Interview with Excuses Excuses: ‘It’s important to have multiple styles in your realm’

Oshawa, Ontario, Canadian alt punk rock band Excuses Excuses are gearing up to release their next single ‘The Meaning of Life’, which shows a mellower side to the band, on 27 May.

The band comprises Kyle Wilton (vocals and guitar), Trevor Bowman (bass) and Jason Nicoll (drums). Wilton and Bowman grew up in a small town called Oshawa together: ‘Trevor and I have known each other since we were three,’ Wilton said. ‘We said we’d like to play in a band when we were 13-14, we didn’t even know how to play anything then (laughs) but we started playing together every day and haven’t stopped since! We met Jason in college in Kingston, Ontario. I was at uni, they were at college. Actually, it’s a funny story, we were trying this other fella out for the band but I don’t think he realised how serious we were about it. We met Jason one night, he’d had a few drinks (laughs) and said “Yes, you NEED a drummer, I’m a drummer!” The other guy we were trying out was right next to us!’

Their band name has evolved over time: ‘We used to be called Stained Glass Army in high school – it’s a terrible name – but it’s sooooo hard to find a band name that’s available AND good,’ Wilton said. ‘I had a list with hundreds of names on it but Excuses Excuses kept sticking with me. We like to talk about being who you are and fighting for your dreams and we felt people make excuses to not do that. We’re saying you shouldn’t make excuses. If you dream it, you can do it.’

‘We have the rock ‘n’ roll thing going on but it’s important to create different emotions’

Wilton describes ‘The Meaning of Life’ as ‘showing a different side to us, more alt rock, it’s slowed down, like the Foo Fighters ‘Learn to Fly”. Bowman agrees: ‘Yeah, it’s a bit like ‘My Hero’ (a Foo Fighters track from 1997). Wilton jumps back in: ‘It’s important to have multiple styles in your realm. I try to write these slow, soft songs (laughs) but they end up like this! We have the rock ‘n’ roll thing going on but it’s important to create different emotions.’

‘The Meaning of Life’ was born out of being on the road and away from family, according to Wilton: ‘I wrote it about being on tour and being separated from family members for so long,’ he said. ‘I don’t get to see my family much, so the song goes through the paces of expressing that individual emotion. It’s a bit introspective, it’s saying “What IS the meaning of life?”‘

Earlier this month, they released their single ‘Listen Up’, which erupts with some high octane drumming from Nicoll and equally energetic singing from Wilton, featuring a seriously catchy – and shouty – chorus. ‘It’s fast!,’ Nicoll grinned. Wilton agrees: ‘It’s fast, empowering, one of those songs that gets you by the balls and drags you along. People are taking it to be about the political climate but when I originally wrote it, it was the start of COVID. It made me feel very lost and unsure about what was going on. I was trying to motivate myself.’ I ask them where it usually falls in their set because it would be a brilliant opener and closer. ‘Live, we’ve had it in two spots,’ Wilton said. ‘We’re so proud of the new record, it goes beyond our older stuff. We started off a set in Toronto last month with it. I love the way it builds and grabs people – people were singing along by the second chorus.’

As the song goes: ‘I’m face-down; take a look at me. I can barely stand; my demons have a hold of me. I feel rough but not enough to give in.’

‘We extend the solo sections, it’s quite the live song!’

Another track, ‘Far From Perfect’, which they describe as having a similar feel to ‘Listen Up’, has a slightly punkier edge and their joy at playing it live is evident in the accompanying video. It kicks off with Wilton’s vocals before some chunky, grungy riffs join the fray around 15 seconds in: ‘We wrote it last November, it had been so long, we wanted to put something out to show the public what we were about,’ Wilton said. ‘It’s a really fun one, super high energy. One of my favourite things is that it’s a minute and a half longer when we play it live. The bass solo, the drum, it’s climatic. We extend the solo sections, it’s quite the live song! People love to dance to it.’ I tell Nicoll that he’s channelling his inner Taylor Hawkins on it and the chat turns to the Foos’ drummer and singer’s tragic recent death: ‘Taylor Hawkins was such an influence on me,’ Nicoll said. ‘It was the first celebrity death that hit me. I couldn’t believe it, I was in shock.’ Wilton weighs in: ‘I think it was the first time we have experienced a celebrity death on that level,’ he said. ‘They’ve been one of the biggest influences on us, the Foo Fighters. We went to band practice and everything was so different that day. We were all born in 1996, the year he first played in the Foos. His death hit home.’

The track is essentially saying that it’s ok not to be ok, that nobody is perfect. Typically, Wilton comes up with the first version of a song: ‘It can be very different from song to song but I often map out the song, write the lyrics and melodies at home first, some simple chords, before I bring it to the guys and then we tighten things up,’ he said. ‘Trevor has always been my go-to guy. I might have 75% of the song, then I’ll see how it feels for them. They’re the glue, they help turn a good song into a great song.’ Bowman nods: ‘I usually do my own parts, figure out the transitions between the verses,’ he said. Nicoll interjects: ‘I’ll get the backbone of it, get the transitions down and expand on it but not over play it,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to be the focus, that should be the song.’

‘There are so many styles of music here’

As a band, they are highly appreciative of the country’s music scene: ‘After touring across the country the first time, we saw the diversity in the rock community,’ Wilton said enthusiastically. ‘Bands like our friends, Crown Land, they make an awful lot of noise, almost like Rush. There are so many styles of music here. We were driving 9 hours a day to play a show at night and then getting back in the van and doing the same the next day. Social media allows us to connect to each other more, we’ve met a lot of our music friends that way.’ They’re all fans of Hamilton, Ontario rock band, The Dirty Nil: ‘They’re sweethearts, really nice guys,’ Wilton said. Bowman cites Canadian rock duo The Blue Stones: ‘They add in R&B elements, they’ve done really well,’ he said.

Rock music has been a huge influence, according to Wilton: ‘Our musical influences growing up definitely differ between band members but all of us were influenced by all sorts of rock music,’ he said. ‘Classic bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Clash, The Who, Motörhead, etc. were much of our first influences as well as the big contemporaries from when we grew up like Billy Talent, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Queens of the Stone Age, The Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, and so many more.’ 

Another track of theirs, ‘Pizza and Cigarettes’ is pulled along by Nicoll’s drumming and Wilton’s punky yet slightly wistful vocals: ‘We wrote it a long time ago,’ Wilton said. Bowman nods: ‘We were 19, it was the first time we had Jason as our drummer,’ he said. The song title is also the first line of the song: “Pizza and cigarettes and the grass to keep me warm”. Wilton describes it as being about their youth: ‘It’s about being young and getting rid of that boredom (laughs). It’s a lot of fun to play, it’s high energy, you’re bouncing around.’

Their dream line-up is a reflection of their own high-octane set: ‘Oh god! Oh man, I’m gonna have to put Nirvana in there,’ Wilton said happily. ‘I think our styles would work well together, our punk and rock. Bowman agrees: ‘We never got to see them,’ he said. Nicoll plumps for English-Irish rock band Idles. ‘I just love their energy, how raw their songs are, that resonates with me.’ Bowman has other plans: ‘I’d love to see Catfish and the Bottlemen on there. They’re one of those bands that anyone can get into, that’s how good they are.’

For three guys, they make an incredible amount of noise and I ask them what their secret is: ‘I play through two guitar amps with very different sounds, like Royal Blood (an English rock duo),’ Wilton said. ‘You can control the effects of each one, the sound is something between a guitar and a bass to build out the rhythm, with a Vox amp for the lead tone. I could never play with one amp again!’

(Photo from left to right: Jason, Kyle and Trevor.)