It’s been a while since I sat down with a band for a convo. Today we shoot the breeze with a Desert Punk/Metal trio from Toronto, Ontario by the name of Black Budget. I recently reviewed their EP, Crown of Misery, which just came out on September 23rd.
Harbinger
of D.O.O.M.: Congrats on the latest EP! I’m curious, what makes
a band choose whether they release an EP or an LP? Is it to get a shorter set of
songs out faster to the listeners or because it’s more convenient to record EPs
rather than LPs?
Black
Budget: Thank you for having us! The main reason we went the EP route
is because these are the songs that we think best define us at this current
time. We are constantly writing, working out songs in rehearsal, and seeing how
the audience reacts to them. Singles and EPs are definitely more in our alley
right now as we are a new-ish band. We aren’t signed and can basically put out
music whenever we want with nobody telling us what to do. A Full-Length album
is absolutely something we will do in the future though and I am looking
forward to that.
Harbinger
of D.O.O.M.: Black Budget’s been around for about two years,
having formed in 2020. How did you all meet and how did you come together?
Black
Budget: Jack and I (Pedro) met in fifth grade, and we’ve been jamming
ever since high school together. We met Michael in a previous band we were in.
When that band went their separate ways during early COVID days, I had a few
songs written and recorded so I took them to the guys and we played those, and
eventually we formed into the Black Budget you see today.
Harbinger
of D.O.O.M.: What’s the music scene like in Toronto? Is Desert
Punk the next hot genre that will rule the bars and clubs?
Black
Budget: Desert Punk will reach the arenas and take over the world! The
music scene in Toronto is GREAT. There is so much incredible talent, and you
can basically walk in to any bar/club and see some incredible musicians. It’s
an honour to be part of this music scene, everyone is very supportive of each
other and there is a strong sense of community.
Harbinger
of D.O.O.M.: You guys sound like you have a lot of diverse
influences in your musical palette. How did you decide which direction to take
musically with Crown of Misery and
what genres/bands have influenced you the most collectively?
Black
Budget: We are inspired by so many different types of artists that
when we come together and play, it all blends to this “desert punk” thing. We
usually work songs out in rehearsal as a trio and let whatever happens happen.
We are lucky to constantly be performing live, so the best is trying out new
songs and seeing how the crowd reacts. We make sure we are always playing to
the song and not the genre, which is why some of our songs are very different.
If you listen to “Stuck in The Desert” and “Detonator” they are very different
styles, but both could be added to the same playlist. Michael brought a lot of
his 80s/90s hardcore punk and metal influence to the table on “Detonator” and “Acid
Tongue”. With these tracks in particular you get equal parts speed, energy,
power and sludge from later period Black Flag and Melvins for sure. “May 19th”,
and “Talk” were songs that I had written a while back, but if you hear the
demos they are so different from what they became in the final recording.
Inspired by bands like Green Day, Queens of The Stone Age, and Nirvana.
Harbinger
of D.O.O.M.: Do you plan to tour in the coming weeks/months to
support Crown of Misery? If so, will
you stay in and around Ontario or head South of the border as well?
Black
Budget: We have a few shows planned in Ontario and a fun Halloween
night show that I am super stoked for. Would LOVE to play south of the border.
We recently played with a band from Brooklyn here in Toronto who were killer,
and we’d love to play there. Austin, NYC, Seattle, Chicago, LA are all places in
our radar!
Harbinger
of D.O.O.M.: Thanks for answering my questions! I wish you a lot
of success with the EP. Is there anything else you’d like to share with the
listeners/readers?
Black Budget: Thank you so much for having us! We put our hearts into this EP and we are so happy to know people are enjoying it. I’d love to give a shout out to our friends in Lucid Smog Disorder, Wednesday Bender, AAWKS, Sunlust, By Octopi. They are incredible local bands who everyone should be checking out. Also, a massive shout out to Critical Zero, a local Music Media group who hosted us at their event for our EP release show. That was a blast!
Black
Budget’s Official Website
Black
Budget on Bandcamp
Black
Budget on Twitter
Black
Budget on Facebook
Black
Budget on Instagram
Black Budget on YouTube
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