Who: Rise in the Fall, Textbook Tragedy, Warbirds
What: Punk Night
When: Sunday, March 5
Where: Boot Pub
Frontman Mark Jansen of Rise in the Fall wears his music on his chest. The tattoo artist boasts a colourful tattoo design with a banner running across his upper body reading "Left Bleeding" – the chanting lyrics behind one of Rise in the Fall’s newest songs.
Drummer Nick Matovich, Jansen’s apprentice in training at the Vancouver gallery Twin Villain Tattooing in Gastown, explains the significance of the phrase while taking a quick break from his ink studies for an interview about the band’s upcoming show Sunday, March 5 at the Boot Pub.
"It’s kind of about how you think you know someone well and before you know it, they are gone and you are left bleeding," Matovich said. "It’s symbolic about how times can change and friends move on."
Times have changed for the drummer who has moonlighted for the past five years with fellow punk rockers Sidesixtyseven, before joining his fellow band mates to create the two-year young Rise in the Fall.
"Sidesixtyseven is a lot faster and more straight punky," Matovich said, comparing the two bands. "Rise in the Fall is more metal, more hardcore."
The band – made up of Vernon hometown chums Matovich and Jansen as well as guitarist Jason Pain, bassist Tim Osborne and guitarist Jerry Blingwald – has garnered a strong Vancouver following with its guitar-driven, slow-closing, melody-tainted music.
"We will play a song up and fast and towards the end of the song we slow it right down and keep it really heavy and slow," Matovich said. "Especially at bar shows, it gets people into the groove of it. It’s more funk and hip hop in that part."
Make no mistake, larynx-thrashing vocals, most aptly likened to the movie Blood Sports, take centre stage.
Notable successes for Rise in the Fall include an invitation to the 2005 Vans Warped Tour in Vancouver as well as sharing stages with the likes of New York’s Agnostic Front and Boston’s Bane, as well as Death By Stereo, Savannah and Sidesixtyseven.
Vancouver’s club scene was a big switch over from the group’s previous Okanagan all-ages show experiences. However, both have their merits.
"We’d play Legion Halls with people from 12 to 35 years old," Matovich said. "There was no booze so people could afford to buy our T-shirts – they weren’t worried about buying their next pint. It’s good to play in bars because people have a ton of fun, but kids have a lot more heart because of their love of music, not just partying. We hope to do some all-age shows here in Vancouver."
Tattoo parlour by day and concert stages by night, the five friends do their best to juggle day jobs with nighttime headstrong sonic stints.
"We just released a five-song EP to get ready to promote and pre-production for our full-length recording. We are trying to tour as much as we can – as much as our day jobs will allow. We are writing a lot of new songs and shooting to make it across Canada and down to California this summer."
Rise in the Fall will be joined by Textbook Tragedy and Warbirds to celebrate Punk Night ringmaster Lindsay Shedden’s birthday.
