Music Interview: Shout Out Out Out Out

By Rachel Betts-Wilmott

His back arches, his head snaps forward, somewhere nearby a girl screams. Suddenly he’s on the ground with the most livid look on his face, the centre of attention as people wonder what happened to the kid in jeans and a t-shirt–who they expected to be in a typical grunge or punk band–to make him choose this end? Who would expect he’d turn to dance music?

“Somehow it became part of a natural progression for us,” says Nik Kozub, multi-instrumentalist of Shout Out Out Out Out. “I’ve always had dance floor material, like say Daft Punk, in my music collection, not to mention Lyle [Bell] is a synth fanatic. But I can’t really map out when it happened.”

Whenever the moment of metamorphosis came it was quite a change. Between the six members of the Edmonton based Shout Out Out Out Out there are two full drum sets, four basses, cowbells, vocoders, octapads and five synths. A far cry from members’ earlier projects like Whitey Houston, the transition required a lot of effort, but the boys from Shout Out Out Out Out have an unlimited amount of energy.

“The hardest part about playing dance music was learning all these instruments,” Kozub relates. “But it’s so much fun playing with them, learning the different techniques and methods.

By leaving more traditional instruments and stepping out of their comfort zone, they’re able to stand apart from the now usual indie-kid friendly, post-punk, whatever you want to call it dance music. Instead of playing in the style of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and controller.controller, Shout Out Out Out Out look to the musical paths of bands like Kraftwerk and Six Finger Satellite.

“We usually just say we play dance music,” Kozub explains. “Maybe we’re more electrorock? The rock kids think we’re straight up dance music and the hardcore techno kids think of us more as rock. So I guess that makes us just all of the above.”

Genre classification doesn’t matter for Shout Out Out Out Out this week. They’re headed into Calgary to play Bermuda Shorts Day, where a dance floor will be waiting for them in the beer gardens. At BSD there’s no set audience, just a bunch of kids looking for a good time. Kozub has been through this kind of thing before and has his own advice.

“Drinking too fast will do you in,” Kozub suggests. “So space it out. Don’t mix drinks–at least for me that always spells trouble. And if it gets really bad, the best hangover cure is greasy food for breakfast and patience.”

As for Kozub and his cohorts, they’re going to be trying to keep it under control but they have some steam to release. Except for the occasional show and a trip down to the South by Southwest festival, they’ve been spending a lot of time putting together their new album Not Saying/Just Saying, due out in August. BSD promises to be as good a time for them as for students.

“Once the beat starts it’s easy,” admits Kozub. “We just get up and have a good time. Everything is more fun when it’s a dance party.”

Shout Out Out Out Out want to see you out on the dance floor this Thursday, even if nobody else expects to see you there and your moves make your friends question your sanity.