Five Minutes With: Vancouver Alt-Rock Band SLIP~ons

If you accused SLIP~ons of sounding like a punk rock version of Kings of Leon, they probably wouldn’t deny it! That said, this Vancouver four-piece undoubtedly has more in common with 90’s alt-rock a la Sugar/Bob Mould, or even Hüsker Dü. Frontman, Brock Pytel, is certainly no stranger to that Minneapolis sound, having opened for Hüsker (as a member of Montreal’s Doughboys) back when Appetite For Destruction was still on the charts. Pytel’s current bandmates include Brian Minato (Sarah Maclachlan) on bass, Shane Wilson on drums, and Rob “Shockk” Matharu (Spitfires, Mongoose) on guitar.

SLIP~ons

Name:

Brock Pytel of SLIP~ons

Genre:

Power pop, alt-rock

Founded:

2012

# of Albums:

12” EP, 7” single, two digital singles

Latest Album:

Heavy Machinery EP (2023)

Latest Single:

Graystone

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

Neil Young, Black Sabbath

Favourite musician now:

Bob Mould

Guilty pleasure song:

“Everybody Wants You”—Billy Squier

Live show ritual:

Vocal warm-ups in the bathroom.

Favourite local musician:

James Farwell (Bison)

EP or LP?

EP, but as long as it’s vinyl, I’m down!

Early bird or night owl?

Definitely a night owl! Ouch!

Road or studio?

Studio

Where can we follow you?

Instagram: @brockpytel, @scamindyrecords, @sliponsvancouver

Website | Spotify

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Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

MeeT, Main Street or Gastown, dealer’s choice.

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

I’m going with Scotia because it means I’m close to our rehearsal space.

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

Hastings Park. I live close to the PNE so walking around Sanctuary Pond is nice and secluded. New Brighton gets an honourable mention.

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

Green Auto or the Rickshaw Theatre, of course!

What is your favourite music store in your city?

L&M on Terminal because Shane (Wilson, SLIP~ons drummer) works there in the drum department. I like to bring him coffee!

 

About Emilea Semancik 214 Articles
Emilea Semancik was born in North Vancouver. Emilea has always always wanted to work as a freelance writer and currently writes for the Vancouver Guardian. Taking influence from journalism culture surrounding the great and late Anthony Bourdain, she is a recipe author working towards publishing her own series of books. You can find her food blog on Instagram: