INTERVIEW: FAST TRAIN UNION

 

Genre: Hard Rock

Country: Canada

Questions by: Nick Parastatidis

Answers by: John Wetherilt  (Guitar, lead guitar, bass, keyboard, piano, backup vocals)

Site: Hompage

1. As this is our first-ever interview, we'll start with the typical yet substantial issues. When did you come up with the idea to form FAST TRAIN UNION, and how long did it take you to realize it was a viable concept?

FTU (Fast Train Union) as most people have abbreviated our name to,was basically the brainchild of myself and our bass player at the time, Al Perrier. We had been in a band (Harad Road) that primarily played covers and toured the bar circuit in Ontario, Canada back in the 90’s. As most cover bands do we got very tired of playing other people’s music and decided to pack it in. All the guys were either getting married or starting families, so musictook a back seat. We were basically on hiatus until the mid 2000’s when we got the crazy idea to reform and focus on what we really loved…writing our own music. I had about 5 songs that we played in our cover band days which we started with and that lead to another 5. I think I wrote 9 out 10 songs for the first album. Our first album has some nice songs and some really good melodies and hooks. Unfortunately it really lacks in production. I would call it very low-fi, lol. If I could go back and redo one thing it would be the guitars. They sound like a buzz saw! 😃

We recorded and mixed it ourselves and really had NO idea how to record and the poor quality of the tracking definitely shows.

I think when we were done we all realized that we all worked so well together that we could create a follow up that could be so much more sonically. This is what I will call the incentive that lit the spark for us to keep going. As I mentioned to you in some of our correspondence, our band has never been about being popular or trying to be the in thing. We/I write for ourselves! If people like us I am humbled because it really is about doing something we enjoy and derive pleasure from. None of our decisions are based on money or commerciality.

 

2. "Can you tell us a bit about the lineup of FAST TRAIN UNION over the years? Was it always the same group of musicians from the beginning, or have there been changes along the way? If so, what were the reasons behind those changes, and how have they affected the band's sound and dynamic?"

Whenwe decided to start playing again in the 2000’s Al Perrier (bass guitar) and I tried to recruit some friends that were in other bands from the 90’s that also played on the same circuit. Our first endeavor was to get a singer that could sing hard rock but someone who sounded more organic (ie, Paul Rodgers) with power vs a metal screamer. Don’t get me wrong, I love metal screamers, but again that’s not really where we wanted to go musically, and let’s be honest my sweep picking sucks! Lol  Sean Potvin was our guy!He was in a band (On The Edge) that did release an indie album and we were all jealous of those guys!! They always crushed it live. Beer drinking party rock. Anyways, we called him and he wasn’t doing anything and loved the idea of focusing on just originals. He was in! Next, piece to fall into place was Paul Demarinis, our drummer. I actually worked with him at HMV, a music retailer here in Canada and knew he’d be a great fit. He jumped at the opportunity. That really is the core of the band. We added a second guitar player after the first album as I love harmony guitars and being the only guitar player, that becomes difficult once you start playing live. Brant Beckta was added. Again we were friends so the transition was very easy. He had already been in a band with me in the 90’s so our fit together was perfect! He even remembered some of the originals I wrote from way back when. As they say nothing stays static for too long, and unfortunately he had to move out of Ottawa for some career opportunities.. This basically happened when we were recording FTU II our second album so lucky me I got to do all the guitar tacking whilst looking for another guitar player. At this point I tracked down a guitar player that I use to cross paths with many years earlier at my guitar teachers place. He’d be leaving and I’d be arriving. We clicked and I knew he could play because I’d usually be there before the lessons ended so I could hear him shredding.

 

3. Before forming FAST TRAIN UNION, did the band members have any prior experience playing in other bands? If so, can you tell us which bands they were part of and what kind of music they played? Are any of the current members still involved with other bands or projects outside of FAST TRAIN UNION?

SEE ABOVE

4. What inspired the name 'Fast Train Union' and what does it represent for the band?

That’s a good one. I always loved those 70’s/80’s band names that were 3 words, Grand Funk Railroad, Blue Oyster Cult, Yesterday and Today (Y&T) etc. etc.. and being a rock band I wanted a name that evoked movement and speed. I loved the song by April Wine entitled Fast Train from the early 70’s, and really, our band is a Union of friends from many bands, so presto Fast Train Union!

5. What kind of music do you make and who do you draw inspiration from? Was there a specific direction you wanted to take your sound from the start?

The goal for us from the beginning has always been to write good guitar driven songs that rely on good melodies and like the songs we grew up on songs that have a good hooks and choruses. We really want to capture the essence of 70’ and 80’s rock music. We love how bands labored and crafted their songs back before autotune and computer trickery. I think we are consciously trying to slip in some left turns in each song just to keep the listener guessing (ie. Falling Down middle part, or Union, musical part before solo break).

6. Wow, 12 years have passed between the second album of the band and the new entitled "Analog Outliers" and in a chat you told me that the last 12 years was hell. If I am not indiscreet can you explain us the reasons and was a moment that you thought ok we quit? If yes what motivated you to move on?

Yes, the last 12 years really were a challenge. There were substance issues, mental health issues, Covid, the letting go of our bass player and my longtime friend, as well as some additional issues that I won’t bore you with 😀. I really think most people would have given up. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, I promised myself that I was going to drag it across the finish line no matter how long it took. I’m very lucky that the guys stuck it out with me. They could have packed it in and easily moved on to other projects. Fortunately they didn’t. Even though I write the majority of the music, we are a band and that dynamic is extremely important to me. Hopefully the end result is that listeners will enjoy what we’ve created. There certainly is a level of vindication having completed it. This should silence the few doubters who were a drag on the project.

7. How does FAST TRAIN UNION compose music? Do their lyrics show them the music they'll write, or does the music create the emotions that lead to the lyrics?"

Most of the music I write already has lyrics written. Or I’ll start with a guitar riff and that leads the direction I’m going to take lyrically. Occasionally I have music completed and am stumped for lyrics. Sean has some great ideas and usually takes over in that instance. Also a few of the songs were co-written with myselfand Al Perrier, and for the first time our other guitar player Al Fitzgerald wrote a couple songs. It’s great having the other guys contribute. Certainly takes some of the pressure off me! loll

8. Does avoiding "factory corporate mix settings/standards" make FAST TRAIN UNION's life harder?

Great question. In reality it actually makes of lives a lot easier because we can be 100% true to ourselves and our music. No, corporate music guy telling us what to do. If you don’t have to worry about commercial success you end up having much more freedom to do and express exactly what you want without compromise.

9. Do you believe that relying on "factory corporate mix settings/standards" can lead to a homogenization of sound, making it difficult for bands to stand out and maintain their unique identity?

I do. I think really good bands will stand out regardless, however I think if more bands took control of their sound they would indeed stand out more than the bands that are forced into current standard factory mix settings. That also goes with “IMO” the overuse of Autotune. Something I can be proud to say that we have never done. Sean is 100% singing live off the floor through a mic with no autotune.

10. How does the "old school way" of creating music, which is reflected in your approach, reflect your personal values and philosophy about life, and do you believe that it has a profound impact on how you want to be remembered as individuals?

100%. If you can’t be true to yourself how you can be true to others. UnfortunatelyIt seems that we our living in a time where hypocrisy reigns. 

11. Which band or artist has shared the live stage with you that has left the most lasting impression on you, and what is it about that particular performance or experience that has stuck with you to this day?

I think for me, the time I spent working for HMV afforded me the opportunity to meet many massive acts; Peter Frampton, Aerosmith, Triumph, Metallica, Sass Jordan, Meatloaf, Harem Scarem, and Lee Aaron. It certainly provided me with some very important insight into the music business. The one common thread was that with the exception of Meatloaf, how down to earth and decent these cats were. If anything they were more self-deprecating than you would think and in many instances just humble nice people. I find it funny that it always seems to be the smaller bar bands that have the big ego’s. 

12. Which countries or cities would you love to play live and why? Is it due to the cultural significance, the music scene, the fan enthusiasm, or something else that draws you to these places?

We would love to play outside of North America. I think playing in England would be awesome as the distance’s between venues or feastivals are fairly short drives. We’ve been offered a U.K. tour, however it just really boiled down to logistics and timing. We’d also love to play in Greece. We actually have a lot of listeners from Greece as the song Aletheia off our second album II has done quite well there. Plus Greeks are fanatical about good hard rock!! You can’t ask for a more dedicated devoted bunch of fans!! Not sure how we could do it, but boy would that be a blast!!!!

 

13. "Imagine it's 10 years from now, and you're looking back on your time with Fast Train Union. What's the one thing you hope people will still be talking about or remembering about your band, and what do you hope your legacy will be?"

That we were able to put out our 4th album in less than 10 years!! Lol The good news is that I have tons of material ready to go for the next one. We’ll both keep our fingers crossed. lol

14. Many thanks for your time. Close this interview in any way you like….

Nik, both myself and the rest of the guys in the band would like to thank you for your interest in our band as well as being able to afford us the opportunity to talk shop with you.

Cheers,

JohnWetherilt  Sept.3rd 2024