The Discarded – Sound Check and Fury [Interview + 5 Quick Questions]

Orangeville locals, The Discarded have a new album out. Sound Check and Fury was released on November 7th, 2019. The 17 track album brings the total of released songs to 36 for the father and sons three-piece, who have been performing together for three years.

The Discarded are seventeen-year-old drummer Caden Jax, twenty-year-old Jared Dean on bass and
punk rocker J.P. on guitar and vocals.

Q: We last chatted at the end of August, how've you been and what have you been up to?

JP: We finished up the artwork for this album and put it in to be manufactured. We also started working on planning and rehearsing for a new recording and did some demos for that in August.

At the end of September, we started that recording at John Critchley's Green Door Studio.

Can you tell me about the concept behind Sound Check and Fury?

JP: This is the band's fourth release and our third full-length album. It's a companion piece to our five-song EP- Not From This Town that we released in March of this year. The EP is Act one, and this album is Act two and three from a 17 song narrative we wrote and recorded last year.

The album is rooted or inspired by the band's garage roots. It tells the story of two stoner urban poor roommates who are doing their best in a city that's becoming increasingly more expensive and gentrified. The warehouse flats where they live are quickly being bought up and replaced by new expensive condos.

Not knowing how they'll cover rent when they go on tour at the end of the month, they come up with the clever plan to have one of them sleep on the couch as they sublet the one-bedroom for half the rent. Along comes the cool and sexy, Sheena who has daddy's money so she can slum it with the seedy underside of downtown urban life.

Our main character Jay ends up hooking up with Sheena as Act two begins, and the two roomies hit the road on tour. Act three see Jay return to Sheena, and we see if a long term relationship can work out with two people who don't really subscribe to a traditional relationship.

Musically, the album is rooted in rock and roll and inspired by the bands punk/garage roots. However, this album sees The Discarded embracing a fuller spectrum of that genre and styles. We have heavy fast punk tunes, surf/Cramps style songs, Descendent style power punk and even some straight-up rock and roll tempos and tunes.

Q: Where did you record the album?

JP: This album was recorded with Ian Blurton at his Pro Gold Studio in August of 2018.

Q: Are there any plans for videos?

JP: We released a video for the song, 24 hours which is about a band touring from town to town in a van. For it, we looked back over the last three and a half years we've been a band and used video footage, pictures, posters, album covers from over the history of the band. Hence why Caden goes from being a 13-year-old to a 17-year-old throughout the video. The part with him setting up and drumming is from the new recording we started doing in September.

Q: You've got a 10 date Ontario tour set to go, do you have a favourite stop on this tour?

We enjoy going to all the towns we hit on the tour. For most it's not our first time playing there, but we're opening for Teenage Head in their hometown, so that's a special show since we admire them as a band and have never opened for them.

Q: Touring in Ontario in November and December can be a challenging prospect, do you have any advice for bands touring in the winter?

JP: Well, I guess we all grew up in Canada, so we have an idea of what it means to travel at this time of year. If you happen to be doing that on a day that's snowing it kind of makes it suck and slows you down. So dress in layers, give yourself extra time to get where you're going. Watch your footing moving gear. Have a change of shirt, so your not in something damp or wet. Coffee is your friend and try and minimize the time between going from a heated club to a heated car. And close the damn door to the load-in area, so the whole damn club isn't an icebox. Ha!

5 Quick Questions with The Discarded

A grouchy teenager's answers when asked to respond to some questions: (answered by drummer Caden Jax)

Q1: If you're on a road trip, is there one album you could listen to on repeat?

CJ: Zeppelin 4- cliché but I'm sticking with it. (I prefer playlists)

Q2: What can fans expect from a live performance?

CJ: You get to witness my awesome drumming- ha!. We rock pretty hard. We're fast. That scares some people.

Q3: Is there a band or artist you think people should be paying more attention to?

CJ: The Discarded.

Q4: Is there something you can tell us about you that even your fans wouldn't know?

CJ: Nothing I can really think of. We're a pretty cool band. I'm surprised more people don't know about us. My fans are pretty smart, so I don't need to tell them much.

Q5: Is there anything else you want to share with our readers?

CJ: Our album is out. I highly recommend you listen to it, add it to a playlist or come see a show. Or one of our other albums, maybe not the first one, I'm way better on drums now- ha!

Can I go now Dad, or do you need me to answer more questions? How about- Look I'm seventeen and the drummer. I like to play music more than answer questions.

JP: Would you do this as a video for them?

Caden: Do I have to? Not really feeling it besides I've got some homework.

JP: Okay then- Cool.