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There are some bands that just get such a fierce local following, that that branches out and turns into a form of success in and of itself. At least, that's the opinion I have about Protest the Hero. With almost scarily dedicated fans and intense calculated music, they've done well for themselves over the years. When I found out they were playing at The Sound Academy, I definitely wanted to talk to them, and luckily, I got the chance to talk with Rody about the bands future plans, their music videos, and how their boredom helped shaped them into what they are now.

"We've got to keep ourselves entertained, we've gotta make ourselves laugh first and foremost."
- Rody Walker, Protest the Hero

So for our readers who don't know who you are, roll call! Can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do for the band?

My name is Rody Walker, I'm from Protest the Hero, and I make weird sounds into microphones.

That's a good job. I want that job!

It's alright!

Pays the bills?

Most of them.

So how did Protest the Hero come about?

Uhh... Suburbia, y'know? We all lived in Whitby, we all went to the same school, we all had nothing to do on weekends and weekdays. We started drinking on the weekends... felt bad about drinking on weekdays... so we started playing in this band... and now we just drink all the time. We started when we were twelve. That's terrible, it's been a decade. I want to go back to school.

That's noble! What was it that inspired you to get into music, and is it the same thing that continues to inspire you today? ...Apart from the drinking? (Laughs)

(Laughs) Yeah, I guess it was boredom. Boredom and punk rock. We listened to a lot of Southern California pop-punk- Pock- ...no, that's weird. (laughs) But I guess the boredom still enthralls us today. It's more in relation to us getting bored with our own music, so we want to create more music that's more complicated and difficult than before.

That's cool, it's kind of like a mixture of the boredom still and wanting to better yourself? Like "Let's make ourselves look better!"

(Laughs) Yeah.

Awesome. You're video for "Palms Read" came out last month, how was shooting for that and how has the reception for the video been?

That was the best video ever! We didn't have to do a f*cking thing! We just kind of sat there in chairs and pretended we were playing our song for like an hour. It hasn't been received very well...

No?

No. Well, I don't know, I like it.

Yeah, me too.

Yeah, but I read a couple comments where people were like, (putting on a voice) "I don't get it! Is it supposed to be funny? I'm commenting on the internet!" You know? But I think that's part of the big reason why I like it so much, because there's this large faction of people that don't understand it, and don't think it's funny... or good. Which is sweet, because I enjoy pissing people off.

(Laughs) "You're confused. It means I win."

Precisely!

Well, on the topic of videos, you guys seem to jump when it comes to themes, like, you'll do something like that where it's kind of confusing, and you'll do something like "Heretics and Killers" where you're in flying monkey outfits, and then ones that seem more serious and are performance ones. So what is it that helps you choose each treatment for each video? Is there something specific that draws your eye to each kind of video or does it depend on the song?

I don't know. When we were a lot younger, and I think it goes the same way with everyone, you know, you're watching music television and you're like, what are these sh*tty videos? We can get out there and create something that's at least more interesting than this garbage that's being produced. We try to stay true to our former selves, in the respect that we try to keep it interesting and... I wouldn't say innovative... and I wouldn't say original either. I don't know what I'd say.

Interesting?

Yeah, we just try to keep it as interesting as possible. We've got to keep ourselves entertained, we've gotta make ourselves laugh first and foremost.

Yeah, I would think that would be the most important thing, because if you're bored with what you're doing, then it just loses something.

Yeah.

So what has been your biggest moment as a band so far, and on that same note, what has been the biggest challenge?

It's hard to say. Nothing seems like it's overly challenging, but nothing seems like it's been overly easy. Everything is so middle of the road, it's so hard to objectively view what's been happening in the bands career for the last little while. When I look at shows from like four years ago and we'd have a hundred people there... and now, there's considerably more people, it puts it in perspective a little. But I don't know. Nothing's ever been that difficult. We've all known each other since kindergarten, first grade, so...

That makes interaction with each other fairly easy?

We're not the kind of band that ever gets in these big fights. We don't fight. We don't care about anything. That's probably why there are no challenges and there are no difficulties. It's just like, if something difficult approaches, we'll deal with it. It's just whatever.

Just take everything as it comes?

Pretty much. That's also why we haven't really taken into account any great success. Maybe we've had these pinnacle moments, but nobody realizes it, because we don't give a f*ck. (laugh) You know?

Is it sort of like, maybe in hindsight you'll go, Oh hey-

That was pretty cool!

That was pretty cool, exactly, yeah.

Sort of! But even in hindsight we're not the kind of people that reflect on that. We're not in this for f*cking life. If it all fell apart tomorrow and we all go our separate ways, who gives a sh*t?

Okay. What is it that fuels your passion for what you do?

...Alcohol. ...Cigarettes. (laughs) I don't know. I don't have much passion regarding anything, to tell you the truth. I'm not a very passionate person. (laughs) I guess I'm passionate when creating technical music... with a melodic premise.

If you were in charge of the music industry for a day, what would be the first thing you'd change?

I'd eliminate it.

You'd eliminate it completely?

Yes. I don't think art forms should have industry. I think selling music is stupid. We could do this thing the same way we're doing it now, promote it over the internet, sell f*cking t-shirts at the shows, sell tickets sales and we'd have no more or less money. If it comes down to pragmatism record labels make no difference. They sell our f*cking records. They pay for the recording of it, but we don't see any money from record sales, and I'm fine with that, because I really wish people would just start downloading everything.

What kind of message do you ultimately want to get across with your music? Is there one?

Yeah, there's one! I'm sure somewhere there's one. It differs from song to song, different ideas. I don't know if there's an overall premise that we're looking to promote. Right now we're just kind of get to the young kids who are turning straight edge! Be like, listen guys! You've gotta drink those teenage years away! Because they're f*cking awkward! You're not going to want to remember that!

What are your plans for the new year, and what can we expect from you guys in the future?

We're going back to the states in January, back to Europe after that, back to the states after that, back to Canada after that, and then hopefully back to Japan... Australia... and then we're coming back to write a record.

The Sound Faction is made up of five of the most random people you might ever meet, and we try to end each interview with five random questions to try and end each interview on a good note-

Yup yup yup yup yup! I'd like to do that!

Awesome, because I was just about to ask if you were cool with it.

Was that one of the questions?

(Laughs) no actually, it wasn't. Then it would be six questions, but anyway. Which is worse, cheeto fingers, or juice mustaches?

That depends. Are we talking about a mustached individual, drinking juice and getting it in their mustache? It leaves like, a mustache on top of your mustache, and that's awful. It's not so bad when you're clean shaven, which I don't really know a whole lot about.

(Laughs) So we're going with juice mustaches then?

I guess so, yeah!

Alright. So what's one girls fashion trend that confuses you?

... Uggo boots. [Motions to my boots] I'm sorry, but-

I'm going to explain this. Everyone always says that, but they're warm.

Alright. They'd f*cking better be. Because they look stupid.

I realize that. They keep your jeans from getting wet, and they're warm.

I'll give you that. They're efficient.

They are. I don't care what they look like. If you could have lunch with any fictional character, who would it be?

... I have an answer for this, I know it! ...It'd be my father! ... ... ... I'm a test tube baby.

...Alright...

(Snort) That's a lie!

(Laughs) Any other answer, then?

Nope nope... maybe Raskolnikov, because I wanna kill a man just like him! Except for he killed a woman.

If you could have any super power, what would you want to have? Extra points for creativity.

Okay. I would like to have a wallet that I could open up and money just goes (makes a sound effect for money scattering everywhere).

Now would that be a super power, or a magic wallet?

I'll make- well... okay... you know... I would like to shoot money out of my hands! I have reasons for this. I'm not a greedy person, I don't really care all too much about money, but what I would do would be to hire a team of scientists- the best scientists in the world- the most expensive, and I'd find all the cures to like, cancer, and AIDS, and all that sh*t, and then I'd start releasing it to the public, little bit, by little bit, at very expensive prices... until... I had all of the money. Not just like, I could make more money, I would just have all the money, economies would be

...(Laughs)! Okay!

That's what I'd do!

Well I like it! Last one... what's the one thing you couldn't live without?

...Booze.

...I was kind of sensing that was coming, actually (laughs).

I'm sorry. It's a sh*tty answer... but it's the truest thing I know.

Alright, well thank you very much.

Thank you. That was very fun!

That's what we go for here!

Thank you again to Rody for taking the time to talk to us here at The Sound Faction. Want to hear more from Protest the Hero? Go check them out on their MySpace.