The Kids are all right
Comeback Kid loses singer but soldiers on with Broadcasting…
Jen Zoratti

When Winnipeg/Minneapolis hardcore punk quintet Comeback Kid takes the stage, it’s easy to see why legions of scenesters raise their fists in approval.

Both band and fans feed off the frenetic energy in the room, and the experience is a beautiful reminder of what live music is all about. Sure, Comeback Kid might have a new singer, a new album and a new noise, but the energy behind it remains unwavering.

The fivesome is gearing up to launch Broadcasting..., the punks’ third outing, with a release party to end all release parties at the Garrick Centre.

The event comes to the delight of fans anxious to hear the much-anticipated follow-up to 2005’s Wake the Dead. Original CBK singer Scott Wade handled the vocals on that effort but left the band amicably last March.

Now the group’s touring lineup is settled with Andrew Neufeld handling vocals alongside guitarist Jeremy Hiebert, drummer Kyle Profeta and the band’s Minneapolis contingent of bassist Kevin Call and touring guitarist Casey Hjelmberg. The latter’s presence allows Neufeld to concentrate on singing during live shows, but he played guitar throughout the new recording.

Neufeld says the leap from guitarist to frontman was a bit of a challenge.

“I think the thing that struck me is how much more there is to do,” Neufeld says over coffee. “It was on my shoulders to have all the lyrics done heading into the studio — and have them not suck.

“I think I’m better at writing music than writing words,” he continues. “It was a big challenge. I was a little bit shaky going into it. You know, going into the studio and that whole feeling of not wanting to make a crappy record. But we didn’t come out disappointed.”

While many fans were shocked to see Wade depart just as the band’s career was taking off, many more were curious about the musical trajectory the group would take after the remaining members decided that the show would go on.

Neufeld’s wail adds a different flavour to the music but it’s the lyrics that are worth paying attention to on this one. Lyrically darker and musically stronger, Broadcasting... is a more melodic take on Comeback Kid’s wall of sound — and Neufeld brings the words to back up the angst.

So far, early feedback on Broadcasting... has been favourable.

“I’ve looked at a few message boards and stuff,” Neufeld says. “It’s been pretty positive, and the reviews that we’ve gotten so far have been good. Actually, they were way better than I thought.

“I think that if you play the music we do and you have a bit of melody in your songs, you hear about it,” he laughs. “But we don’t write songs so that some hardcore message-board fan will accept us.”

Even though the odd fan might say “it’s not the same,” sometimes a band just can’t stay together for the kids. As tough as Wade’s departure may have been for fans, it doesn’t compare to the effect it had on his bandmates.

“When a really good friend of yours decides he doesn’t want to be in the band anymore, it really sucks,” Neufeld says. “But he had to do what he had to do. I love, love, love playing guitar in the band. But I also love the band. I’ll do what I need to do to keep it going.”

That means recognizing that change and growth are necessities. It would have been easy for the band to ride the lightning of Wake the Dead, an album that sold more than 100,000 copies and earned the group international acclaim, but CBK didn’t intend to make ‘Wake: II’ when it headed down to Colorado to record in November. Making a better record was a personal rather than commercial commitment.

“We felt that pressure, but we also felt that Turn It Around (the band’s 2003 debut) was really good,” Neufeld laughs. “I mean, not on the same commercial level as Wake the Dead, but you know. It’s always going to be like that, unless we start sucking and keep sucking. We always want to get better.

“Our sound changes with every record,” Neufeld adds. “Turn It Around sounds like the beginning. Wake the Dead sounds like when we hit our stride as a band. This one sounds like where we want to be right now. Every record is going to be different.”