Versus the Nothing is a hard working band, and this year is no exception. The group is currently in the middle of their Grindstone Tour, and is getting ready to make a return trip to the studio to record a new album. They will be making a Yorkton stop on April 8.
Guitarist Ande Ottae says the plan was to get one more tour in on last year's Black Gloves EP before going back to the studio. He says they wanted to hit some new places, visit some old friends, and do a bit of road testing on new material before that trip to the studio.
The band was in Yorkton last year, opening for Hinder. As the headliner this time around, Ottae explains they'll have a bit more time and be able to better connect with their fans.
"It's more about us, and seeing what we do, rather than us playing and hopefully winning over Hinder's fans."
The group is thrilled to be making a return trip to the city, and Ottae anticipates it being a great time for both fans and the group itself.
"Yorkton's been one of the highlights of our tour, we always have so much fun there. Our drummer Jason's from Saskatchewan, so he loves playing Saskatchewan, it's one of his favorite places," he adds.
Versus the Nothing is a group that's constantly on tour, and Ottae says it's one of the things that they love about being a band, and has been an integral part of their sound and their approach to music, and life in general.
"You're getting out there, putting in 80 hours a week into the band, as opposed to being at home. You're getting better as musicians, playing every night. The bond between band members is growing, you just get to feel each other out and grow as a group as opposed to individually. It's great to make new fans, get out and see everyone, and see the fruit of your labor."
While it's the final leg behind the Black Gloves EP, Ottae says that it's been a great year touring behind that release. He notes that the single Killer has had a lot of positive recognition and airplay. That's lead to more people at the shows, and Ottae says since the band takes so much pride in their live performance, it's great to have an album bring more fans to the show.
With this being the last tour before a new album, it's also the last chance to test drive new songs before they're recorded. Ottae says that they're approaching the album as a way to bring that live experience home.
"With this record we want to capture our live show, and get that energy into our studio album. That's really the tough part, so this time we picked a producer that really understood us, and is like a sixth member of the band," he explains.
He says that the show will be a mix of songs that fans will be familiar with, and new material that they're putting together for that next release. He promises the show will be something that will connect with current fans, and make new ones of people a bit more unfamiliar with the group.
Versus the Nothing will be at the Army, Navy & Airforce Veterans Club with Wild Uprising on Sunday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets for the all ages show will be $8.
