Interviews: The Interrogation

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Pop Punk band, The Interrogation from Canada. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? You planned it or came out like that?

The Interrogation was the title of a series of three albums Thom wrote for his application to the Berklee College of Music in (YEAR). They were all part of a concept where the main character in the story ended up in Purgatory and was being interrogated about his existence. Many of the songs we play are part of the same concept.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Our blend of heavier riffs and pop punk meld together different genres our band members are into. The heavier riffs are a big part of our guitar players’ influences in metal and hardcore, and the catchy melodies and energy of the pop punk elements are what get us all excited about playing the music and amping up the energy of the crowd in any room we play.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Thom started the “band” on his own in terms of making the first EP that came out in 2020. He asked me (Joel) to join the band in 2022 because we were already playing together in another band called Rusting Sun at the time. Neither of us knew Erik or Seb when they joined the band, but they’ve become good friends and we’ve developed some great chemistry with them since then.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Joel – MxPx

Thom – Architects

Erik – August Burns Red

Seb – Dream Theatre

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

From Thom, who does all our songwriting: Being able to fictionalize and harmonize life’s most crushing events has a way of giving them new perspectives for me. And that’s really the approach I take with all of The Interrogation’s music. It is a concept band, and there is a larger scale story at work in the music but there are real human emotions and experiences at the root of it all.

6. Where was your last gig?

We played Red Gate in Vancouver, BC, on Sept. 29, 2025, with a great lineup of bands (Dusty Pines, Abandoned Yesterday, and Duane Regretzky). 

7. Where would you like to act?

Acting isn’t a super comfortable thing for me, but if there was like a cameo for a band, I know we would all be down for that. Something like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which is a favourite show for some of our band.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Dan Campbell from The Wonder Years. The authenticity, combined with the energy that his voice brings to music, is so inspiring. The features he did on songs with Trash Boat and Meet Me @ The Altar were incredible and were a big reason I got into listening to those bands.

9. Whom not?

I feel like we’re pretty open to most collab ideas and really just draw the line at bands or people who have had a problematic record on either social or personal issues, like consent. Unfortunately, the pop punk scene has a pretty bad track record historically on that, so we keep a high standard for that and don’t tolerate anyone not being cool in any of those ways.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

Mostly not, but the few times I’ve had a bit, I think it’s really been the odd time that I haven’t felt fully prepared and rehearsed. There’s no way to fully simulate being on stage, so the best you can do is be as well-rehearsed as you can to try to make your set second nature as much as possible. And then the experience of playing on stage regularly also helps a lot. Those nerves start to calm the more you make the stage a familiar place for yourself.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

For me, MxPx is the biggest inspiration. Part of it is how good their music is and the high energy they bring to their live shows. But for me, it’s also about the journey it feels like I’ve been on with them since I started listening to them in 1995. They began in the Christian scene when I was very involved in that myself, but were always very critical of the status quo and brought that punk tradition of questioning authority. All these years later, it feels like I’ve changed in many of the same ways that band has, focusing much more on how we interact with people and the world than on any kind of religion. This whole journey led me to have their logo tattooed on the back of my right calf.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Thom: A ride to the next city we were going to! I was playing with a band called Face All Fears at the time, and this fan in San Antonio asked if they could hitch a ride with us to Austin, so we did it!

13. What do you think of your fans?

Our fans are incredible. They’re the most fun mix of cool, emotional, nerdy people out there who just want to be themselves and have fun while lifting each other up. It’s that cool combination of people dealing with very real and difficult emotions in a way that turns them upside down into a positive, shared experience.

14. What do you think of our site?

You’ve got some very cool stuff going on, supporting bands that are on the harder side of our genre blend. I love how you’re promoting acts from all over the world and helping them get their names out there.

15. Something to add?

It’s so great to be doing new stuff again as a band. We’ve had some great stuff happen in the past, too, but there have been a lot of false starts with the COVID pandemic and band member changes throwing wrenches into things. I’m very excited that we’re in a place now as a band where we’ve got a lineup that is ready to dig in and keep some momentum going with playing shows and releasing new music regularly, so the scene can really get to know what we’re all about.