Between the time I sent my questions and received my answers LSC Records released its last cassette and changed its name to HoM Records, making this the first (I believe), last and therefor only interview with label hoss and King Cans front man Bob! Nonetheless this turned out into an excellent read though about both LSC and the King Cans, as well as HoM Records’ future plans! Enjoy!

 

Hi Bob, thanks for taking the time to do this interview! How are things going at the moment?

Hi Mano, thanks to you for giving me the opportunity to do it. At the moment, I’m going through major changes with the label: the name will now be HoM Records and it will continue where LSC Records ended.

 

 

Let’s talk about your label LSC Records first. Admittedly, when I received your band’s (King Cans) first demo I thought it was just a name to stick on the sleeve, was it? Or was it indeed your intention to start a real label from the get go?

Actually you are right. Back then, we were like 4 bands in the LSC crew and we thought it was a good idea to be released under the same name for a bigger exposure.  Soon, more and more bands popped out in the Montreal scene and they wanted to be on the label even though they were not part of the crew. Without even realizing it, the label grew bigger and bigger as we released bands from other Canadian provinces and soon from other countries. Now that the people involved in the label are no longer involved in the LSC crew (some of us were never in it in the 1st place), we decided it was the greatest time to switch the name to HoM Records and have a fresh start as a real label.

 

With the exception of a few 7” releases (Shotcallers and two EP’s by Offside) and a co-release with Crom Records for the King Cans / Kapo Blöd split EP (2017), the main focus – or main format I could say – is releasing music on cassette. Why is that?

Since I released mostly demos, the cassette was the cheapest format to do.  The cost to press vinyl is really expensive and I couldn’t afford to spend 2000$ on a demo of a new or unknown band. Now that some of these bands are more well-known, our next step is definitely to press vinyl in the near future. But to me, the cassette is more a valuable option than a trend option and I will still release stuffs under this format for sure.

 

 

Seriously though, recent tapes by Ultra Razzia, On The Ropes, City Ground, Honour Guard, Force Majeure and Béton Armé – just to name a few – sound fuckin’ mental! What is in the water over there in Canada?! 

Hahahaha, I can’t say. We always got good bands here, but it seemed like nobody were aware of it, even with internet now. Plus, our scene is bigger than ever as we have a new generation of skinheads here who bring a lot into this by starting new bands and puting all their energy into it. I don’t want to sound cocky but I also think that  what we did with the label helped that too since people want to be part of it and come up with “fuckin mental” sounds as you put it!!!

 

 

Released as a demo or not, nearly all of them would sound great on a 7” as well! Is this something you are considering, or is there some sort of agreement that these releases will remain exclusive as limited edition cassettes?

The bands and I currently agree that the demos will remain as limited edition cassettes. But Ultra Razzia will soon release their new LP and they rerecorded their demo which will be part of this new record as well as new songs and this is something we might consider with other bands.

 

Speaking of which (limited editions), most runs are really – really limited, ranging from 25 to 50 copies! Is this to keep things exclusive or to financially spread the risk – maybe both?

You got this right on. You have to keep in mind that we are still a pretty small label and, as almost everything is DIYed, I put a lot of my personal time and money into this. Financially, I take less risk by printing 25 to 50 cassettes at a time. That being said, I also like the fact that the demos are limited editions as I am myself a collector, I like to make each reprint different from the other.

 

Perhaps a bit unfair to ask, but what is your favorite release you have put out so far? Why?

Well, that would obviously be my band, King Cans, hahaha! Without joking, I’m proud of everything I released but I’m especially fond of On the Ropes demo since this is the kind of Oi! I like to listen to and Béton Armé because the demo as a whole – the music as well as the artwork – is amazing.

 

What else have you got planned for with LSC Records in 2018? Can you lift a little corner of the veil?

I just put out a demo tape (3 different editions) for Just Ice and that would be the last to come out under the name LSC Records. In the near future, you can expect several releases on cassettes: Silex (Montreal), Macguires’ Mob (Philly) and Lebel (Paris) North American edition of their demo. We also have 2 LP’s projects for 2019 besides the split LP between King Cans and Force Majeure.

 

I’ve already mentioned it, but besides putting out releases (and setting up shows) with LSC, you are also the front man of King Cans. Can you give a brief history of how the band got together?

We started talking about King Cans project around some beers after Dan’s old band Hold A Grudge split. Dan asked me to sing and our good friend Rachid  to start jamming on drums. Marco from Shotcallers joined us on bass. We got a couple lineup changes with time. We now have Sam from Inepsy on drums and Karl (Force Majeure , ex-Last Crusade & Hard Pressed) on bass.

 

You’ve already mentioned it (at least, I assume you will with question 8 haha), but the next release will be a split LP with Force Majeure! Can you tell a bit more about this release?

It will be 6 new songs and a cover for both bands. In the meantime, each band will release a promo tape with 2 songs from the LP and a cover exclusive to it. As far as King Cans is concerned, this LP will be our 1st recording with Sam and Karl and we are really excited to let people hear the whole new dynamic it brings into the band.

 

It will also be the first 12” you’ll be releasing, are you excited – or perhaps even nervous – for this release to drop?

Not really nervous but excited for sure. This was the logical next step to make for the label to be considered as legitimate.

 

What else will the future bring for King Cans, any future releases or (weekend) tours in the works?

We are always in the process of writing new songs for future releases (after the slip LP). We have 2 shows coming up in Montreal by the end of 2018 and we are considering a European tour in 2019 spring. Even though we would like to come back in the US, it’s really hard for Canadian musicians to cross the border and we almost didn’t make it when we played in Philly this past June.

 

 

Alright, I think that is it! Thanks again! And if you have any final comments, feel free to share!

First of all, I would like to thank you personally for your support since day one! Many good things are coming up from Montreal so make sure you still follow us and support us under our new name: HoM Records! Every LSC Records release will still be available via our current Facebook and bandcamp pages since we are only changing the names and contents remain the same.Cheers!