any markets that would cause people to lose interest in us.”
Article published in the January 25, 2013 edition of the Times & Transcript