One late night after an intense rock show in a dark bar near Toronto a fan approached the lead singer of a band with no name.

“I felt like I got hit in the face with a rocket,” said the fan, referring to the music. It was here that the name found Rocketface.

“It sounded like a good name,” said drummer and lead vocalist Joseph Janisse. He takes the analogy to be positive, and even a good reaction to the intensity of Rocketface’s music.

Critics seem to agree. Janisse’s voice receives the most attention from reviewers. Toronto’s eye Magazine describes his voice as “jaw dropping” and rated the self-titled album four out of five stars. Chart Magazine gives the album a 77 per cent rating but does note that “the singing drummer schtick isn’t as exciting now that Death From Above 1979 is here.”

Death From Above 1979 may very well have stole some of Rocketface’s thunder as they inched their way up to top the charts of college rock stations across Canada, but Rocketface doesn’t notice. Feb. 4 marked the first of many dates that the group picked up when they were asked to join the Trews for the western portion of yet another national tour. In fact, Rocketface was en route from Saskatoon to Grand Prairie when Janisse phoned from his rented mini van to talk about the band, their music and their first time in western Canada.

“There are three of us in the van and the gear is on the roof,” said Janisse. Well, not all of the gear. The drums, Janisse said, are stowed in the back of the van and treated with care. “Until I start to hit them,” he said.

When performing the set up is simple. Janisse is on a platform at centre stage. Ray Zilly (guitar and vocals) and David Markham (bass and vocals) surround Janisse on either side. Janisse sings and the other two move about the stage, but they’re no dancers.

“It’s all about the music for us,” he said. Although Zilly and Markham move about on stage, they’re far more concerned with the emotion of their music than stage presence. All three members of Rocketface are “intense” when it comes to music. This is most evident in their philosophy of song writing.

“Our music is discovered, not created,” said Janisse. This usually happens in Janisse’s Toronto home where his basement has been converted into a studio and practice space. Individual songs find the band during jam sessions. “As long as we’re all passionate about the piece we keep going.” Together the band works with pieces of songs. Then Janisse looks for lyrics to sing overtop. “The lyrics are already there, in existence. I just have to find them,” he said. The rest is soon “flushed” out.

Their favourite style of music is psychedelic, progressive rock. With influences and favourites such as the Beatles, Zepplin, Pink Floyd and Radiohead, it’s no wonder the band loves to jam.

For a jam-focused band, however, this tour has been something of a learning experience. With the Trews their set is limited and predominately upbeat. “We rock out more, it’s more intense,” Janisse said. For this tour, Rocketface is sticking with the radio-friendly style that has already won over audiences across Canada.

The north side of the Trews tour brings Rocketface up to Fort St. John and Prince George before heading south again to Kamloops on Feb. 22 where they play at Cactus Jacks Saloon. It seems that it’s not until the Vancouver show that these psychedelic rockers will be rid of their twanged venues when they play at the Commodore Ballroom.

Rocketface has enjoyed their first exposure to the west. Janisse did, however, draw special attention to their experience in Saskatoon.

“Saskatchewan was a little crazy,” he said. “There was some sort of psychosis in the air.” They played at the Roxy on Broadway in Saskatoon on Valentines Day.

“It sounded really good,” offered Roxy owner Darren Minisofer. “We turned away 300 or more people at the door.”

Janisse figured most people were looking for that special Valentine at the Roxy. “Or they already had a Valentine and were looking for another one.”

Rocketface doesn’t expect psychosis from B.C. fans. “I hear they like to rock,” said Janisse. And that’s a good thing, considering what Rocketface usually experiences at local shows. “Toronto audiences are the lamest in Canada,” he griped. For a good audience, Rocketface has been forced to look outside of music central. “Generally people like to get their ya ya’s out outside of the city,” he explained. This, he said, is because people are less reserved outside of the metropolis.

Despite the lame audience, Rocketface will not be leaving Toronto anytime soon. “It’s where you have to be,” he said. “Everyone’s there…I hate it. It’s such a rat race in Toronto.”

In Kamloops, tickets are available at Spinners Sound Centre and at Cactus Jacks for $15. The price jumps up to $20 at the door. According to an employee at Spinners, there are still lots of tickets available. The show happens on Feb. 22 at 8 p.m.

Rocketface plays the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver on Feb. 25 and The Whiskey in Calgary March 1. Tickets for those shows are $25 at the door.

Elsewhere

By Robyn Roste
Photos : Rocketface
Published : February, 2006.