Locked in a studio at a secret warehouse location somewhere in Powell River, Ben Wittrock and Austin Parise are making music together again.
Wittrock has taken the nomadic path of a musician for the last few years, he said, moving around from Powell River to Los Angeles, back to Powell River, then to Vancouver before returning home once again.
According to Wittrock, he wants to get back in touch with his own music after spending the last year and a half as a sound engineer “on the other side of the glass,” and he wanted to play music with Parise again.
“Austin was back here and I missed playing music with him,” said Wittrock. “I have family here, good friends to hang out with and it’s a good place to save money.”
Their collaboration, Razorvoice, is an acoustic duo with Wittrock singing and playing guitar and Parise singing and playing bass.
“It’s so much fun and Austin has to be out front; he sings way too well to be behind a [drum] kit,” said Wittrock. “The weird part is our voices are starting to sound way too similar.”
According to Wittrock, the name Razorvoice describes their sound and the body politic of true punk.
“When I started singing it was just raspy, like my voice was cut with razors,” he said. “Everybody has their own voice that can cut through sharp, like a razor.”
The second reason for the band’s name, he said, is to raise voices in advocating for the abused.
“You stand up for yourself, especially for people who are taking abuse,” he said.
Wittrock said he has younger friends who have been victims of abuse in their relationships.
“They’re too afraid to stand up and say something about it,” he said, adding that they should not be afraid to raise their voices.
As musicians, Parise said he and Wittrock have been playing together for years, but never really toward collaborating on a project.
“It’s always been him working on my project and me working on his project, so it’s kind of cool that at this point we’re finally working on our project,” said Parise.
The two met when Wittrock was in grade 12 and Parise was going into grade 10.
“I found out about this little young buck,” said Wittrock, who, at 21 years old, is only one year older than Parise. “There was this new drummer who thought he was a hotshot because he could play ‘Wipeout.’ He was just playing all arms and I thought, ‘Who is this kid?’”
The two crossed paths here and there around town, but Wittrock said they never really knew each another.
“I remember going to Sea Fair one year when Ben was playing with one of the many bands he’s had over the years,” said Parise. “They started playing Rush and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, these guys are incredible.’ I was so into Rush back then.”
A few months later, Parise said Wittrock sent him a message looking for a drummer. However, according to Wittrock, it was not enough that Parise was a drummer; he had to be the right drummer.
“I brought him over one day and showed him some punk bands I was really into and just brainwashed him into all the music I love,” he said.
According to Wittrock, his list of loves include Hot Water Music, The Menzingers and Against Me!, all punk rock bands from the United States. Both members of the duo are also fans of Green Day and Blink 182.
Razorvoice will perform at the first coffeehouse put on by Rockit Records, 7:30 pm on Saturday, October 15. For more information, go to razorvoice.ca.
