This week we chatted with drummer Kyle Fischer of Canadian rock band The Dirty Nil about a lot of our favorite topics at Concert Archives like first/favorite concerts, bucket lists, etc.
Kyle and The Dirty Nil’s Past Shows
Backstage Pass: What’s the first concert you went to?
Kyle Fisher: Good Charlotte in 2013 at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, ON
BP: Was the first show you ever played a Dirty Nil show? If not, what was it?
KF: I had a band when I was 15 for a brief minute. We played a highschool talent show with no original songs. We played a cover of Californication and Dazed and Confused if I remember correctly.
BP: When was the first The Dirty Nil show? How’d it go?
KF: The first Dirty Nil show was in 2006 I believe at a church in our hometown of Dundas. We had maybe one original song at the time. It was probably just really loud and sloppy with tons of feedback so I’d say it went pretty well. We were originally called the Basement Saints and our very good friend Jordan Sojnocki played bass for that show and that show only.
BP: What’s your favorite concert you’ve ever been to? Favorite concert you’ve ever played?
KF: One of the best shows I ever got to see was The Flaming Lips in 2008. That was definitely one of my favourite concert going experiences.
My favourite concert I played was the end of the Master Volume tour at the Opera House in Toronto. We set up the craziest show we possibly could and we recorded the whole thing. It was one of the best nights of my life.
BP: What’s the first “big” show or tour you did?
KF: The first big show we ever played was opening for the Offspring in 2012 at Echo Beach in Toronto. I remember we played while the sun was blasting the stage and I thought I was going to pass out. The show was a blur and we definitely played too fast. I was also late getting there because there was a huge traffic jam so I was just stressing out the entire time. We learned a lot at that show.
Recent and Upcoming The Dirty Nil Concerts
BP: Back in October/November you did the ‘Dancing 2 Thrash’ Virtual Tour. Can you tell us about how that idea came about, and how it all came together? How easy or difficult was it to adapt from playing to audience to playing to a camera?
KF: We wanted to do a live stream but also find a way to connect with some of our favourite venues in North America and raise some money to support them. Our manager had suggested it over a phone call and we all brainstormed on how to make it a tour still. So we decided on some “Tim and Eric” style green screen gags orchestrated by Mitch Barnes and Victor Malang. We did the whole thing in our friend Adam Bentley‘s studio. It was a little tough to always be in the mood to give your full energy without an audience there but we would just drink a couple beers and come out swinging every night.
BP: Besides not being able to tour, how else has the pandemic influenced you as a musician?
KF: It gave me a lot of time to put in more practice hours which was really great. I realized how much I’d really been neglecting that area of my playing. So I was able to build some routines with my drumpad at home. I also wrote a couple songs for my little fun side project Instrument of Death.
BP: Do you have a favorite song to play live? What makes it your favorite?
KF: Right now my favourite to play live is “Astro Ever After.” It is a good break in the set for me where I’m not playing as fast and hard as I can. The crowd really gets involved and it has one of my favourite drum fills.
BP: What’s your favorite venue to play?
KF: 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis will always have my heart.
BP: Do you have any more live streams in the works now that the album is out?
KF: We are on a strict stay at home order right now here in Ontario so maybe once that has passed.
BP: Any specific plans to tour once it’s possible again?
KF: Nothing at the moment but I know that we will be hitting the road as soon as we can
BP: Which song(s) from your new Fuck Art album are you most excited to play live?
KF: I’m really looking forward to playing them all because I know the fans are going to go hard, but if I had to pick a favourite it’s between “Ride or Die” and “To the Guy Who Stole My Bike.”
Bucket List
BP: If you could tour with any band, who would you love to tour with?
KF: It would be awesome to tour with Metallica.
BP: You’ve played a ton of awesome tours and festivals over the years. Were there any “Bucket List” items over the years? Anything still on the list you’re working towards?
KF: Quite a few bucket list items were checked off in recent years. We got to open for The Who and that was incredible. It was huge, we played for around 70,000 people. I don’t know if that could ever happen again. We also met Dave Grohl at a festival which was a dream come true.
BP: Any favorite tour stories from over the years?
KF: One of the more recent fun nights is we had a day off with White Reaper. We all went to The Comedy Store in LA to start the night and then they had to go to the Rainbow to meet someone. We met them there later but first stumbled into a Cro-Mags show at the Roxy with our friend and head of Dine Alone Records, Joel Carriere. We proceeded to drink all night at the Rainbow after that I don’t remember too much else of the night. There’s plenty more but if I told you all of them, there would be none left for the book.
A big thanks to Kyle Fisher of The Dirty Nil for taking the time to chat with us! Be sure to check out The Dirty Nil’s new album Fuck Art wherever you get your tunes, and give the band a follow on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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