Black Hat Villain just loves to stir up controversy with their full-throttle alternative rock sound.
And now that the Victoria-based band has released a six-song EP, they are on the Dirty and Dangerous Western Canadian Tour with a first-time pit stop at The Taphouse tonight at 8 p.m.
My Generation> reveals an ego that is melodic, frantic and in a nod to the golden age of rock and roll, makes no apologies for their face-melting fury. Yes, they are hot to the touch as they chart the demise and changing structure of a floating generation.
“Our sound is powerful. There’s something almost dangerous in it. We rock hard. We rock powerful. It’s raw passion,” says lead vocalist Scotty Tuesday.
Rounding out the fivesome is Sam Edmundson (vocals/guitar), Abe Cox (guitars), Tim Sweeting (drums) and Ian Chisholm (bass).
The band refined their sound since 2006 when Sweeting and Edmundson started jamming together. They pulled in Cox and Chisholm. Once Tuesday was added to the mix in 2009, all the pieces fell into place and they clicked as a unit.
Once the songwriting developed focus, they connected with producer Mike Fraser, best known for his work with AC/DC, Metallica and Aerosmith. Fraser, who was able to open a few doors for Black Hat, recorded My Generation with sound engineer Adam Sutherland at Infiniti Studios, a small project studio in Victoria.
“We want to be true to who we are. Musically, we come across as being very passionate and sharing that energy. That moment in time is a powerful collective experience for us.”
While Edmundson is the main songwriter for four songs, the main single My Generation was a co-write with Tuesday and One Way Street evolved as a collaborative band effort. But every song is unified with a no-holds-barred flurry of commentary.
My Generation releases pent up feelings of being lost in the world and One Way Street is more about losing yourself in a bad dream. All My Friends Are Dead shoulders detachment and alienation and Rain or Shine tackles depression.
None of these are light, fizzy tunes. But as Edmundson explains it, “We just want to speak for people. Everyone goes through the same things, and it’s nice to listen to a song that speaks to you.”
