Interview: The Lazys Stretch Legs in Canada

Posted by RiffYou On October 22, 2014 0 Comment

After slugging it out in their homeland for the better part of seven years, Australian rock quintet The Lazys have stormed across the borders of Canada with their Self-Titled, bombastic new album.

Released earlier this week through Pheromone Recordings, the bulk of this 12-song affair is what you’d expect from a band that came from the turf in which AC/DC rocked. The riffs are catchy but powerful; the vocals howl; and the rhythm section pulsate.

As with their arrival into North America, The Lazys’ path to getting this album out of their minds and into your ears was also a lengthy process. When Riffyou.com initially met band frontman Leon Harrison in May at Canadian Music Week, it was explained that work on what was then their forthcoming album pretty much done.

But, during that very week, Harrison and the band – Matt Morris (lead guitar), Jay Braslin (drums), Glenn Williams (bass), and Liam Shearer (guitar) – would build bonds with a couple of Canadian rockers interested in helping them out.

“It all started during Canadian Music Week in May of this year,” recalls Harrison. “We came over and did three shows in under 24 hours. We did what we did and got a great response from all sides of the industry – whether it was people in other bands or the industry itself.”

One of those faces in the crowd was Billy Talent guitarist and producer Ian D’Sa. He caught The Lazys perform at Toronto’s Bovine Sex Club and the relationship between the two parties was formed. On the same evening, Colin MacDonald of The Trews joined the pack of Aussie’s on stage for a cover of his song, “Hold Me in Your Arms.”

If Harrison and company was hoping to find some well-established Canadian rockers to help them move forward on foreign soil, then mission accomplished.

These relationships eventually expanded into the studio. D’Sa would co-write The Lazys’ lead single, “Shake it Like You Mean it,” while Colin and his brother John-Angus would help the band pen “Hard Luck.”

“When we worked with Ian in the studio, we spoke a lot about his career,” remembers Morris. “Talking to him – considering that he’s been doing this for so long – was an inspiration for sure.”

Adds Harrison: “[Billy Talent] were around for 10 years before getting their first record deal. Ian’s an inspiring guy. I’ve spent a lot of time with Ian and, man, he’s just one of those dudes that is famous but acts like one of the people.”

While the group had put forth a number of releases independently ahead of this album, Harrison, Morris and the rest of the band are appreciative – and seemingly a bit relieved – that they now have the opportunity to touch a whole new audience, with a label and a team of industry members believing in them and helping them make it through.

Naturally, big success is the hope, seeing as good ole rock n’ roll has always found a way to resonate with the masses.

“We’ve worked almost 10 years to get to this point. It means so much. I love these guys in my band,” says frontman Leon Harrison. “Everyone’s worked hard and sacrificed so much. To see this album not do as well as we anticipate would be disappointing, but I think the quality is there. I want this album to be received by people the way a good rock n’ roll album should be.

“We want to go from a band that’s in its growth stage to a band that has a loyal fan base,” he continues. “We want people to buy our album and fucking love our band enough to see us every time we come to town.”

Last week during our time with The Lazys at the Gibson Guitar Canada headquarters, the band treated us to an exclusive acoustic performance of “Shake It Like You Mean It.” You can enjoy that below:

-Adam Grant