UN: How have things been going with the new album? Are you guys pleased with how it turned out? How have people been reacting to it?

Stefan: I guess this is the most pleased we've been with any album yet. The recording was really relaxed compared to the past albums and I think the overall product reflects it. We've gotten virtually nothing but positive feedback about it, so even though we know we like the songs, it's nice to hear that others do too. We were pretty amazed by the number of people across Canada who knew the words to the new songs the instant it was released. I guess that demonstrates the power of the internet.

UN: Is it important for you guys to keep pushing things further with every album you record? You can definitely hear a progression when you listen to all of the albums back to back.

S: I think it's important for us to be true to ourselves and to our interests. We really never stop changing as people (a development which I think is the product of a healthy life) so it logically follows that the songs we write keep changing at the same pace. We never go into writing with the mindset that we must try at all cost to make the new songs as different as possible from the last, but we are always aware that this is going to happen.

UN: Does it every annoy you that people seem to think that all punk music consists of three chords and childish lyrics? Many bands are pushing the boundaries of every genre, it’s a shame that there are still so many close minded people in the scene.

S: It is definitely annoying that the majority of people don’t appreciate the development of new ideas. They only like what they are told to like and when they feel at all adventurous, they might choose to like something "new" that has already been done. There is nothing inherently evil about three chord punk songs, but it saddens me to think of the narrow scope of popular music despite the existence of such an amazing spread of musical opportunities. I do believe that all the simple minded bands out there will eventually fade from our collective memory, no matter how popular they happen to be now. What will be remembered are the underdogs who fought their way through the consumerist music industry (or consumerist society) by writing original, heart felt songs regardless of their monetary value.

UN: It is important for you guys to be constantly on the road? Do you think that touring is pretty much the only way for a smaller band to get it’s name out there? How was the smallman tour this summer?

S: There are bands that get big instantly through the major label push, but touring is the only realistic way for any band to spread their word. Even with great promotion, a band is just a name until they play… unless of course they have video airplay. This last smallman tour was amazing for us. It wasn't so much of a smallman tour this year because we were the only band from the label (moneen did another smallman tour independent of ours). We did get to tour with small brown bike who we've loved for some time. They turned out to be really good guys, very much on our level.

UN: How have things been working out with smallman? You guys have released four albums with them. Are you happy with the work they do for you? Have you had any offers from any other labels? Is it important to be on a Canadian label?

S: We wouldn't nearly be doing as well as we are right now if it wasn't for smallman. There is even a possibility that we would no longer be together. They not only work extremely hard for their bands, but they give us some sort of faith in the music industry. They are a couple of guys that are in it for the love of music. Although the label is very much a business, they prefer to treat it as a family, which is why we're so attached to everyone on the label. The bands are chosen on a personality basis as well as for they musical abilities and they are like siblings to us. We've had a few offers from other labels but for the most part we've just sat comfortably with smallman. It is important to us that the label is canadian if only for some sort of patriotic sentiment… unfortunately, it is impossible to sustain ourselves with music without touring the states, which in turn, is almost impossible without the backing of a US label… we hope to stay with smallman in canada, but the time may be approaching for us to look at other labels.

UN: Do you think it is hard for a Canadian band, outside of the mainstream, to gain a following internationally? Do you agree with the people who say that you have to make it big in the states first?

S: I would say that it is not necessary to gain popularity in the states before going over seas, but physically, it makes sense. We're by no means big in the states, but we still hope to make it to europe early next year.

UN: This question is just out of pure curiosity. What do you guys think of Thunder bay, which is were I’m from? Do you ever notice that the kids in smaller cities tend to get into the music more? Have you noticed that larger cities seem to have very jaded music scenes?

S: Thunder bay has gone from being merely a bridge to the eastern part of canada to being a really good stop on tour. The scene there seems to be quite strong there… It is true that in many smaller towns, the kids are more into the music, but it can go both ways. Sometime the shows are bigger just as a result of there being nothing else to do. These shows end up looking like a high school dance. In most large cities, yes, the scenes seem jaded. With so many shows to choose from, why would anybody take a chance on something unfamiliar.

UN: Have you guys had the chance to play outside of North America yet? Any places you’d like to visit one day? Do you get a chance to check out any of sites while you are on tour? Or is it a hectic rush from city to city?

S: Besides Europe, we do hope to tour japan and australia before the death of choke… who knows though, fugazi plays all over the world and we've gotten emails from indonesia, south america… we've been asked to play in mexico city. Unfortunately these places all seem beyond our reach at this time. We try to check stuff out on the road because that's half the fun of touring. You can only maintain interest with so many shows and on a three month tour, it's often the other stuff that stands out. In new jersey this spring, we got to check out an abandoned mental institution that used to do brain cutting on children in the 1800's. We checked out the morgue and dove away from security cars. It was the most fun we've had in a long time… kinda like being a kid again. Oh, don't get me wrong, the shows rule too… it's just a bonus that they allow us to do that sort of thing.

UN: Listening to the music of Choke I would assume that you guys listen to a lot of music outside of the punk genre. What would you say are some of your favorite artists/bands outside of the punk genre? Anything people might be surprised by?

S: Some of the band favorites are Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, Failure, Deltron, J5… We listen to everything from Mogwai and Godspeed you Black Emperor, to stuff like Atreyu (a new metal band on victory) and Refused. Let's just say that of the hundreds of cd's we bring on tour, very few of them are punk and those that are hardly ever get listened to.

UN: Is there an ideal place where you’d like to see Choke end up? Are you guys content with your current situation?

S: We just want to be able to keep growing musically and play for as long as possible. That means patience. The way we see it is that slowly building a strong cult following around the world is more beneficial in the long run than overnight stardom. Of course, some paychecks might be nice every once in a while.