The boys from Diarrhea Planet blew the top off House of Targ on Nov. 6. The band touts wailing metal guitars, a grand stage presence, and a sense of humour that one can expect from a band that names themselves after a world filled with poo.
Opening acts The Boreds and Music Band set the stage for Diarrhea Planet and warmed up the crowd for a killer show. Both old and new tracks off of their upcoming album were played. The band also jammed out to a cover of ACDC’s “Thunderstruck,” with a little help from Harry Kagan, the guitarist from Music Band, to end the night on a high note.
The Charlatan interviewed Jordan Smith, Emmett Miller, and Evan Bird from Diarrhea Planet and asked them a few questions about life on the road.
The Charlatan (TC): So first off I would like to ask you guys about your name. It’s fucking weird and awesome at the same time. What made you think of that name and ultimately say “That’s us, that’s who we are?”
Jordan: Still under investigation.
Emmett: We’re going to release a press statement as soon as we delve a little further into the issue. But we can neither confirm nor deny the existence of such a band name.
TC: You guys are a six-piece, with four guitars and a two-piece rhythm section. What is the dynamic of the band like with that much guitar?
Evan: The permits get really expensive to have that many guitars on stage, but we’ve been doing it for so long now we’ve kind of been able to figure out how to make everything happen. When we’re arranging songs, we’re really good at making sure everyone covers space, and we kind of know what to expect from each other now, playing-wise. We fill all the gaps and just make sure we make enough money every night to sustain the necessary permits to get all four guitar players on stage every night.
TC: So you’re just kicking off this fall tour; what’s in store for the band in the new year?
Evan: We actually just finished a record right before the tour. We’re supposed to be listening to masters right now but we don’t really have Internet in Canada.
Emmett: I’m listening to Drake.
Jordan: We get back and have Thanksgiving. I’m sure you guys know what that is.
TC: Yeah. Of course, we already had it though.
Jordan: Well we go back out again after Thanksgiving and have a few shows in Chicago around New Year’s. We’ll be touring next year but we kind of take winter off. Winter is just a really bad time to tour. No one comes to shows, attendance drops, the weather, you’re cold all day. It sucks.
TC: I know you guys are always touring, I’ve noticed it’s kind of your thing.
Evan: Oh yeah, just trying to generate enough money for the permits for the four guitars.
Emmett: A lot of bureaucratic bullshit, man. It takes a lot to run.
