THE OUTLOOK IS BLEAK WITH: YEAR OF THE RAT
BY MATT DIXON, MAY 14TH 2011.

The first thing that strikes me about Year of the Rat is the almost palatable sense of foreboding. You really shine a light on the seedy underbelly of society, all the while doing it in the vein of unforgiving, raw, old school hardcore. Do you have faith in humanity?

Pat: A lot of our lyrics are metaphores for individuals, humanity, and society. I personally don't have a lot of faith in humanity. Rights are being taken away from people left and right with no outstanding backlash coming from anyone. People are constantly being dictated to and are sitting back and taking it. We like to point out these faults with our lyrics, and present them in a pissed off attitude and style.

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What about the punk scene? A lot of times we treat the punk scene / community / whatever you want to call it as being separate from the for-lack-of-a-better-term "evils of the world". Alternative forms of expression and ideas are encouraged and shared all the while being accessible to anyone who wants to be a part of it. Do you see these faults present within the punk scene as well?

Pat: Sometimes. It's not really everyone as a whole, though. Lots of people don't stand for bullshit, but lots do. It's the same with every "scene". People just need to become aware of what's happening around them, and make a decision for themselves whether or not they want to do something about it. I find a lot more ideas and expressions are shared with the punk scene which can't be a bad thing. I don't really see a lot of the people in the punk scene as your typical run-of-the-mill citizens. Going to shows helps people get rid of some of that energy and anger that they have which is more than what can be said for a lot of people. Some just spend their day at the office, go home and bitch about it, but they are back there the next day.

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I think you really hit the nail on the head there; there's something great about getting that stress out in a creative and productive way instead of just letting it eat away at you. Talk to me about the value of the demo tape in this age of social networking and lowly online blogs posing as old school fanzines (cough, cough). Is there still a place for demo tapes, real zines, real compilations and stuff that just can't be downloaded?

Pat: Of course. Lots of people love to have a physical copy of an album or a demo. I know I do and you do. With blogs and websites like myspace and bandcamp people can post things for free, which is obviously a great way to hear a band and see if you like them before you spend the money on their full demo or album, or even spend your money going to see them. I really think that one way a band could be successful with selling music would be to do a tape or record since not enough people buy CD's anymore. Everyone seems to think that music should be free and don't care about the fact that they are taking money from a band that worked hard to write songs, record, and produce an album or demo. It's a shame, really.

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Well put. Thanks for the interview Pat. You're a band that has a lot to say and it's good to hear these points of view; it's a breath of fresh air if you ask me. What can Charlottetown look forward to from Year of the Rat over the next while?

Pat: Thanks for having me, Matt. I'll buy you a beer sometime. I'm hoping that we can get a demo tape done sometime soon, hopefully more shows in the Summer. A house show would be rad, if anyone wants to do that....We're having some discussions about recording with Ratatat Records for a 7 inch, but we're on the fence with that one right now.

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DOWNLOAD THE YEAR OF THE RAT DEMO

AND CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS OF YEAR OF THE RAT FROM THE REFINERY IN CHARLOTTETOWN,
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND CANADA.PHOTOS BY MATT DIXON, SPRING '11.