Tim Hackemack - HIT THE STAGE

Yes, we have to have backups, as living on a different continent can be a challenge. Not everyone can always tour, so we have moved members around to accommodate … In a sense like a roster. Evan and me are the core and have had to change around different players to accommodate tour schedules.

Do you have funny stories from being on the road?

Not so much a story, but advise: Do not pull fire alarms in Frankfurt hotels. That might turn out to be very expensive.

How does the punk and skinhead scene in Canada differ from the one in Europe in your opinion?

The scene is very different in Canada because of the sheer distance, Canada is a big country! The scenes are a lot smaller here but the camaraderie is the same as we share the same subculture. Europe is a big place as well, but the concentrated populations allow for bigger fan bases and shorter distances between countries and cities. It takes four days and six time zones to drive across Canada! The people involved in the punk and skinhead scene here are just as dedicated as in Europe but on a much smaller scale. There is a strong scene here, great bands and good people.

How does the songwriting process in the band work? Who writes the music and who writes the lyrics?

I write the melodies and main sounds of the songs. After that, texture and leads are added. I usually have a basic idea of what the song means or what feeling it gives or mood.

Generally, I write lyrics, whether it’s on a piece of paper, playing guitar or walking down the street. Evan has been great and we have collaborated together lyrically on some songs. When Evan and I are in a room together and I start playing something I wrote, he intuitively knows what I’m trying to express with the playing and it’s fun to watch it take form. When Pressure came about, Evan and I were sitting in his back yard and I picked up an acoustic guitar and started churning out songs and ideas as we scribed out lyrics to my melodies, it was a great day.

Where do you get the topics for your songs? What inspires you?

Mostly from what we see going on around us, things that piss us off or things that matter. Certain issues that have affected us personally.

Why did you take a long break in the last years?

We all needed a little break. We were touring a lot and people started to change paths, that’s okay, change is good. We’re back now and writing songs again and planning new tours. We have a solid line-up and are really looking forward to Bishops Green’s future!

You have toured Europe a lot of times. Are you more popular here than in Canada?

I would have to say yes, we are better known in Europe as we have played more over there. Canada is a big place, it’s very spread out between cities, this makes touring much more difficult and more time consuming. Canada does also have a much smaller population as well, but the fans and people involved over here in the scene are definitely supportive and are great people. The subculture is very hardworking.

What’s the worst thing that has happened to you on tour?

Nothing that really has stood out too bad that we weren’t able to get by and overcome it. Of course, there are tire flats, police harassment, death threats, cancellations, and so on. But, being pulled over six times in the tour can be a little annoying.

What kind of sacrifices do you have to make to be in a touring band?

We have been pretty lucky in the sense that we have had flexible jobs. As mentioned, people change and take different paths and we carry on and keep going. Definitely there have been sacrifices, but we love to tour and play the music we write, it’s a very important part of our lives. We’re so lucky to have fans in so many places all over who come out to a show to see us play and support our scene.

Do you have one setlist for a tour or does it vary?

We like to play two different setlists. We have a short one and a long one depending on whether it’s a headline show or support. It’s basically the same, keep it simple.

What’s the most important thing for you after you have played a show?

I love to go out in the crowd and talk with people, I really enjoy hearing stories from the locals about their scene and what it’s like where they live, it’s very interesting. It’s great to meet new people and make contacts.

How do you deal with disagreements in the band?

We try and talk it out as a group assessing the situation or issue and try to come up solution that we can all agree, we have to work together to make this work.

According to your website you have a booking agency for Europe and the US, but not one for Canada? Why do you do it yourself?

That is true, the reason is we know a lot of individuals in Canada that book shows and have been fortunate enough to be contacted first. Or sometimes it’s just a phone call and a friendly chat and the fact that we don’t do a lot of Canadian shows. We have met many awesome people and friends that make setting up a show fun and easy.

Are there countries you still wanna play but haven’t so far?

Yes, southeast Asia, Japan, Australia, and we want to go back to do more of South America and more UK shows.

Where does the name Bishops Green come from?

Actually, it is the name I saw on the entrance to a housing complex out in an area where I used to live. I thought to myself one day as I was driving to work as every day that would make a neat band name. You can interpret different meanings from the name and I thought it had a nice ring to it.

Are there other goals that you have with the band?

We would like to keep writing, recording and playing as much as we can. We are proud of what we have done and so thankful to all friends, fans, contacts and awesome people we have met so far on this amazing journey.

Wann habt ihr C4Service gegründet?

Holger: Wir haben die Band 2013 gegründet und die ersten Shows gespielt. In der jetzigen Besetzung mit Verena, Carsten, Nico, Jan und mir spielen und streiten wir seit 2015.