Interview with Beyond The Wall & Heart Attack Kids

Two indie punk bands from Ontario, Beyond The Wall and Heart Attack Kids recently set off on a tour of Eastern Canada that they won’t soon forget.  After two separate incidences involving their vehicles, a few bumps and bruises and a lifetime of laughs and good times are what remain from their successful tour!  We had the pleasure of being able to catch up with both bands while on the road.

Heart Attack Kids
Jared – guitar, vocals
Nathan – drums

Beyond The Wall
Corey – guitar, vocals
John – bass, vocals
Ed – drums

For someone who has never heard your music, how would you describe your sound?

Corey: Pussy punk. It’s literally punk music for pussies.
John: Colourful.
Nathan: Garage rock slash punk.
Jared: Loud. Heavy.

Beyond the Wall and Heart Attack Kids are currently co-headlining a tour of Eastern Canada right now.  How did you get connected with each other?

Nathan: Through Vanessa.
Jared: Vanessa brought Corey to our CD release show in Toronto. He came up to us and was like ‘Hey, I like your stuff – you should come on tour with us.’ And I was like ‘Aight – what are the dates?‘

This tour has already seen some pretty tense moments.  As your fans may be aware, some of you were involved in an accident on the way to Moncton.  Thankfully there were no serious injuries. You were able to recollect yourselves and carry on with the tour.  What has been the response from your fans since the accident?

John: We got a lot of love and support from our fans, friends, and other bands and we’re very grateful.
Ed: We had a few people say it was punk as fuck.
Corey: We were told to flip another car.

What are the plans for your bands after this tour?

Corey: Find a vehicle.
Nathan: Same
***HAK’s van broke down on their way home from the tour. Luckily, BTW wasn’t far down the road and picked them up in Quebec City.
Jared: We’re going back to the east coast in September and working on a new EP. Early next year, we’re touring the states.
John: We’re going across Canada in October.
Corey: We don’t have a name for the project yet, but we’ve spent the last 6 months turning four songs into something like a short film that we’ll be releasing sometime in late summer/early fall.

Who influences your music when you are in the studio or on stage?

John: Blink and Green Day.
Ed: I’m influenced by fun.
Corey: I’m inspired by whatever I find interesting – literally anything or anyone.
Nathan: Definitely a lot of local bands that we like. The drummers for Bronx and Single Mothers influence me when it comes to drumming..
Jared: Seeing other local bands play motivates me a lot  Like watching these guys (BTW) play a set and kill it makes me to want to not suck *laughs*

When you are not in the studio or on tour, what do you like to do for fun?

Corey: Hang out with HAK.
Nathan: Practice, write new songs, and work.
John: Play video games.

What is the top must have item to bring with you on tour (besides your gear, obviously)?

Ed: Food and underwear.
John: A second car.
Nathan: A spare tire and a CAA card.
Corey: My keys (Our merch guy, Connor, locked my keys in the car in Fredericton.)

What are your thoughts on the importance of social media in the current Canadian music industry?

Nathan: So important – crucial even.
Ed: It’s the main tool for distribution.
Jared: It’s not the 70s anymore, you can reach so many people across the world through social media.

Do you tend to perform covers during your sets? If so, what’s your go to cover song?

Jared: No, never.
John: We recently started playing a Blink/Green Day mashup of like six songs.
Jared: That mashup is sick.

Which Canadian artists would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Corey: Deryck Whibley
John: PUP and HAK
Ed: Billy Talent
Nathan: Single Mothers, Cancer Bats, Flatliners, and PUP.

What is the last concert you attended as fans?

John: Weezer
Ed: Against Me!
Jared: Against Me!
Nathan: Same
Corey: Last concert I went to was Rockfest – Cokie the Clown was the last act I saw there.

Since we are knee-deep into summer festival season, what would be your dream festival to perform at?
John: Warped Tour or Reading
Ed: Riot Fest
Corey: Warped Tour
Nathan: Reading or Leeds

Describe your band in 20 words or less.

(The guys were having problems describing themselves so they decided to describe each other instead)
Jared: Sum 41 and Blink 182 got into a gang fight, and the surviving members had babies who formed BTW.
John: HAK is like having explosive diarrhea coming out of every pore of your body. Their music is pretty good too.

Connect with Beyond The Wall:
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Connect with Heart Attack Kids:
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