“Bane” Interview with Aaron Bedard
We have the pleasure of interviewing the leader of Bane, Aaron Bedard.
Bane is an American hardcore punk band that began in 1995 and released several albums and EPs that rank among their era’s best, in 2016 they decided to put an end to the band, something that has left fans very sad, without knowing that they would have the Great news about their return in 2021.
Aaron took his time to talk to us about the story of the band, the long-awaited return, and their Latin America tour!
SUNRAY: Hi Guys! As we all know Bane is one of the most recognized American HardCore worldwide, founded in 1995, We would like you to tell us more about the beginning of the band.
Bane: In the beginning it really started as a side project of our guitarist Aaron, he was also in Converge at the time, a much bigger and more established band. Converge were more on the metal side of things and Aaron wanted to write some more traditional sounding hardcore songs, so he started Bane, and when Bane began we pent the first couple of years mostly playing local shows, released a couple 7” eps and never really imagining that one day he would leave Converge and that Bane would then become a touring band, who would be able to travel all over the world, never mind that we would do this for 20 years!
SUNRAY: Throughout the band’s career, you have released 4 albums studio, ‘It All Comes Down to This’ (1999), ‘Give Blood’ (2001), ‘The Note’ (2005) y ‘Don’t Wait Up’ (2014), which one is your favorite?
Bane: My favorite is Give Blood. The sound of it, the energy In the performances, the insane crack of that snare drum. We wanted to make something special, we worked very hard writing those songs and then were pushed very hard in the studio. We had to dig deep inside ourselves. Then the record came out and the world opened to us like a door.
SUNRAY: Bane broke up in 2016, and the band returned, last year 2023, what motivated Bane to get back together?
Bane: I’ve answered this question a few times already, I hope you won’t mind thatI cut and paste that response here –Making music and being able to play that music for people who love it, all over the world is such a strange and magical thing. I knew early on how lucky I was to be in Bane, to have a band that meant the world to us, and meant something to others as well. It was something I tried to never take for granted. When we decided to make a final album,, do some last tours and then walk away, it really felt like it was time, or that it was the “right” and “noble” thing to do. We called it: “writing our own ending”, and to us there was something romantic in doing it that way. What we didn’t plan for is how difficult it is to walk away from the thing you truly love, even when you’re trying to convince yourself that it’s the “right” time. I started missing Bane even before our final show. I could feel the end coming on like a shadow, and I hated it. It scared me, the thought of not having this band any longer. Then it was here, what we had said we were going to, we did, and I had to live with the decision. Sit every day and try to come to terms with where my life would go next, that nothing would ever feel quite the same, because the band was such a huge part of the way I saw the world, the way I saw myself. For over twenty years it was my favorite thing, to be in a van, far from home, playing shows with Bane. I tried to start another band, that didn’t work, it wasn’t the same. The years went on and I just couldn’t let it go. I wasn’t growing away from loving hardcore the way I thought I would. I still wanted to pick up a microphone in a tiny, hot, sweaty room, hear the excitement in the crowd and say, “This song is called Count Me Out.” I never figured out how to let go. Then COVID came and that was a time to really reflect on life, the decisions we make, how quickly life can change and how immediately things can be ripped from us. Life felt fragile and I spent a lot of time thinking about the thing that made me happiest, and who cares what anyone else thinks?. Then our very good friend and bass player Stu Maguire got sick, and when he knew he didn’ t have long to live anymore, he wanted to have one last show, where he could see some of his favorite bands play one more time and he asked if Bane would do it. How could we say no? Some of us had already begun talking about possibly getting Bane back together, but were nervous because we had told so many people we would never play again. I had stood on a lot of stages for two years and said, “this is our last time”. How could we go back on those words so easily? What’s more important? The things we’ve said or the things we wanted to have back again? It was all confusing but when Stu asked us to play this show for him, the answer was clear and simple, of course we would do it. Playing that show in July 2021, it was the beginning of a process of us all slowly coming to terms with the fact that we wanted to have this band back again, and that nothing anyone thought, or had to say about it, mattered much when compared to playing these songs and being a band again. It just felt right. I felt like where we were supposed to be.
SUNRAY: This going back is a Tour on the farewell?
Bane: No. What we are doing now is the opposite of farewell. We made a t-shirt last year that on the back said: WE’RE BACK and in the shows we’ve played since returning in June of 2023 that’s really the way it has felt, it feels like a return, a rebirth.
SUNRAY: How Did it feel when you returned to the stage?
Bane: I guess the strongest feelings were that of great emotion. The first show back was a very big show in Boston, so many kids there, and a real sense of excitement and anticipation in the air. I had been dreaming of this moment, of having the band back together and standing on stage with my four brothers again. It had only existed in my imagination for so many years, in my dreams and regrets, suddenly there it was, it was really happening, and the circumstances were bigger and more electric than I could have ever imagined, the venue we played in Boston, Roadrunner was a very large rock venue and completely sold out. I. Remember really fighting not to get too overwhelmed and to just be in the moment, to enjoy every small detail. I wanted it to feel different then 7 years before when we said goodbye or two years before when we played a very emotional surprise set after out friend Stu had died, those shows were so filled with deep sadness, everything around Bane had been touched with sadness for so many fucking years. It was amazing to finally be back on stage and not feel sad, not feel like something was being taken from me, but the complete opposite. Finally, finally it was back again.
SUNRAY: Next August, the band will be touring Latin America, in Argentina on August 11th at the Uniclub, So, I won’t spoil too much, but, What can you tell us about the next concerts?
Bane: Yes, our next tour will be five shows through South America and then Mexico City and Costa Rica, these are all places we have played a few times before, some of the most memorable shows of our life have been in those cities, we have friendships in all of these places, so to return is very exciting for us. Not just to play the shows but to experience these cities again, to see old friends, make new ones, check out the local bands, see how things have changed since we last were there.
SUNRAY: And finally, what’s next for Bane?
Bane: This year we will play some more shows. Return to some cities around America that we have not played since 2016. We will release a remastered version of our first LP It All Comes Down to This on Equal Vision Records, then maybe we will start to think about writing some new music.
SUNRAY: Thank You so much! We’ll see you next August! All the best!
Bane: Love!
Bane will be performing in Argentina Next August 11, at the Uniclub (Guardiavieja 3360, CABA)
Get your tickets here
https://www.passline.com/eventos/bane-en-argentina-11-de-agosto-en-uniclub
Interview by Maria Fernanda Capici
Produced by California Sun Producciones – Hellnoise Booking
Press HP Prensa
