Laugh At The Fakes: The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

Photo Credit: Naryan Wong

Laugh At The Fakes: The Highwire Daze Legacy Interviews

Band Bio:  As unique and identifiable as their sound, Laugh At The Fakes challenges the trends of today’s rock and metal scene. Since their inception in 2010, the Toronto, ON band has combined elements of metal, hard rock, and prog to create an unmistakable sound that they are proud to unleash in their new album ‘Dethrone The Crown’. The album was produced by Greg Dawson and mastered by Andy VanDette (Rush, Dream Theater, Kid Rock, Deep Purple, Bruce Dickinson, Bif Naked) to follow up their 2011 six song EP ‘One Night Only‘.

Originally Posted: 12/14/14

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in Laugh At The Fakes, and how long the band has been together.
Everett Mason here, I sing and play guitar in Laugh At The Fakes. I started this band in late 2010.

Where is the band based out of and what is the local music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are based out of Toronto, Canada. We have a good scene, especially when big metal bands come to town. Here in Toronto some of the local bands I have checked out and really like are Axxion, Slyde, Fatality, and Midnight Malice.

Is there any story or concept behind the album title Dethrone The Crown.
Although it’s not a concept album, a lot of the songs on DTC are about greed, murder, corruption, and the struggle for power. We felt that the song Dethrone The Crown was not only a good representation of the album musically but lyrically as well.

Select any two songs from Dethrone The Crown and what inspired the lyrics.
Harmonica Playing Man is based on an old western movie called Once Upon A Time In The West. One of my all-time favourite movies. Killing Time is about brainwashing people to do your dirty work.

Who did the cover art for Dethrone The Crown and how much influence did you have on it?
The cover was done by Blacktooth Entertainment, we had input on some of the rough sketches but the artist based most of her ideas on the title of the album. We let her do her thing and it turned out great.

What could one expect from a live Laugh At The Fakes show?
We live to play shows. It’s our favourite thing to do. The whole point of recording an album is to get more people out to shows. You can expect all four of us to play every show like it’s our last one. It’s the best feeling in the world.

Any strange or scary happenings while on the road or at a show?
The worst experience was dealing with these crackhead promoters who ripped us off at a show in Oshawa back in 2012. Our drummer at the time arranged a show for us at this place called the Banshee. When we arrived at the gig promoter didn’t show. Instead, he sent his two crackhead assistants to handle collecting the door and they were also supposed to pay us out. Big surprise, they spent all the door money on drugs and weren’t able to pay us. The crowd was great, but the end of the night was kind of a bummer.

Has Laugh At The Fakes ever played on the States or plan to do so in future days?
We have yet to play in the States but we really, really want to!

What was it like opening for Blaze Bailey and did you get to meet or hang out with him at all?
It was a fun show and the first show we had played in over a year. We had take time off to make the new record and this was our first show after we finished it. Meeting him was awesome, we chatted for a bit about how his tour was going, and he took picture with us. His set was awesome too.

Are you or any of the other members involved with any other bands outside of Laugh At The Fakes?
Galen (bass player) plays in jazz bands and Chris (drummer) is in more projects than I can keep track off. Kevin and I (the guitar players) just wanna rock!

If Laugh At The Fakes could open up for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
AC/DC because they are still my favourite live band and the exposure would be unbelievable.

What’s up next for Laugh At The Fakes?
A music video for one of the songs off DTC and lots of tour dates!

Any final words of wisdom?
If you can’t play it slow, you can’t play it fast, you just think you can.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

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