Detroit based psychobilly trio the Koffin Kats will be coming to the Vent in Coaldale to headline the Deathbridge Psyk-o-fest, May 18.
“ We try to play Canada at least once a year,” said frontman/stand up bassist Vic Victor from the ro
ad, somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin.
“ We spend 300 days of the year on the road, so chances are we’ll be playing in somebody’s area,” he said adding he couldn’t recall playing southern Alberta before.
In addition to the Koffin Kats, Psyk-o-fest also features The Preying Saints, The Skellys, Parapsychotic, Abuse of Substance, No More Moments, The Scallywags, The Spacewolves and the Mangy Mutts.
Victor noted Koffin Kats audiences draw a wide range of people.
“ The psychobilly scene in Detroit and all over the mid-west is actually quite small. So we get a mix of people. We have metal fans and rockabilly fans , punk fans and basic rock and roll fans. There is a larger psychobilly scene in Southern California,” he said.
He promised an energetic show.
“ We know what it’s like to work for a dollar, so we want to give people value for their money whether it is one person or 1,000 people. So we like to have a lot of high energy show,” he said.
“We’re on the road for 300 days a year, so we like to go up there and have a lot of fun for our own sanity,” he said.
They enjoy playing festivals.
“ We do quite a few festivals. It’s cool. We like festivals in Europe where it’s a mix of everything from reggae to hip hop to punk,” he said.
They end the current tour on June 8 with the Ink and Iron tour in Long Beach, California.
“ There's a lot of bigger names there like Madball and the Detroit Cobras and Queen Mary. It’s a lot of fun. There's a car show and tattoos and a lot more,” he said.
The tour also includes playing a couple of shows with punk icons the Damned in San Francisco and Santa Cruz, California in June.
“ That’s later this month. It will be the first time we’ve actually played shows with them,” he said.
“ (The Damned’s lead singer) David Vanian’s vocal style is real influence on my vocal style,” he enthused.
He formed the Koffin Kats back in 2003 after playing in a lot of punk bands.
“ It was the stand -up bass. I loved that sound. It really appealed to me,” he said.
Victor and the Koffin Kats have strong punk do it yourself ethic, so he taught himself to sing and play the stand up bass at the same time.
“ I didn’t ant to deal with a lead singer, so I decided to do it myself. I forced myself to do it or else look stupid out there,” he said.
Their most recent and eighth Cd “Born of the Motor,” was released in October 2013.
“It’s our first effort that was all hands on. We were in the studio for all stages from recording to mixing,” he said.
“So it’s the first one we felt really confident about. The previous ones, there was something lacking. We didn’t have enough input. This one we’re really proud of,” he said.
More information about the Koffin Kats can be found at http://www.koffinkatsrock.com
Tickets for Psyk-o-fest cost $20 in advance from the Ventura, Jaded Body Arts and Charmed Gift Shop in Taber.
They cost $30 at the door. The bands start at 7 p.m. Organizers hope to make it an annual event.
