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Writer's pictureBuzzSlayers

An Interview With Canning


A single release from Canning has a wonderful way of delivering a bright pop-rock soundscape with a little bit of an edgy undertone and a lot of character to be soaked in as the track is delivered with heavy-handed energy and super fun and inventive guitar parts and Rhythm changes that catch you off guard.


"For You" breaks into classic punk rock and so much more throughout its three-and-a-half-minute course and it's got such a hectic and almost craziness to it but it's all so well put together in arranged that it actually has a certain flow that makes it work incredibly well.


This track makes you want to dance, shout along, and pick up a guitar all at the same time.


This is one of the more ever-changing and inventive songs that we've heard in quite some time, and I really love the fact that these guys write music with fewer boundaries and their predecessors by combining these different elements in such a natural format.


It's completely refreshing, and it works to the point where whatever else you are going to listen to from them, you know you can expect the unexpected and that in itself is refreshing as hell.


You can also definitely tell that these guys had a damn good time doing what they did and that comes through so heavily in the track that it's infectious.


This also comes down to their energy in part because at times it feels like this is almost a live performance and the players involved are just feeding off of each other's energies the entire time.


Of course, I could be completely wrong about the live recording thing, but either way, when you listen to it it makes you want to see these guys live in your face because if the energy is like that on the recording, then seeing a live performance must just be stellar.


It felt great to listen to a track with such a unique array of changes and surprises that all drew from what must be the band members' different influences and the way that they can roll all of that up into one release was quite incredible.


Upon listening to this track, I had to take a little bit of a deep dive into the back catalog on Spotify and when I did, I found a great set of releases ranging from full-length albums down to singles each with different sort of characters and undertones involved showcasing the band's evolution.


This is something I really like to do. When you hear a song that you like, dig into their earlier releases and you're going to find a lot of other stuff that you might really like but also you can hear how the band changes over the years.


I would definitely start with this track and go backward from there, but that's just me. Do what you will.


Either way this single itself definitely does an amazing job of showcasing not only the band's ability to write eclectic singles but also to give it their all and show their presence as a band.


This track has as much color as it does edginess and I love it.


With the release of such a killer single, we wanted to have a sit-down with Canning to find out where it actually came from and what might be coming up next for the band.


Here's what happened.


Buzz Slayers: Okay, let's start with "For You"! This track came through with a brightness to it that felt youthful and huge! How did this release come about?



Tom: For You itself has been a journey. It evolved over our lifetime. Ricky revamped it more recently to its current form.


Ricky: The chorus kept seeping back-in over the years allowing it to naturally become what we hear now. Youthfulness is definitely a contributing factor to the songs energy that knocks ya around.


Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you as a band?



Fritz: 1st time... Never hung out with Tom in HS, but last day of school we were both f’ing around by thekiln-hewaslike,“Youplayguitar,andknow(Jim)Kukla,right?Weshouldjamthissummer!” 2nd time... Don’t remember how I ended up in the band, but had lost track of RC and Tom from ’96-’00. Was driving up Lincoln Ave and saw MOS ISLEY on a marquee. Had read that was RC’s band so I popped in. They weren’t playing. Immediately saw Bob Leone, who told me the trailer axle had broken, so no Tom / no show. End up hanging out anyway, again... for 22 yrs. and counting.


Tom: Freeform acid jams in Joel Dudas' basement, then Jim Kulka's basement, then Ricky's different apartments, etc...


Buzz Slayers: What kind of things really inspire songs for you?



Ricky: Simply...life, which is the emotionality that drives the stories within the songs.


Tom: A good riff, trauma, women, whatever we pick out of the ethereal playlist yet to be discovered.


Fritz: The sounds of the instruments, together and separately, with an idea.


Buzz Slayers: This release has some great approaches to it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?



Tom: Classic, 90's, and acid rock

Ricky: Bjork, Led Zeppelin and orchestral


Buzz Slayers: What are all you doing when you're NOT working on music?



Fritz: Other band, Rhombus Music. Fam & friends...


Tom: Messing around but working on being humans the best way we know how.


Ricky: Trying to get some sleep/rest every so often when not being loud.


Buzz Slayers: Who's in all your headphones right now?



Tom: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Fritz: Gnome, Azymuth, Run the Jewels, Snarky Puppy, Pat Metheny

Ricky: Tuff Gong Radio, CANNING’s next set of songs to be released in 2024


Buzz Slayers: Are you all doing any live performances right now?



Ricky: Liar’s Club in Chicago on 12.26.23 ...please check our site, socials, BinT/Songkick for all the deets.


Buzz Slayers: Do you record these at a big studio or do you have a home studio set-up?



Tom: A very respectable home studio.

Ricky: A home studio sounds wonderful again actually...miss the days of waking up in whatever and heading down to the basement to track some vocals or screaming guitars for breakfast. Currently we’re in a commercial building and are rather DIY about our approach to tracking. Still gotta drive there from bed but we set it up, cable it, turn the knobs, click the mice and toggle the record button...at least for these most recent endeavors. Luckily, we like to change things up which keeps a spontaneity and an excitement to the process. The instrument tracks for ‘For You’ were recorded in real-time, standing in the same room then vocals were overdubbed along with some percussion overdubs in that same room...good times!


Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?



Ricky: Mas y Mas...at least five new songs for 2024 and a focus on all that is live for the latter half of the year. Fritz and I finished up vocals last week for the first one of 2024...we be very excited!


Tom: New recordings, touring, live streams, plus live venue performances with dancing girls and fire.


Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?



Tom: Help steer us on our journey into the great unknown chasm of 2024.

Ricky: Please feel free to hit us up if you wanna know a bit more about the songs and the stories. We’re always curious about the stories of others that find a symmetry.

















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