Slow are a Canadian punk legend.

And it’s a name I hadn’t heard in what seems like forever. In truth, it’s been 31 years since Slow stopped being a thing. The Vancouver-based 80’s punk band made quite a name for themselves and then in true punk fashion, they imploded.

They hit a peak and then they ran into some trouble. Their notorious show at Expo ’86, which ended with the band being temporarily held by police, had some far far-reaching implications for more than just the band.

Slow has been credited with influencing the grunge wave in Seattle, especially the fashion. Think flannel shirts, boots and ripped jeans and you’re right on track.

After plans to re-release their catalogue came to light, the guys were convinced to get the band back together. The long-awaited return of Slow comes with some additions. The current line up is: on lead vocals is Tom Anselmi, on guitar is Christian Thorvaldsen, also on guitar, Ziggy Sigmund, and on bass we have Stephen Hamm, on drums is Terry Russell, on keys and sax Kurt Dahle of The New Pornographers, also on vocals are Vanessa Dandurand of The Ballantynes and Jody Glenham of The Dreamers. The welcome additions bring a fuller, richer sound and fill in the spaces, making their live performances that much better.

The thing that they couldn’t have known going in to the reunion was that the magic was still there, waiting to be exposed. And after playing a slew of shows on the West Coast, Slow are back to wow the rest of us. With an upcoming show at Toronto’s Canadian Music Week, we’re thrilled that we’ll be able to see the band play live.

We caught up with singer Thomas Anselmi and asked the questions we’ve all been wondering.

SLOW Q&A

Q1) Can you tell us about how Slow came together?

Thomas Anselmi) Slow really came about through two pairs of two best friends jamming in the basement of one of their parent’s house. Christian and I had been working on putting a band together and he had an idea that this rhythm section he’d gone to elementary school with would work. That was Terry and Hamm and the first time we jammed it seemed like it had potential.

Q2) Can you tell us what pulled you apart?

Thomas Anselmi) I was getting drained, the whole band was getting drained. I mean it seems strange to think about now, but we were in the major newspapers in Canada often even before Expo. Usually, those articles were in some way critical or inflammatory. People were much easier to upset back then and we were coming from a school of rock and roll that was confrontational by nature. But having that attention at that age was stressful and especially combined with the real grind of touring with no money. Sometimes we were playing sold-out venues and sometimes we were playing some shitty arcade in Saskatoon to no people. It made the whole enterprise seem hopeless.

Q3) What have you been up to?

Thomas Anselmi) A little of this and a little of that. Singing, writing, doing artistic stuff of various sorts. Living in Los Angeles.

Q4) Why now? What things happened to make this the time to return?

Thomas Anselmi) The record was getting re-issued and offers were made. I had no interest in doing it, it was the promise of money that lured me. But once we were all in a room together I didn’t give a fuck about money anymore. The music took over.

Q5) Can you tell us how it feels to be re-releasing the original EP?

Thomas Anselmi) It’s interesting, I mean how many people would enjoy looking through their diary from when they were 17. But you know, the songs have a life of their own and some of them really stand up. At the end of the day, it’s the people that listen to the music, not the people that make it that decide it’s importance.

Q6) What can you tell us about the new music?

Thomas Anselmi) The new music picks up where we left off. We are going deep into everything we love about rock ‘n’ roll and presenting it as a revue in the 60s sense. Kurt Dahle is playing with us now, keyboards, saxophone etc. And we have some great singers working with us now, so it’s a punk rock extravaganza and I really think it’s better than it’s ever been. Have not been the same was such a drag to play live before because no one could cover the backing parts. It’s sure a joy for me to hear those vocals live.

Q7) “…the band has consistently been called one of the most influential punk rock bands in Canada and forerunners of the Seattle grunge scene.” Those are some pretty serious words, is that something that impacts you?

Thomas Anselmi) I don’t give a fuck about labels but I will say that the music seems to have stood up and there’s not a lot of records from that era that I’m putting on. In a way, we were behind the times a lot more than ahead. We were playing in a loose way that predated punk and applying what we’d learned from punk to that.

Q8) Is there any chance that you’ll add more shows?

Thomas Anselmi) Sure.

Thanks to Thomas for taking the time to answer our questions. We’re looking forward to seeing Slow live during Canadian Music Week.

Slow’s Upcoming Show Dates

Wednesday, May 9   Toronto at Phoenix (with The Dirty Nil) Tickets | $20

Thursday, May 10      Hamilton at This Ain’t Hollywood (with Dearly Beloved + Flesh Rag) Tickets  | $25

Friday, May 11             London at Call The Office (with Dearly Beloved + Midnight Terrors) Tickets | $20

Saturday, May 12       Montreal at Casa Del Popolo (with Dearly Beloved + Public Display)Tickets | $22

And one date in Western Canada:

Friday, June 22          Calgary at Dickens/Sled Island Music + Arts Festival Tickets | $20

Author profile

Trish Cassling

Writer/Photographer/Editor

Toronto Music Blogger