Published: Absolute Underground#58 June/July 2014
Kill Matilda is a zombie rock n roll band currently from Vancouver. Over the last seven years they have been touring and recording relentlessly. Even after some nearly deadly health issues in the past year they're back on tour. Taking their live show and zombie killing skills to every city and toen they can find. I recently put together an interview with leader Dusty Exner to talk about zombies and the road.
AU: You've been through a lot lately, have you ever thought about giving up on the whole rock n roll roadshow?
DE: Yes and no. When things have been really slow during times where we weren't doing much, or when we've been through troubling health periods, we lose momentum and the importance of everything we are doing seems far away. It can be really aggravating to see shitty pop bands and lame rock bands that suck getting all the glory for rehashing the same old shit when bands like us and others that we play with are being innovating, exciting and working our asses off. Once we are actively playing shows and planning tours, etc, those feelings go away. Not even a severe health issue (Dusty lost a pregnancy in January and have to have emergency life-saving surgery because she was bleeding internally!) can really get in our way...the show must go on! For us life is meaningless if we aren't kicking ass and playing rock and roll music. We really don't have a choice.
AU: Is there someone out there who you hate being compared to?
DE: Bill Cosby. No, but seriously, Avril Lavigne. It doesn't happen as much anymore now that she's not really as active as a musician, but it's frusterating that women in rock are still so underrepresented that any imposter in black eyeliner can come along and be lumped in with us legit female rock musicians. I think I even once read a headline that called her "Queen of the Punk Chicks" or something really ludicrous like that. Imagine if Michael Buble just grew a beard and suddenly the media was identifying him as a metal musician! The musical divide between what a pop artist like Avril does and what we do is so wide, yet for a lot of mainstream listeners she's the closest thing to a "rock" or "punk" female artist that they've ever seen. So. Lame. It's wack.
AU: As much as I see myself as the fearless zombie killer when I watch zombie films I cheer for the zombies. Are you the same?
DE: Heeeeeell no! If you work in an office do you cheer for the paper jam in the printer? Those things are damn drudgery when you work in Zombie Management like we do. Although to be fair, there's always that one really annoying dude who eventually gets ripped to pieces by the zombies and you always have to feel a little satisfaction over that.
AU: Any cities you plan on living in in the near future? A dream city?
DE: There was this episode of Doctor Who where there was a city built on the back of a whale that swam through outer space. So, that one. I also think we'd make a lot of money if we lived in Gotham City. But until either of those places are taking applications for a rock band we've got our sights set on Toronto and New York.
AU: If a raccoon was hitch-hiking, would you pick it up?
DE: Only if it could roll really good joints or had a lot of money. Because ass, grass or cash, no one rides for free, but none of us are attracted to raccoons. Too many scratches.
AU: Which road-stop always has the creepiest experience?
DE: Small-town Saskatchewan; we once stopped at an old-timey general store in Borden, SK. We wanted to buy something but everything had such a thick layer of dust or was so far past it's expiry date that in the end we just booked it out of there. It was so lonesome and creepy it seemed like the kind of place they chopped up little kids in the basement. We were waiting for the duelling banjos to start playing in the background. Tacos (our drummer) asked if the town had any "sights" and the grocery store guy told us that they had a church and that they "still" had a school! That town was so deserted I think we saw the same little girl ride past us on her bike twice in the same direction.
AU: Pick a fight: five zombie children or Jared Leto with a switch-blade?
DE: The real question is who would win in a fight between five children with switchblades vs. zombie Jared Leto?
Kill Matilda is on tour right now making a tonne of stops across Canada. You can check out their websites for dates, stories and to stream some free music
Michael F. Carnage
http://www.killmatilda.com/
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