Indiegogoing the distance

Local punk supergroup Distances aims to crowd fund its latest recording

The guys in Winnipeg punk force Distances are hitting the road to Vancouver in June to record their debut full-length. Supplied

Since forming in April 2012, local melodic punk group Distances have released an EP and opened up for Pennsylvania punks Title Fight.

Now the band plans to record its debut full-length with ex-Daggermouth guitarist Stu McKillop in Vancouver at Rain City Recorders this June.

Everything began when Florian Maier moved to the city a few years ago from Germany and met up with Nic Herzog, who played in Waster at the time.

The two guitarists spent months jamming together and writing “psychedelic guitar parts” before forming Distances.

They recruited The Afterbeat’s Chris Ferguson on drums and The All Night’s DJ Sangalang on bass before entering the studio to record with Michael Petkau Falk (The Liptonians, Alfa).

“Originally we just planned to do demos,” Maier says. “It definitely turned out way better than we were expecting.”

Those demos became the self-titled EP that the band released in October 2012, the same month Distances played a Halloween show with local pop-punks Dangercat.

The guys asked Dangercat drummer Dylan James to become the new lead singer and he agreed to commit to being in both bands.

“Before I even joined I loved the songs when I heard them,” James says. “I was really stoked on their band from the beginning.”

“I was going through some internal struggles with my voice and worrying about keeping up as a front man,” Herzog says. “Now I can focus more on playing guitar and I think that’s a better fit moving forward.”

Because people will help us fund this record, we want to make sure that it’s as much their record as it is ours.

Nic Herzog, Distances

On Thursday, March 14, the band will kick off the recording process with a crowd-sourcing campaign through Indiegogo with the hope of raising $5,000 to help offset the costs of recording and getting to Vancouver.

These campaigns have become increasingly popular - Protest the Hero just completed a wildly successful one earlier this year.

Some people think sites like Indiegogo are a great resource, but others think that bands are just being lazy.

“We’re not looking for donations, we’re just looking to our listeners for an advance,” Herzog says. “We’ll be cutting our teeth like any other band, we’ll definitely be playing shows in basements and backyards to try and fill our gas tank along the way.”

Extras are a key part of these campaigns, since the more money fans give, the more extra stuff they’ll get back in return.

Aside from the actual record and numerous other items, Distances are offering lifetime guest list privileges, random polaroids they’ll take on the road and the opportunity to spend a day with them in the studio if you can find your own way to Vancouver.

The band has songs ready to go and most of the details narrowed down, except for the actual release date.

“I don’t think we can ask people to love this record if we don’t love it ourselves, so that’s why we’ll be taking our time,” Herzog says.

“Especially because people will help us fund this record, we want to make sure that it’s as much their record as it is ours.”

Head to www.indiegogo.com/projects/distances-album-fundraiser to check out the band’s campaign and purchase one of the eight merch bundles. The band can also be found through www.facebook.com/distancesmusic and www.twitter.com/distancesmusic and the EP is still available for free download at www.distancesmusic.bandcamp.com.

Published in Volume 67, Number 23 of The Uniter (March 14, 2013)

Related Reads