You’ve heard the black box joke, right? The plane crash joke? People say “if the black box is so strong why don’t they build the whole plane out of that?” It’s nonsensical, extrapolatory logic -- unless, of course, you’re Night Court. The Vancouver based lo-fi punk trio has taken a utilitarian approach to their third album. They’ve cut the fat and left only moshable melodies and rock-steady riffs. They wrote an entire album of songs -- but only good ones. It’s a shame no one else has thought to do that. Night Court are Vancouver’s biggest secret; a local band every headlining artist traveling through the city is trying to book, and a sure ticket to sell out any venue they book themselves. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to the group about their unique approach to music, becoming pillars of the local scene and the growing pains of getting too big for your hometown. Make sure you read to the end for a special announcement!
Scene Point Blank: Your new album, Humans!, is coming out June 9th. As your first two releases were a duology, do you think Humans! is going to come across differently to fans who are accustomed to a certain sound?
Jiffy: Our intention has been to write songs that we’re stoked on, in whatever style they come out as. I think we are as stoked on the songs from this album as we were with Nervous Birds One+Too so hopefully other people will be equally if not more stoked as well!?
Emilor: This one is coming out on vinyl so that’s new, different and awesome!
Scene Point Blank: Do you have a concept for each album? Or do you just play what sounds good?
Jiffy: I think playing what sounds good has been the concept for the albums so far. Trying to prolifically write, record and release as many songs as possible is probably as ambitious as our lives at this point will allow.
Also I already did a rock opera and writing two rock operas seems kinda overboard, lol.
Emilor: Don’t tell Pete Townsend…
"We’re trying to straddle the best of both worlds by sandwiching good bits between other good bits until it snowballs into a sort of catchy avalanche down a short hill."
Scene Point Blank: The black box reference is something that gets thrown around in discussion with your music quite a bit. How do you write songs with “only the good bits”? What, to you, is a “good bit”?
Dave-O: Once I feel the “right” combination in my skin and bones, I know we’ve found a good bit! But I think the “black box” is as much about when to show restraint as it is about quality -- I know people love repeating hooks but I’m always impressed when an awesome part is unexpected or even almost hidden. We’re trying to straddle the best of both worlds by sandwiching good bits between other good bits until it snowballs into a sort of catchy avalanche down a short hill.
Emilor: Our songs get stuck in my head a lot, which is good except for the couple times I have not slept due to persistent Night Court earworms.
Scene Point Blank: Have any other groups or albums inspired this new release?
Jiffy: Off the top of my head, I know I/we were listening to certain stuff when we were writing these songs: Michael Beach, Mike Krol, Vacation, Smirk, The Beths, Rights Reserved, Empire, The Favourites, to name a few deserving honorable mentions.
Scene Point Blank: If I’m not mistaken this is the first album written with Emilor as part of the group. Are there any differences in the process or approach?
Jiffy: Yes, for sure there was. With Nervous Birds we wrote then recorded the songs before we ever learned how to play them, mostly because it started as something to do during COIVD. We didn’t have a drummer yet so couldn’t play live anyway. Humans! was done a probably more traditional way of writing the songs, then learning them as a band. A bunch of them had been in our live set already before recording them, so the songs were less raw and probably more evolved in their compositions as well as in the production of the recording.
Dave-O: And Emilor brings a wilder set of ingredients to the kitchen…very spicy!
Scene Point Blank: Has being involved in other projects and bands influenced Night Court? Do you ever write a riff or lyric for another project you’re part of and decide to save it for Night Court?
Jiffy: I would say I do. I think of Night Court, Autogramm, and Jiffy Marker as all being pretty different bands even though, at their core, I also think of all three as being punk bands basically.
Dave-O: Yeah, for sure I’ve been influenced by every band I’ve been in -- plenty to learn from other people’s writing and playing styles. But my ideas usually start with a lick or an interesting “thing” and the song follows from there, so I don’t really know who it’s “for” until it’s done. But like Jiffy said, we aren’t super picky about “style” so most of them become Night Court songs (if they’re good).
Scene Point Blank: What has it been like watching the band’s fanbase grow so rapidly the last few years? Do you feel like Night Court has more support than your previous projects?
Dave-O: It’s always pretty incredible to hear strangers say nice things about these little songs that we’ve put so much of ourselves into. I mean, we’d be doing it whether anyone cared or not but it sure makes it more fun when people do!
It can be hard to compare Night Court’s “success” against any previous projects if only because there are so many previous projects! But for me Night Court is the project for which I am the most proud. I love the songs and I love my bandmates, and I hope that people can hear that on our records and feel it at our live shows. And any success we achieve is made sweeter because of that love.
Emilor: Gawwwwww, shucks!
Scene Point Blank: Back in September you supported MCLUSKY on their Vancouver tour stop, in December you opened for Pointed Sticks and in April you were initially opening for Screaming Females on their Vancouver date. It seems like you’re becoming the go-to local act for any bands coming through the city. What has that experience been like?
Jiffy: It’s a lot of work, actually. There’s usually some campaigning involved, either reaching out to the promoter and/or reaching out to the band or possibly their booking agent.
Usually the hard part is figuring out who to talk to, then how to get a hold of them and, then, often by the time you do it’s either too late they’ve either got a touring opener or already booked someone else. And of course it’s not always what you know, but who you know since probably most (if not all) people are gonna be reluctant to “hire” any old stranger off the street without some kind of reference. So, for example, when we wanted to open for the band Vacation in Seattle last year I cold DM’d the band but mentioned that we were mutual friends of Needles//Pins. So it helps that the three of us have been doing this for so long and have for the most part managed to not piss too many people off along the way!
Emilor: That MCLUSKY show was directly a result of me being unsuccessfully persistent (annoying?) in trying to get us on the Yard Act bill (maybe next time!). But, wow, MCLUSKY were one of the best bands I’ve ever seen and I’m so glad we got to play with them. The Screaming Females show was all Mo from the Rickshaw, but sadly my dad passed away a few days before the show. As a born and raised Vancouverite, playing with the Pointed Sticks was really special.
Scene Point Blank: You’ve organized an extremely successful cross-country tour but you’re still grouped in with the umbrella term of “local bands.” Does it feel like you’re in a transitional point? Or does that just come with the territory of being so embedded in the local scene as individuals?
Emilor: We would love to be offered the opportunities to play more and different places. I’m in my 40s and I’ve never toured outside North America. I’m starting to take it personally.
Scene Point Blank: Has it been difficult to juggle all your other projects when Night Court has been so active lately?
Emilor: No, we are super humans.
Scene Point Blank: A lot of smaller, local bands look up to you as a punk band who’s flourished and maintained a presence in the scene. What’s it like being considered pillars of Vancouver’s underground scene?
Emilor: I have always dreamed of being a pillar, or at least a well-dressed column. It’s weird to think that bands look up to us but if they do, I am honoured.
Jiffy: We look up to Stilts. They share our practice space. We don’t see each other as much as we’d like to but, I assure, you they are quite tall.
Scene Point Blank: What else can your fans, local and otherwise, look forward to this year? Another tour in support of the album?
Jiffy: Glad you asked as we haven’t officially announced our upcoming tour dates!
- June 17 @ The Lido (Vancouver BC) with The Drolls and DJs LAMF + Jeffrey Pop
- July 28 @ Conor Byrne Pub (Seattle WA) with The Drolls and Tales from the Birdbath
- July 29 @ John Henry’s (Eugene OR) with The Drolls, Titsweat and Ex Wife
- July 30th @ Golden Bull (Oakland CA) with Artsick, The Goods (7” release!) and Murvyns
- August 1st @ Sardine (San Pedro CA) with Coma Twins and Crisis Actor
- August 2nd @ Redwoood (LA CA) with Reflectors and Friendzy + DJ Powerpop Jeff
- August 4th @ Misdemeanor Meadows (Portland OR) with Dumpies, The Drolls and Velvet Merkin
- August 5th @ Le Voyeur (Olympia WA) with Dumpies, The Drolls and Storm Boy
