As the guys prepare for their first official gig at The Plains this Saturday, I had a chance to sit down with singer/guitarist (and 4RMusic scribe extraordinaire) Chris Real to discuss what people can expect.
4RMusic: So Chris, what rhymes with fun?
Chris Real: Wussy, Scratch, Cleaver, Blunt, Moonsang (???), Dot… and for the ladies out there, Rawk.
4RM: How did Rhymes With Fun get together? I ask this because a complete stranger looking at a picture of you guys would probably see a punk rocker, a beatnik, an 80’s hair metal dude and a heavy metal drummer. It’s almost a Rock n’ Roll version of the Village People. ;-)
CR: Ahahaha I sorta like that. “It rhymes with fun at the F… U… CK…”
Aside from being a clever observation, it’s also a good indication of what you get for songs at a RWF show. If we had a tambourine player dressed in legwarmers with a Flock of Seagulls haircut, it’d be perfect. None of us really like the same kinds of music… I think U2 and Guns n’ Roses and Billy Idol are the only three artists everyone in the band digs, after that, song choice is somewhat a battle, but a fun one. It makes for a set list that’s all over the place, but we like it that way. The only rules we have with song choice is, you gotta be able to dance to it, and the majority of any crowd should know enough words to sing along.
We got together because we all liked each other’s former projects… I’ve wanted to work with our guitar player Matt for a long time, so when the chance came, I was all in. Also, we all like the same kind of beer so stopping at the offsale to prepare for rehearsal is never stressful.
4RM: You guys are focusing on covers for the time being. Do you have any plans to do any originals in the future?
CR: We had decided as a band to start off with strictly covers… it’s a great way to get familiar with your teammates. Plus, it’s the only way to make a buck and play shows you don’t have to set up yourself. However, we’re finding that harder to stick to than we thought… we’re already taking time out of preparing for shows to work on some riffs and the creativity is flowing very well… we might start to see a couple originals creeping into our set in a few months time.
4RM: What are your thoughts about playing originals vs. playing covers?
CR: I’ve been in original projects all my playing life… one of which took me all across the country, got my songs on the radio, a vid on MuchMusic (when they still like, played videos), and allowed me to meet many of my heroes… I love to play guitar, I love to sing, but I LIVE to write songs, so that part of what I do is never going away. Still, a cover band gives a guy the chance to hang out with his boys, play some great music, chat up club waitresses after everyone else has gone home, and most importantly, stay busy with music… it’s a great way to play lots and keep your chops up – and unless you’re a big time act, being in a cover band allows you to play in front of way more people, way more often, and make more coin which you can then use to support your original music habit.
4RM: You guys are playing at The Plains this Saturday. What are your thoughts about this venue closing it’s doors later this year?
CR: Honestly, it sucks more than anything has ever sucked before. Clubs come and clubs go and usually my reaction is “meh”, but that room was a huge, huge part of my development into the musician, and in a way, the human being I am today… and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way in Regina. I have been promised the clock that has hung on the wall and is visible from the stage for the better part of 30 years… man, I’ve looked at that clock a LOT over the past 8-9 years.
I’ll be sad as hell to see it go, but in the meantime, I’m resolving to be on that stage as much as they’ll let me until they shut down… that starts this Saturday. Everyone come out and help us say good-bye to a Regina institution (and support a local band that should be in one).
4RM: Since The Plains is closing, I guess you guys can always get a gig at JD’s...
CR: Who was this question MEANT for???? ;-)
No thank you. Yuck. I love to play, but I have my pride. The clientele of that room is… a gene pool that needs more chlorine.
4RM: Tell us about some your previous bands and projects.
CR: In grade 6 I made a model of the solar system. I went to the crafts store and bought various sizes of Styrofoam balls and… oh… do over.
It seems I’m always in several different projects at once… a band whore in the truest sense of the word. To talk about them all would break the internet. On a national level, I found the most success with the band I alluded to in a previous question, -another wave-. We made more of a name for ourselves outside of SK than we did in it, which to this day I find very odd… On a provincial level, I’m probably best known as the frontman from B*!*L*F. It’s been almost two years since we’ve been a band, but it’s still the project most people know me from and want to talk to me about… which I have zero problem with, I frigging LOVED being a part of that band. Right now, it’s all about Rhymes With Fun for the covers thing, and my original project I’m calling ‘Chris Real and the Others’.
4RM: Music runs in your family. What is your earliest musical memory and when did you know you HAD to be a musician?
CR: My earliest musical memory is hearing Blondie’s ‘The Tide Is High’ in my grandma’s basement when I was maybe 3. Oddly enough, that is also my most recent musical memory, I should really stop drinking.
I knew I had to be a musician three months after I picked up a guitar toward the end of grade 10. Two different things happened in one week that summer. #1, my dad called me up on stage to play a song with his band at this big country music fest in Innisfail, AB. My first time onstage… was in front of 5,000 people. #2, I went to a pawn shop in Edmonton and bought my first amp with a distortion channel. I got it home, plugged it in, hit the switch, played one chord, and it was all over. Lifer.
4RM: Should Kanye West get a “swift” kick to the family jewels for his stunt at the MTV MMAs?
CR: I’ve always detested Kanye West, so this latest F-up of his was a great springboard for me to go off on the guy. However, when I think about it… there’s been a fair amount of pretty young blonde girls I’ve made cry by mentioning another female before they had a chance to finish too… so maybe I’m being too rough on him.
Naaaah, Kanye is garbage. Definitely kick him in the balls… if you can locate them.
4RM: Lastly, who are you most proud of sharing the stage with, besides myself? ;-)
CR: It’s pretty hard to think of a major Canadian rock act I haven’t been on a bill with… except OLP, that’s the one band I’ve never got to play a show with… and they’re my favourite Canadian band of all time… maybe someday. I really loved playing a few shows with Robin Black… what that guy did on the Canadian music scene a few years back influenced me and inspired me in a profound way, so to be part of it for a few shows was intense.
This past August, we got to play a show with Econoline Crush. That was very, very big for me. I’ve also got to jam with a couple guys from Prince’s band when they were through Regina a few years ago, which was incredible.
I think my favourite on stage moment ever was playing a rock fest in northern SK a couple years ago. Jet Set Satellite was on the bill, and during our set, JSS singer Trev came up on stage with us and we traded off lines of ‘Rebel Yell’, the crowd response was electric. All that aside, this Saturday at 10 pm, and ideally for a long time going forward, I will be most proud to share the stage with Matt Mann, Eric Stone, and Jayson Ford.
RAWK. \m/
Make sure to check out Rhymes With Fun at The Plains this Saturday.
...submitted by JJ
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