The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer On Their "Primal, Skanky, Greasy" Tours

A band with a name like The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer is always going to command attention. Whether or not they can keep it, however, is a different story. This Vancouver duo has no trouble with that though, their deconstruction of the blues form, the subsequent warped reconstruction, the power and passion they exhibit — well, that's what's going to hold that attention and keep it firmly in place.

Guitarist and foot percussionist Matthew Rogers and vocalist/harmonica player Shawn Hall met in the mid-2000s while recording an ad jingle, bonded over common musical tastes and the rest is history. Four records later and this duo are in demand the world over, next month heading to Australia for their first extended tour.

"We're coming down with a well-seasoned, well-oiled, really primal, skanky, greasy, love machine of a blues vessel."

"Yeah, we're finally comin' down man," enthuses Hall over a scratchy Skype connection. "We were there three years ago [showcasing at Brisbane's BIGSOUND conference] and, nothing against Brisbane, but it's like coming to Canada and just seeing Ottawa. We want to be able to see much more of the landscape, not just [be] stuck in the centres.

"Everyone has told us about the Mullum Music Festival [too]," he goes on, referencing one of the festival slots they're playing while here, along with Queenscliff and a few sideshows. "They've said it's a pretty eclectic festival... it sounds great. [So] we're coming down with a well-seasoned, well-oiled, really primal, skanky, greasy, love machine of a blues vessel.

"We're also coming with a third singer — from a vocal powerhouse from Winnipeg called Chic Gamine — her name is Andrina Turenne, she's fantastic. She's kinda got more of a - not country music but country/soul, she adds that to the band. She's been on our last two records, and has been out on the road with us for only the past nine months."

Speaking of records, the duo's last was 2014's A Real Fine Mess, which they're currently in the process of following up on. "Yeah, we do have a new one, coming out in February next year," Hall confirms. "We're trying to do a different thing, and we're involving a much larger community of musicians that we'd been influenced by and have invited into the project."

He goes on to explain, "The record and the live set are always two different bodies... so when we do a record, we'll have full drums, we won't do a foot-drum record for example. We usually have a bass player [on the albums], we've hired three singers... it's a wonderful relationship, they've made me become a better singer because we sing together on the records. I try to keep up with them - whatever I'm trying to capture, needs to be captured with them in person, rather than me laying down my stuff and then bringing them over the top.

"It was a conscious decision to bring in extra people whose heart and soul we dug," Hall adds, an ethos which has thus far worked and looks set to continue.