#destroyclocks

DESTROY CLOCKS For our last installment in June we caught up with Destroy Clocks, specifically with guitarist Kevin N. Hell (KNH). Riding high off a recent performance with No Joy and their recent releases of the Reanimalize EP, Destroy Clocks are set to take the rest of 2015 by storm! Read on to learn more about their ideal Ottawa tour mates, artists they feel they’re comparable to, and their songwriting process (Photo Credit: Scott Glennie of Lucid Vigor Photography).

VITALS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/destroyclocks

Web: https://twitter.com/destroy_clocks

Merch: https://destroyclocks.bandcamp.com/

Latest release: Reanimalize (EP, May 2015)

Upcoming shows: Stay tuned!

SA: How did Destroy Clocks first come together as a band? KNH: We met through a Kijiji ad actually. I found Nicole through an ad shortly after she moved to Ottawa from Nova Scotia then met Jeff on Kijiji some months later and it all really clicked right away. 

SA: What musicians or artists would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? KNH: That really changes song to song but some big ones are Sonic Youth, The Doors, MBV, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Jesus & Mary Chain. On the other hand we are all into lots of heavy stuff like Pelican and Isis and the Melvins.

SA: Until now, what would you consider to be your biggest success? KNH: Playing with No Joy the other night was pretty great, but in general how much we've been able to accomplish in the short time we've been together. Funding 2 albums ourselves, playing so many shows, starting to expand our reach outside of Ottawa.

SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you guys have faced, and how have you dealt with it? KNH: Booking gigs out of town. Being a new band getting reliable gigs in places like Montreal and Toronto have been lots of trouble for us but even that's been picking up, all you can do is be relentless.

SA: How do you guys approach the song-writing process? KNH: This is a weird one for us. We usually base our songs around a tone or certain sound then build on that, which turns into some pretty weird jams. Then after that I go home and play around with textures and pedals and Nicole will write something epic on the piano

SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene? KNH: It's pretty great. I've been playing in gigging bands around town for about 12 years now and its always been solid turn outs and a really great community. There are usually 4-5 awesome shows happening on the weekends. It seems hard to keep people out late though! We don't fit onto many bills genre wise but people seem to dig it and are always very supportive.

SA: This past May you released "Reanimalize". In comparison to your first EP, how does this release differ in terms of your writing and recording approach, if at all? KNH: Our first EP was written and recorded by us in Jeff's basement and that was our very first batch of songs that were maybe 6 months old at best. We recorded the whole thing live off the floor a week after our first show and released it a couple weeks later. Reanimalize was written over the course of about a year and those songs were gigged a lot. We also went into the studio with Dave Dudley (Dave's Drum Shop) and he was able to really make it sound the way we wanted on record. As far as content, our first EP was a lot more dreamy and mellow. Reanimalize has a lot of fast-paced, abrasive and noisy songs. We are always experimenting with different genres and the sound is constantly evolving. Our newer unrecorded works are different from both EP's as well.

SA: You're embarking on a world tour with bands only from Ottawa: who hits the road alongside you, and why? KNH: I'd say Moon Destroyer because I feel our two bands jamming together could Destroy both space and time.

SA: A recent review of your latest album drew comparisons of Destroy Clocks with both The Police and Shirley Manson of Garbage. If you guys could draw comparisons between Destroy Clocks and any other contemporary or historical acts, who would it be?  KNH: Somewhere between Sonic Youth and The Doors really, but we have elements ranging from Fleetwood Mac to Fugazi.