Blue Youth are a noise punk band from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Gage McGuire - Guitar, Vocals
Jon Wolfond - Bass
Garret Matheis- Drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Blue Youth? How long has the band been around?
The band started in November 2016, but we’ve played in several other groups together including the hardcore group Bermuda Love and a short-lived shoegaze/hardcore band Good Girls. Gage is one half of the indie rock duo Surf Dads and Jon also plays with The Dagan Harding Band.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
It took us a few months to settle on the name Blue Youth. We had our demo basically done before we set this name in stone. Another name we were toying around with was French Exit, but we found we all agreed on Blue Youth. I think as far as the themes lyrically and instrumentally, Blue Youth encapsulates what we’re trying to portray to those who listen to our music.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
The majority of our songs come from one person coming in with a riff idea and then we build from there. Finalized lyrics don’t really happen until we are recording.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
For me... At the time we were recording I was listening to a lot of Ought, Torche, the newest METZ record, KEN mode, Interpol. The list goes on...
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
I’ve been playing music since I was 5 with piano and then graduating to bass, so it was a very natural progression.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
Hydration (a couple liters of water), dehydration (a couple beers and a couple Jameson), and a good 15 minutes of stretching.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Probably playing at Sled Island in Calgary this year. We got to share a bill with the legendary Cherubs. All the bands who played were killer!
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
The Jesus Lizard comes to mind. Just give me a tour with Metz and I can probably die happy. Or any band that Brian Cook (SUMAC, Russian Circles, These Arms Are Snakes, Botch) plays in. I’d love to watch him play bass every night.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thanks for the interview and make sure to check out our new album!