Back for More – Bleed American Reunite

Fans everywhere were filled with disappointment when Winnipeg’s Bleed American called a hiatus in December 2015.

Despite the best efforts of many artists, sometimes life and other commitments stand in the way of rock & roll dreams. This was the case for the popular pop-punk quintet. After a year and a half and one tragic ordeal, that thing called life that once dissolved the group has now brought them back together. We spoke with vocalist/guitarist Jordan Voth about their new music, their plans for 2017 and the experience that brought the band together.

JA: You guys have been on hiatus for about a year or so?

JV: Yeah about a year and half now. We kind of stopped after our Western Canadian Tour [that summer]. We played a show in December 2015 as our kind of last send off, so yeah it’s been a while.

JA: What made you guys decide to get back at it?

JV: My brother and I had a death in the family. Our mother passed away and that’s actually what got us in the same room. While we were just hanging out and talking, Jarrod and Jorb kind of put forth the idea of hanging out and jamming again. Now that I’m not so busy with school and I have a bit more time for myself it’s a little easier to do that. So we did that and things just kind of went the way they always have for us. It was really nice to just pick it up and keep going the way it was before.

We never went more than six months without new content, whether it was a cover or an acoustic version or whatever, we always put out new material. I don’t think that will change.

JA: How has getting back together with the band helped you and your brother?

JV: It’s just something that’s nice. It’s a nice reprieve from the grind of going to work, going to school, and all that stuff. It’s nice to take a break from all that stuff and do something else; especially for me because I record other bands primarily so it’s nice to do something that’s just for my own enjoyment.

JA: You guys just released a new song, “It’s Legal.” Any plans for other ones this year?

JV: Yeah. When we went away in 2015 we had like six or seven songs that were going to be for the next album. Our goal was to have it out within a year’s time from the release of Figure it Out, so we actually have a fair bit of a material. We’re just kind of learning it, refining it, because we also have to relearn old material too. I have to listen to the old songs and try to remember what I was playing there. One of the bigger challenges is some of those songs are pretty hard to sing so it’s been a little bit of practice and singing on my own and trying to get my own skills up to par again.

JA: A lot of artists now don’t really do full album or EP releases anymore and just release singles. Is that more or less what you guys will be doing this time around?

JV: I would like to do that but I think we’d have to talk and see what we’d like to do. I think the guys want to do an album. There is something nice about having a cohesive twelve or so songs that make up this piece of art but I also get why bands release singles instead. Even as a listener, sometimes there’s so much filler that goes on an album nowadays that I’d rather just have the singles. I’d rather bands just always have new stuff. Our band has always been like that. When we were an active band we never went more than six months without new content, whether it was a cover or an acoustic version or whatever, we always put out new material. I don’t think that will change. I think we will have new stuff out in six months but I just don’t know what it’ll be.

Check out Bleed American on Facebook. Keep your eyes out for new music  and check out  “It’s Legal” on Spotify or Bandcamp.