You just went on a tour to the western side of Canada. How is it hitting different cities along the way? Are music fans the same all over this country, or do you notice differences from place to place?

Terry : Playing to a new crowd is always enjoyable. It's the uncertainty of how people will react that I find exciting. It's great meeting new people and bands that will eventually become the bunt of many jokes.

SJ: We love getting to see the different places in Canada while we're touring. Some stops are more enjoyable than others, obviously, but even the places that leave us shaking our heads at the end of the night are at least good for laughs. *coughs* Nakusp. I find music fans are generally the same all over Canada. Each city definately has its own own scene, but you'll always be able to find people who prefer Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to 3 Doors Down. Everybody knows what to expect when they go to their venue of choice. Good ole' musical segregation. It's what keeps us from playing with Harlequin. Or at least it should've...

You dealt with the fabulous Vancouver eastside - is there anywhere you've gone and had a limited scope of the city and just thought, wow, I am never coming back here...?

Terry Matson: Regina. We will never play there again, never.

SJ Kardash: Regina. Every time.

What was your favourite stop on this tour?

Terry: Golden, BC obviously.

SJ: Golden. A stripper.. Sorry, "dancer" named Jewels opened the show. You just can't compete with that.

Do you get to hang out and see some sites while you're around?

SJ. music stores, record stores, fast-food establishments, yeah.

How is it in the mountains this time of year?

Terry: The mountains are frightening as usual.

SJ: The mountains were great. Being from the prairies, it was nice to remove the brace that locks the steering wheel straight and take some corners and feel our ears pop.

Whats up with you guys and people involved in adult entertainment?

Terry: I don't know. I guess we're just lucky.

SJ: Hey, we're adults and we like being entertained.. what can I say?

You had some tour van woes as well I see. What other crazy road tales do you have for us? What's up with cursed band vans anyhow? Is there any vehicle more prone to disaster?

Terry: I think people in bands have the tendancy to purchase old cheap vehicles, thus resulting in disaster prone vehicles?

SJ: I don't get it.. We had an old 1976 Chevy Van (which by the way was going to be in the NY Times, then wasn't) and it took us across the Country several times with almost no trouble. Now, we upgraded to a 90s Van and the moment we fix one problem, another comes up. I think it was sabotaged by the previous owner. We've heard worse van stories from other bands though. We seem to be blessed with a lot of little problems, like the door falling off, speaking of which, I hope that thing is fixed for this next tour.. shit. seriously.

What other crazy road tales do you have for us?

SJ: I don't know where to start.. We leave every tour with, if nothing else, plenty of stories. Usually these stories are condensed down to one or two words that will remind us of the event, such as "Nakusp" or "Gaslight Saloon". But for the purpose of this interview, I'll expand some of the stories a little... Arnold was accused of sexual assault on a minor, I was nearly raped, I almost had my ass kicked by a Hell's Angel after playing their bar, a promoter in Red Deer named "Stick" managed to triple book our show, Nakusp in general, I backed into a car in Victoria and some guy on the street claimed it was his and wanted a settlement then the car drove away, we chased a tow-truck driver down after he was a prick. And of course, there's the entire chapter on general Van troubles.

Even though you just released the album, there's no release party til late June. Why the wait?

Terry: Two words: Omni - Disc. No, actually we have been quite busy over the last few months and until recently we hadn't had time to make it happen.

SJ: We only had one week in Saskatoon between the two tours, so it was bad timing I suppose. It definately worked out for the best though. The manufacturer (Omnidisc.net) really fucked things up from all different angles and we still don't have the final copies. We managed to get a small run done for our West tour in May, but our whole lives for the past two months have been consumed frustration trying to get the CDs back from the plant. Sorry for the rant. But yeah, we'll be making a personal appearance in their office while we're in Toronto next week. Wish us luck!

You're kind of bananas with releases - one-a-year type of thing. How do you keep up that pace? WHat is it that keeps you writing songs so much?

Terry: Over the past year or so, we've had some periods of hiatus, which in combination with the bitter cold of our winters (isolation, etc.) has left me with a lot of time to write and record new music.

SJ: We love making music. I guess it's that simple.

Is it tempting to move to a bigger market? What are your thoughts on developing in a smaller market like Saskatoon, where bands tend to form these really tight scenebonds?

Terry: It's always tempting to move to a bigger market like Toronto or Vancouver. But realistically it's just not do-able at this time in our lives. I like to think of it like this: In a metropolis like Toronto bands are a dime a dozen, but in Saskatoon there is a lot less "competition" so people tend to notice you more if you're good. Unfortunately the people who notice your band are not too connected with the music industry. Ah well!

SJ: As of right now, we're happy in Saskatoon. It's a really nice place to call home and we get away with a low cost of living, leaving lots of time to play music. We're always inspired to tour and it's nice being located in the middle of the map with the choice of east or west, rather than east or REALLY DAMN FAR east.

I was also reading that you have your band name oft-misspelled. What are some of the doozies? Is that something that ever crossed your minds when you were coming up with a band name that has a bit of an uncharacteristic spelling? Are mistakes like this and anything else (people assuming you're from somewhere else; anouncing the wrong band before a show; etc) more all-out crappy/bothersome, or just amusing? SJ Panthers? what other misspelling shave you gotten? On the topic of band names, with the internet age being what it is right now, is it important for bands to do things like have a weirdly-spelled or just unusual band name in order to even be found online?

A. Usually these things are just amusing, but S.J. Panthers? C'mon, that's friggin' hilarious.

SJ. I truly believe we have the most often misspelled band name in the history of music. Seriously, it's not just the 'z' thing. Junior Panters? Junior Panther? Juniour Panthers? and of course, the recent chart topper SJ Panthers! It's a bad sign when we're actually suprised that our name has been spelled correctly, but it's always good for a laugh.

On that note, you're involved on myspace etc. What are your thoughts on the internet as a tool for promotion, versus 'stealing' music, and how the industry seems to be dealing and coping?

A. The internet is an evil neccessity. It provides bands with a way to get their music to people all over the world, but it also provides the listeners with the ability to tell the whole world that you suck.

SJ. MySpace is amazing. We've met so many great people and bands through that site. One of these people actually set up our upcoming showcase in New York. I'm addicted to MySpace, so I'll stop talking about it before it's too late. I can't say I've ever downloaded an album or burned a CD that wasn't recorded in my studio, but that's just me. I like having the actual CD complete with the artwork. It just doesn't sound the same when it's not authentic. But, I truly don't care what other people do. If somebody wants to steal our music, I'd actually be flattered.

Look for the Junior Pantherz new CD "Death By Life" available through Maple Music in June!

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler
Photos : juniorpantherz.com
Published : June 2005.