By snoadmin
Alexisonfire hasn’t let the fact that its new record, “Crisis,” debuted at No. 1 in its native Canada go to its head.
Lead singer and guitarist Dallas Green, screamer George Petit and drummer Jordan Hastings discussed the band’s career outside of a discount furniture store, on a sidewalk in Anaheim.
In the distance, all-ages venue Chain Reaction could be seen, where the group would play yet another sold-out show on its U.S. headlining tour.
The band started out in 2001 and formed as most bands do: after the demise of previous bands.
“We were all in bands that were playing around southern Ontario,” Green said. “All of our bands fizzled out around the same time, and we were the guys that wanted to start something that was a bit different.”
Green, fellow guitarist Wade MacNeil and original drummer Jesse Inglevics jammed a few times and then recruited Chris Steele – who had played with MacNeil in past bands – to join on bass. The final piece to the puzzle was George Petit, who Green and MacNeil sought to be the front man.
Early influences included many early screamo bands that were playing in the southern Ontario area. Bands such as Love Lost, But Not Forgotten and even Orange County’s own Taken, played shows near the guy’s hometown of St. Catharines, Canada.
As Alexisonfire began playing shows, a local buzz formed around the band. One show in particular gave the band the idea that perhaps it was on to something.
“There is a thing called Scene Festival that happens in St. Catharines, and the one year we played it, kids started dancing, moshing and moving around to us,” Green said. “We had always had fun on stage and stuff, but that was the first time a lot of kids started getting going in a combined effort.”
Other local shows at venues such as The Nack gave the band more local notoriety.
Alexisonfire soon released its debut, self-titled record in 2002 to considerable success in Canada. Followed by non-stop touring, the album eventually reached gold certification.
In July of 2004, the band released its sophomore record “Watch Out!” The album debuted at No. 6 on SoundScan’s top 200 Canadian Charts, and reached gold certification in just 12 weeks.
“Watch Out! blew up in different parts of the world at different times,” Green said. “It got big in Canada right away, so we toured Canada. Then it slowly started getting popular in Australia and Japan and Northern Europe.”
After the release of, “Watch Out!,” Alexisonfire picked up right where it left off and began touring extensively. Headlining tours in Canada, numerous trips to Europe and a stint in the United States on the Vans Warped Tour were all in promotion of its second record.
At the conclusion of another marathon of tour dates spanning the entire globe, Alexisonfire arrived home ready to write its third record.
“We don’t really have mentalities when we do records,” Green said. “We don’t take a year off to write a record. We get into a head space and we take a couple months off from touring and we do a record.”
“The songs just kind of write themselves. It’s a very stream of conscience process,” Petit said. “You’re on the road for a long time. You’re kind of building up ideas in your head of what you want to write. Like I have might have an excess of lyrics written, and Dallas may have a few riffs and when we get the chance to actually sit down and write some songs they come to together.”
Through the writing process of “Crisis,” the effects of Alexisonfire’s grueling tour schedule could be seen throughout the album’s lyrics. Numerous songs contain lyrics about a bad relationship between the city or town that the band is in.
“Crisis” was released on Aug. 22, 2006, and was greeted with immediate success throughout the world. The record debuted at No. 1 on the Canadian music charts, appeared in the top 100 in Europe and the top 200 here in the United States.
Alexisonfire has been sticking to its strategy of lengthy tour cycles in support of “Crisis,” including dates with Every Time I Die in Canada, and good friends and Vagrant label mates Moneen here in the United States.
January will see the boys heading to the East Coast with Saosin and Senses Fail. Though the band has felt the ill effects of touring, it has come to accept it.
“Over the last year, I have completely embraced the road. I am really learning to love this more than anything,” Petit said. “There is nothing I can really complain about. I mean, there are some double-edge sword qualities to being on the road, but at the same time, this is what we love. This is what I want to do. When it stops being fun, and it stops being good, I’m going to stop doing it. This is the thing that makes sense to do with our lives.”
Alexisonfire is a band committed to music.
Whether it is non-stop touring in support of its records, the intensity the band brings to every live show, or after-show meet-and-greet signings where the group is able to meet and connect with the fans, as it did after the show in Anaheim, Alexisonfire put its heart and soul into its music career.
