Interview — Halifax

By Keight Beaven

When I was interning at Drive-Thru Records over 3 years ago, Halifax wasn't on their roster. In fact, as the story goes, the members of Halifax - now, Mike Hunau (vocals), Chris Brandt (guitar, backing vocals), Adam Charles (guitar), Doug Peyton (bass) and Tommy Guindon (drums) were just another unsigned band hailing from a suburb of Los Angeles, California. Drummer, Tommy Guindon wanted to change that, and so he took the bold step of interning at the very label he wanted to sign to- Drive-Thru Records. He supposedly even told owner, Richard Reines, "Someday you are going to sign my band", who then responded with a smile laced "Yeah, right." Although never listening to Halifax until this interview- there, back in 2003, while I stuffed envelopes, addressed labels and sliced open over ten thousand shrink-wrapped samplers with Tommy, I doubted the factuality of his prophecy. It's not that we all didn't want to believe little Tommy, but it's a statement Richard and his sister/co-owner, Stefanie heard on a regular basis, and besides, Halifax was still young. Tommy was there before I came, and stayed after I left where at some point he must have said or played the right thing, because about two years later, Richard and Stefanie agreed to re-release the band's self-produced/funded/released EP under Drive Thru-Records, fully shoving my and every other intern's foot in their mouth. Now on the verge of releasing their first full length, I got to speak to Mr. Guindon (who didn't remember me!) for the first time since my Doubting Thomas episode over three years earlier. Check it out!

SKRATCH: What are you most excited about regarding the new record?
TOMMY: The reaction we'll get considering we have a whole new sound and we've grown a lot in the last 2 years. I hope people can see the change from the EP and the full length (we're bringing a lot more rock).

SKRATCH: Describe each member through the lyrics of a song (cite song and artist).
TOMMY: I don't know about the rest of the band, but for Doug it would be the entire song "Admit It!!" by Say Anything.

SKRATCH: What is the craziest lie you've told.
TOMMY: When I was in high school, I would run scams on eBay to make extra cash- pretty much a pure profit. I would buy baseball cards in bulk, like five thousand for five dollars, and sell them in lots of fifty for eight dollars. Let's just say I sold hundreds of these lots per week, and got my account deleted from eBay. The part where I lied was when I said in these lots I had some of the rarest rookie cards of the most famous players, when really I had shitty ass nobody cards.

SKRATCH: Tell me your favorite dirty joke.
TOMMY: How do you know a girl is rotten? Answer- Stick your thumb in her snatch, and your middle finger in her brown eye, and if you can snap she's rotten...Dan Peyton told me that one.

SKRATCH: What decision have you made that has directly affected the band that you regret?
TOMMY: One thing that has affected me in the band is the fact that I'm a hypochondriac. I've gone to the E.R. once or twice in our history for things that could be cured from Selson Blue, a fuckin' dandruff shampoo. Weird I know.
SKRATCH: Impress me with the funniest or craziest tour story about Halifax.
TOMMY: Jesus, there are too many. I would say, one pretty crazy time was when Doug almost died in Denver after becoming so wasted he laid outside, head first in the snow when it was about ten degrees out. Meanwhile, Mike and El Heffe (our tour manager) jackknifed the van and trailer in an intersection, and Chris, Adam, and myself were at some frat house extremely lifted. No one except for some random girl found Doug, and all he said was, "I'm Doug. I'm in Halifax. Call Jeff." He handed her the phone, and somehow she got him to safety. [Laughs]. I laugh because he survived and its ok to now [laughs].

SKRATCH: If you could give one member a complete makeover who would it be?
TOMMY: Honestly, being on tour has completely "made-over" the band. We have our glamorous side when we have shows, photo shoots, video shoots, and being home, but being on the road takes a beating to everyone's image... Yes kids, even Britney Spears and Ashley Simpson-even fuckin' Good Charlotte- looks like shit sometimes...

SKRATCH: Since you were an intern at Drive-Thru at one point, are you more aware of the work that goes into your band from the label side? Are you more grateful you think?
TOMMY: Hell no, I don't get any special treatment because I interned. [Laughs]. If I did, it'd be cool, but not fair. Everyone gets treated equally, which is the way it should be. Besides I don't think I was that good of an intern. I guarantee they thought about firing me many times because I always ate their food and drank their drinks [Laughs]. Sorry Stef and Rich.

To find out more about Halifax, hear some of their new music and see glamorous pictures of them please visit www.halifaxrock.com. To comment on this or any else you see in SKRATCH, please send us an email at speakup@skratchmagazine.com.

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