Vancouver Killing Spree proves it’s really not about murder
by Kristina Mameli, the Skinny

Despite its rather aggressive moniker and sound, the gentlemen of Vancouver Killing Spree are amongst the most honest and genuine you’ll ever meet—which, combined with a love of music and endearing band dynamic, shines through both on stage and on record.
The Skinny recently sat down with frontman and guitarist Brad Anderson, bassist Jesse Weymer and drummer Jamieson Cleary at their jamspace.
It all began very organically. Anderson and Cleary decided to part ways with the bassist of their previous project, Muskellunge, and change gears musically. Emerging from a Northern Saskatchewan mine just in time, Weymer moved back to Vancouver. An old friend of Anderson’s, he was an instant fit. “He’s one of the best bass players I’ve worked with ever,” said Anderson.
“Awe,” chimed in Weymer. “I’m going to get all misty eyed.”
From there, the trio played a few shows as Muskellunge.
What’s a Muskellunge you ask?
“A 90-pound North American freshwater-fish that eats ducks,” revealed Anderson.
“And rumoured to eat babies—but no one’s ever proven it,” said Weymer, providing the colour commentary.
The trio wrote a song called “Vancouver Killing Spree” and were amazed by the crowd’s reaction to the somewhat ferocious title. “It felt right,” said Anderson. “It’s kind of the opposite way people usually go—a band named after a song.”
“There was no way we could’ve kept calling it the same name because it wasn’t the same thing at all,” added Cleary.
Though the title was originally meant to reflect on the senseless gang violence prevalent in the city, it changed once adopted as the band’s name. “Whatever you do in life, you’re killing it,” said Weymer of the drive to do your absolute best daily.
Musically, the best description of the band comes courtesy of an anonymous Myspace fan: “It’s not punk, it’s not metal, it’s not rock, it’s not roll…it sounds like all those things got in a knife fight and punk and roll won.”
“[Jamieson’s] into punk, my influences come from metal,” said Weymer. “And Brad…he really likes Celine Dion.”
“The woman has an amazing voice,” Anderson justified. “I don’t necessarily like her music; I only listen to it when I’m alone in the dark crying in a corner. She’s good.”
“I should’ve said Brian Adams,” Weymer joked. “I’m really sorry…”
VKS released a five song EP called It’s Not About Murder… in October. “We just really wanted to have something to be able to give to people and show off what we were doing,” said Anderson.
“Here’s a CD, give us a show,” mused Weymer.
“So we decided it was important to put out an EP,” continued Anderson. “Otherwise we probably wouldn’t have. Personally I prefer full-length discs, but we had no idea how long it was going to take.
“When we write songs, we’re very meticulous about it,” he said of the care that goes into crafting each track. “We don’t like to just throw something down and call it done. It’s more, find something that really inspires us and then let it mature.”
“Loud” Chris DeMarcus took the recording helm, while Dave Denofreo was responsible for the morphed photo art. “He did everything short of actually coming to our houses in the morning and making coffee,” said Anderson, offering a tongue-in-cheek note. “Chris, if you’re reading this, please make sure next time we come in and do some work you’ve got some coffee made.”
Most of VKS’ music stems from a bass riff that either Weymer or Anderson will bring to the studio. “I really like playing when I’m smoking on the back of my deck,” said Weymer. “Some of it I can bring into the studio, some of it I just sort of leave on the deck. Whatever I feel at that time, I try to carry that with me.”
“Then I generally take the roots of what he’s using and I do something completely different,” smiled Anderson. “I like dark sounding music, so if there’s sort of rising progression that he’s working on that sounds…chipper, I take an axe to it and build a guitar riff that makes it sound like it’s falling down the stairs.”
“There will be no happiness in our music!” said Weymer.
“A lot of the stuff that I write about is inspired by things that generally make me unhappy or piss me off. It’s a very big outlet for me,” said Anderson. “If I didn’t have music, I’d…I don’t know…”
“Be a mass murderer,” interjected Weymer.
“I’d be a mass murderer.”
At times, Anderson’s lyrics are intensely personal. “I usually just put down exactly the words that are on my brain that fit well into the spaces and 100% of the time they’re reflective or metaphoric of something that’s going on in my life,” he said.
Cleary is responsible for linking Anderson and Weymer’s thoughts together, which to some might seem daunting. “It’s easy,” he said, “because there’s so many options. It’s just kind of easy for me to play the way I want too; I don’t have to play it a certain way ‘cause none of us really play anything by structure.”
“That’s something I really like about playing with these guys,” said Weymer, “it’s just no holds barred. I’m allowed to do whatever I want.”
“It’s never good unless you’re playing your heart out,” added Anderson.
Vancouver Killing Spree begins its tour at the Bourbon May 13th, an anniversary of sorts.
“Our first show as Vancouver Killing Spree was at Pub 340 on May 13th of last year,” said Anderson. “This year we’ve played on February 13th, March 13th, almost every show we’ve played has been on a 13th…we need to break that mould, so we’re going on tour.”
“Expect intensity,” said Cleary. “That’s the bottom line.”
“Come out ready to have fun,” said Anderson. “Come ready to throw out your inhibitions and get covered in beer if you like that kind of thing. If not…I’d take a couple paces back.”

The band tours throughout BC and Alberta in May and has been shortlisted to play Calgary’s Sled Island festival. Watch for a full-length album later this year. Posted: May 20, 2010