Versus the Nothing brew something at The Taphouse

Versus the Nothing has a name that evokes a galactic battle as in The Empire Strikes Back.

According to legend, The Never Ending Story inspired the post-grunge band members in their younger days. In the movie a young boy saves the kingdom of Fantasia from a destructive force called The Nothing.

“We thought it was kind of cool — us against the world. It was like standing up against adversity,” says lead singer Ross Archibald. Rounding out the band is Ande Otte (guitar), Chris Shaw (guitar), Jason Scannell (bass) and Jacob Wyman (drums).

The Vancouver-based fivesome has been on the Black Gloves Canadian Tour, a 35-stop excursion over the past two months. They are on the last leg and will make an appearance at The Taphouse tonight. Opening for them is St. Albert’s own All Else Fails.

Although this has been called the Black Gloves Canadian Tour, the Black Gloves EP, a follow-up to their highly successful 2008 full-length album Let It All Come Down, won’t be released until January 2011. This tour is strictly to generate buzz and new fans.

Recorded at GMP Studios in Vancouver and mixed by the golden touch of Mike Fraser, a producer who has mixed albums for both AC/DC and Aerosmith, the band is hoping these new songs will take them to higher heights than Let It All Come Down.

When the previous album was released, the track Bleed the Ocean was snapped up by Mazda for an online campaign. And they were in the top five for the distinguished Vancouver CFOX 2008 Seeds contest that’s responsible for launching some big names such as Nickelback, Bif Naked, Default and Theory of a Deadman.

The Black Gloves EP has a fairly dark edge. “We’re trying to get a positive message out to kids. Our music isn’t always the brightest, but we try to find a silver lining,” says Archibald.

Killer, a song inspired after reading a great deal about Dexter, is about the death of relationships, and Excuse Me looks at facing adversity.

Invisible Asylum explores how the mind can play tricks and if people are stuck in rut, action is more positive than over-thinking.

But the one song that has special meaning for Ross is River Runs Deep, a number that grew out of his uncle’s suicide after jumping off a bridge. “It was pretty bad. I used to drive by the river every day.”

Although the fivesome speaks from the heart, their onstage show (the sixth at the The Taphouse) is tight and energetic with raging guitars and powerful vocals. “Our energy is ridiculous. It’s a night of non-stop action.”