Hailing from Welland, Ontario, Attack in Black is a post-hardcore band with a soul.

Their current effort, Marriage, is powerfully melodic and engaging. Their first album on Dine Alone (home to other bands like City and Colour and Bedouin Soundclash), the record came out in July of this year to great reviews. We happen to play “If All I Thought Were True” on repeat for an hour at a time. The band took two CASBYs home last week (Best New Artist and Best Indie Release) and we grabbed them for a chat right before they hit the stage at the Kool Haus. The band will be touring Canada this November – check their MySpace page to see when they’ll hit your city.

Spencer: I’m sorry about the couch, it’s really uncomfortable.

Sideshow: Well, I do blame you.

Spencer: I’m a couch maker.

Sideshow: Nice to meet you.

Dan: Nice to meet you too.

Sideshow: I interviewed Finger Eleven and Raine Maida and I asked them who they were most excited to see at the CASBYS and they both said Attack in Black.

Spencer: That’s a lie, you’re making it up.

Dan: That’s weird. I don’t think they’ve heard of us. They were forced to say that.

Sideshow: Well, you guys have blown up in the past little while.

Spencer: Who blew up?

Sideshow: You guys!

Spencer: Oh, like, you mean, our band?

Sideshow: You’ve been getting a lot of buzz.

Spencer: I thought you meant like one of us exploded and died. The fifth member of our band did do that. His name was Shiloh.

Sideshow: Like Brad Pitt’s daughter?

Spencer: Are you kidding? Brad Pitt’s daughter exploded?

Sideshow: No, that’s just her name.

Dan: Wait, Brad Pitt’s daughter exploded? From a weird chemical reaction?

Sideshow: So the other member of your band is dead?

Spencer: Yeah, Shiloh. Ian’s fine, though.

Sideshow: How are you guys dealing with that death?

Dan: We didn’t really like him anyway.

Ian: The loss of any human life is a tragedy, but he was kind of a blank spot in my mind. Even when he was alive.

Sideshow: I’m glad you guys are dealing with it. Did you write any songs about it?

Spencer: I’m working on one called, “Shiloh, Where Are You?”

Sideshow: I’m going to write that down. Newest single.

Spencer: You might want to write that down. It’s a solo thing I’m doing.

Sideshow: Now that you guys are so popular, you guys are all going to do solo projects?

Spencer: My band’s called Shiloh.

Dan: My band’s called Attack in Black.

Sideshow: So you guys are from Welland. How does that affect your music?

Dan: I would say not really at all.

Spencer: We’ve only ever been from Welland, so we don’t really know how we’d be any different.

Sideshow: You guys are touring, so it’s a different lifestyle – do you write differently?

Ian: When we’re away from home? Not at all. If anything, when we’re away from home, we’re more of the people that we are. You’re learning more. You’re experiencing. The world changes a boy into a man.

Sideshow: I agree. Your sound has changed a lot from hardcore stuff to a lighter sound – why’s that?

Dan: Cause it’d be boring to be the same all the time.

Spencer: Yeah, our next record is going to sound like electronic hip hop.

Sideshow: Really?

Spencer: No. But you never know because people are always changing.

Ian: My solo record, Shiloh Sanders, is going to be really different.

Sideshow: So your solo record is called Shiloh Sanders but your side project is Shiloh? I am so drunk right now that I’m going to get this all mixed up.

Spencer: That’s okay, that’s great.

Sideshow: I have had a lot to drink.

Dan: That’s going to be good for the website.

Spencer: This is probably really exciting for you then.

Sideshow: Yes, I should stream this interview.

Spencer: It’ll be like, I’m sooo drunk right now and then the interview cuts.

Sideshow: Who is the Charles Bukowski fan?

Spencer: That would be Ian.

Sideshow: Awesome, because he’s one of my favourites, so I felt an affinity for you before we even met.

Dan: Why don’t you guys make out?

Spencer: Yeah, why don’t you guys date or something?

Ian: I don’t knoow…

Sideshow:  I think you might be a little young for me, but…

Ian: How old do you think I am?

Spencer: How old are you?

Sideshow: How old do I look?

Spencer: I don’t know, 26?

Sideshow: I’m 27.

Spencer: He’s 24.

Sideshow: You look younger.

Ian: I do.

Dan: Yeah, his dad doesn’t even grow facial hair.

Sideshow: How old is your dad?

Ian: He’s bald and 70.

Sideshow: Your dad is hairless? Does he have that condition where you can’t grow any hair whatsoever?

Ian: No, he’s got hair. Just not on his chest or face and he’s proud of it.

Sideshow: Back to my question. That’s rare to hear of a band to openly be influenced by Henry Miller and Charles Bukowski. How do you draw from that?

Ian: I tend to gravitate towards things that I relate to that somehow embody punk rock or what music makes me feel, so authors like that make me feel the same way bands I like do.

Sideshow: I went to your website. I felt it was intellectual.

Ian: That’s probably just luck.

Spencer: You were probably really drunk when you looked at it.

Sideshow: I just looked at it right now. I didn’t really do any research for this interview.

Spencer: I wouldn’t be mad at you or anything.

Sideshow: Which one of you got a tattoo from a reality show you were on?

Spencer: Uuugh God, one more mistake covering my arm. Look at it.

Sideshow: Well you have lots of tattoos so it’s kind of like…

Spencer: What do you think it is?

Sideshow: Your band’s logo?

Spencer: It’s a Pac-Man eating a lightning bolt.

Sideshow: I love it. I mean, what else do you say to someone who’s had something permanently marked on their body?

Spencer: You could say, “Oh dude, that sucks, you must be so pissed.”

Sideshow: I can see that you’re a big fan of your mom (Spencer has a MOM tattoo).

Spencer: I like her.

Dan: Who doesn’t like their mom? Well, some people.

Spencer: Some people’s mothers are maniacs.

Ian: Neglectful idiots.

This interview was conducted by Nicolle Weeks, a regular contributor on slice.ca with a penchant for getting drunk before conducting journalistic interviews.