Fresh off having released their latest studio record Weapon last May, electro-industrial music pioneers Skinny Puppy has re-released their 2004 album The Greater Wrong of the Right. At the time, the record was their first studio output in almost a decade.
Skinny Puppy is getting set to hit the road for a run of 26 shows throughout North America, starting January 24 in Santa Ana, California. Included on the tour are three Canadian stops: February 16 in Montreal, February 18 in Toronto and February 28 in Vancouver.
Skinny Puppy founding member cEvin Key spoke with The MusicNerd Chronicles before the Christmas holidays about their reunion and what he feels has helped make the band work for the past 30 years.
The Greater Wrong of the Right was Skinny Puppy’s first studio record after having tragically lost member Dwayne Goettel in 1995. Did you ever foresee the band getting back together?
I really thought that the band was done. How we ended up getting back together was a little unusual though: There were these German promoters who were die-hard fans of the band intent on seeing us play live under almost any circumstances. I hadn’t spoken to [Skinny Puppy vocalist] Ogre for almost five years when we ran into each other at a Bauhaus reunion show. I told him about this show offer from Germany. That is what ultimately got the ball rolling.
Where the band had broken up under not the best circumstances, was there any trepidation in getting back together?
There was always trepidation with Skinny Puppy. Ogre and I have almost always been at odds with one another throughout the course of time. I think it made for much more intense records than had we been best buddies always hanging out together. We wouldn’t be the same band. It was always really important for us to say what we wanted to say through our music. Doing so always felt right even though personally it wasn’t always right.
Are you looking forward to taking Skinny Puppy back on the road?
It has taken me much of the month of December to rebuild and restructure everything that is going to comprise the show. I need two to three weeks of rehearsals on my own to learn the parts before I even consider bringing the band in. A lot of work goes into making the live show but the fun part is getting to present all that hard work to people on this tour. Our fans have always been a gas to play to.
http://youtu.be/DJlFYPOXimE