“The Physics Demos” Track List:
1. White Flag
2. Locust Years
3. Safe Harbor (B-side)
4. Wrapped Around a Bullet (Acoustic)
5. Safe Harbor (Black Flag)

“We’ve never been that type of band to have some big scheme to write a certain style of music or do anything we could to become these self-indulgent rock stars. It simply began as four guys doing what they love,” explains drummer Nathan Navetto, on Somastate’s 2006 formation. “It really just started out as us dudes jamming in random basements and a big ol’ woodshop.”

The heavy hitting rockers from High River, Alta. still carry that casual, relaxed attitude, but with a number of high profile gigs under their guitar straps, including Taste of Chaos, Vans Warped Tour and Junofest, it’s pretty clear these guys are active in making things happen for themselves.

With a sound inspired by the likes of Mastodon, A Perfect Circle, Norma Jean and In Flames, the quintet has won awards, been featured on radio stations across North America – and abroad – and still find time to update their own blog, whether talking politics, plugging other local area bands, or posting pics from their recording studio sessions.

Most recently, the band wrapped up recording an EP called The Physics Demos, the follow-up to their debut EP Reversals [Independent, 2008], and Navetto was kind enough to let us interrogate him about it, and Somastate’s upcoming full-length album.

What can you tell us about The Physics Demos?

I think a big pitfall for bands is releasing an EP and then releasing their full-lengths to follow with the same songs from the preceding EP. We don’t want that to happen. We’ll be releasing two new songs and a B-side along with two acoustic tracks. And for all of us, the new EP is a more stripped down approach to writing music. I think that we’re learning when and where to play less and leave more room for things to breathe. We’re still very proud of our last release, but looking back, it feels like we wrote great rock songs and left a lot of important things out of the equation, like mood, atmosphere, aggression, etc.

What kinds of things have you been doing to promote the release, and what do you have planned for when it comes out?

We tried pushing our music on Canadian radio stations, but we’re really not a radio friendly band. Especially the new stuff. Right now we’re focusing our efforts on Internet radio stations that play whatever the hell they want. We’re also still trying to push our way into local music publications. Most of them really exclude our genre of music, which is unfortunate. We’re huge supporters of being a part of a community, regardless of what type of music you play or where you fit in with a “scene.” We hate that. We just love music and want bands to appreciate each other for what they’re doing, not for who they fit in with.

Where did you record?

We felt that our sound needed to encompass our live show while, at the same time, remaining very big. Some of our favourite records are very raw and organic sounding. Our last release was very polished and produced, but we wanted to stay away from that this time. We ended up recording at The Physics Laboratory in Edmonton with Terry Paholek. He’s a great dude and we really get along with him. He’s a recording engineer and not a producer. We like that. Producers can some times influence a band’s sound too much, but Terry just sits and listens, keeps things running smoothly, and slaps us up when we need it.

How did you achieve that sound you were going after?

We recorded without using samples, re-amping, editing and overdubbing. Just raw, unadulterated takes from start to finish.

How many of these tunes will appear on the full-length you have in the works for next year?

Only two. We have a lot of material to work with and we’re just starting to sit down and begin pre-production.

When are you aiming to release the 2010 album?

To be honest, we’re really not sure yet. We have plans to enter the studio in early 2010. We really want to spend a large amount of time creating textures to this new record. We have the bare bones all laid out but need to start working on how to bring each part and section to life, not just play our instruments and leave it at that.

Are there any details about it you can divulge at this point?

It’s definitely less catchy, heavier, and some of it is very soft. Musically, we’ve really grown and have been challenging ourselves to write differently and play differently. It’s really cool to see everyone push themselves.

Why did you decide to record and release an EP in this case, with the full-length coming out in the near future?

We felt that it was an opportunity to show people where we’re moving with our music. Some of us are not thrilled with the songs we first were writing as a band. None of us like “Sing Gloria” anymore, and we refuse to play it. Same with “Sweet Revelation.” I think we just want to have something that better represents us as a band and to keep people interested by releasing something new.

So you must enjoy being in the recording studio.

Personally, I thrive in the studio. It’s what I plan on doing aside from the band. Recently, I’ve been working with local Calgary bands as an engineer and eventually will start recording other band’s projects as well. But for each individual, it’s different. Most of us just use it as a time to hang out, goof around and drink a shitload of beer. We always get along and I think we’ve become really comfortable in the studio with one another. There’s nothing that can’t be suggested and we like that.

Any amusing studio happenings you can share with us?

The last couple days of us finishing things up were the worst. It was boiling in there. With all the gear running inside and hot weather outside, it made for a near-death experience for all of us. All three days we just walked around in our underwear, getting as close as we could to naked without making Terry feel uncomfortable. It was great. Also probably the reason why we all drank so much beer. Thank God the recording didn’t suffer from our antics.

Besides the EP release and wrapping things up on your full-length, what else is in the near future for Somastate?

We know there’s a lot going on behind the curtain right now. We have a few big names interested in us but we really want to hold tight to our integrity. We will never sacrifice our artistic vision in hopes of becoming a “big” band. We play music that we enjoy, and that’s that. I think our next big step will be our cross-Canada tour this March, then some touring in the US. We feel that those two things, along with the full-length record, will hopefully get us some attention.

Theories abound about the meaning of the band name. Care to clear the air?

We’re a reasonably political band. We believe it’s important to be aware of what’s taking shape in the world around you. I think some times it’s easy to block out what’s important for fear of not wanting to know the truth. Our name is taken from Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel “Brave New World.” Soma is a fictional drug that replaces sex, alcohol, religion and other social norms in order to change and control society. It’s the idea of being in a ‘state’ of soma.