The last time crushing, riff-heavy Vancouver metal band Bison b.c. was in Winnipeg, singer-guitarist James Farwell’s 80-year-old father came to the show.

“That was awesome,” Farwell – who is originally from this city – explained by phone while en route on a North Carolina highway this past April.

“He came up to me after the show (and said), ‘Well, I see why you have long hair now.’ He hadn’t seen me perform since 1989 at the Royal Albert.”

A lot has happened since the 37-year-old was playing in punk bands at the Exchange District venue.

After moving to Vancouver in 1991, Farwell helped form the seminal skate-thrash band S.T.R.E.E.T.S. (Skating Totally Rules, Everything Else Totally Sucks).

When that group disbanded, he put together his current project with singer-guitarist Dan And, bassist Masa Anzai and drummer Brad Mackinnon.

The group released its debut full-length, Quiet Earth, in 2008 on Metal Blade Records.

The follow-up, Dark Ages, came out in April. Farwell has described it as “a fucking depressing album,” adding that he gets bummed out listening to it.

“I don’t know if that’s just my personal attachment to it, but it’s got a bit of a melancholic vibe to it, a bit of a depressing vibe,” he said.

Farwell added that when he was writing lyrics for the disc, he drew from his experiences working at a homeless shelter in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

“The way people deal with living in the world, existing in sort of a world that’s becoming consistently more loveless and hard to exist in on an emotional level” was a lyrical inspiration, Farwell said.

Musically, Farwell sees the seven songs on Dark Ages as a step up from those on Quiet Earth.

The emphasis on well-written guitar riffs is still there, as well as the tempo changes and the gruff, shouted vocals. But, the songwriting is stronger.

“The arrangements are improved and more mature,” Farwell said. “They’re more thought-out and more interesting.

“When you’re writing an eight-minute-long song, the arrangement becomes that much more important.”

Bison b.c. brings Dark Ages to the Royal Albert this weekend. Whether Farwell’s father will be there or not remains to be seen.

All he knows is that the last Winnipeg gig was meaningful as a result of the paternal presence.

“My parents have always been very supportive with my choices, and to make a go in this business, it’s a lot of work and a lot of empty wallets, so to speak. So I think the fact that he came out and was very excited for me…” Farwell trailed off.

“You want your parents to be happy for you, and I think he was genuinely happy. It was great.”

Published in Volume 65, Number 7 of The Uniter (October 14, 2010)