Being one of Winnipeg Canada’s top Rock exports in the last decade, playing shows with the likes of Buckcherry, Danko Jones, Moist, Bif Naked, SLASH, Monster Truck, Three Days Grace, Finger Eleven and most recently The Burt Block Party with Sloan, I Mother Earth & The Headstones, this Indigenous led 4 piece is no stranger to the big stage. With over a quarter million streams on their singles,
having taken home the award for BEST ROCK SINGLE for their song “No Way Out” at the Native American Music Awards in New York in 2022 and touring relentlessly since then, including a big show at the world famous Whisky A Go-Go in Hollywood California earlier this year & new music steadily coming out from now until a full length in early 2025, The Bloodshots should be on everyone’s radar.
Introduce us to the band! What are your names and what do you do in the band?
– Cj here on Lead Vocals and lead guitar,
Keith Skazyk on Rythym guitar, Kate on bass and Ben Hodges on Drums!
Where do you call home?
– We’re all humble Canadians hailing from Manitoba, the dead centre of Canada.
2. How long have you been together as a band and how did you find each other?
– This current line up has one fresh member, “Killah Kate” on bass. She joined about 6 months ago, Ben on drums the last few years and Keith and I (frontman CJ Loane) are the founding members of the band from 2013!
3. Do you have a special songwriting
recipe you follow?
– You gotta let it happen organically. If it’s forced I think that’s when you hear bands you like put out a song that doesn’t quite sound like their usually music. That’d when album “filler” happens haha.
4. How would members of your family describe your music to someone that hasn’t heard it?
– Probably not very accurately hahaha.
5. What do you have on your(Spotify) playlists you would be embarrassed for others to see?
-Never be embarrassed by any type of music you listen to! Music is medicine. And it hits people in different ways. But with that said, sometimes I’ll play “You’re so vein” by Carly Simon on repeat and sing it very loud in my
jeep hahaha.
6. Do you have any pre-show rituals?
– Not really honestly. Load in, sound check and then head out for a bite and drinks.
7. Who have you met that has left you starstruck?
– Slash! We got to open for him a few years back and he’s just larger than life. Growing up watching all of the epic Guns n roses music videos and seeing him with that hat, les Paul in hand, it was just surreal!
8. What do you consider your greatest achievement as far as a band?
– Hmm hard to pinpoint. Playing the world famous Whisky a Go-Go in Hollywood California earlier this year was a definite bucket list item for a rock band. Also
travelling to New York USA for the Native American Music Awards was a blast, and bringing home the award for ‘Best Rock Video’ with our single “No Way Out” was the cherry on top!
9. What key elements do you believe makes up a successful song?
– Depends on what “success” means nowadays really. Well written song? Hard work, metaphorically tying in passion with poetry perhaps. A well streamed song? Well that could be anything that gets your song into the Spotify etc algorithm. But on that hand, streams can be bought. It’s a flowed system.
10. When writing, how do you know when it is finally done?
– That situation is tough for me. I always feel
like a song can improve whether it’s the production, lyrics, extra guitar parts etc. Sometimes I just need to sit back, listen and accept that we’ve put everything that we can into the song.
11. What song of yours are you most proud of?
– Our latest single “The Bay Blues” as been doing really well for us so currently I’m very proud of that one.
12. Is it possible to be on the road and not eat junk food? How do you keep it leveled out?
– Nope. Not possible. Haha.
13. Are you able to write while on the road or do you need a calm familiar space like home?
– I always randomly get ideas in my head for a song. Maybe just a riff, of melody. A string of lyrics. Doesn’t matter where I am, I have to remember to either write the ideas down or record them on my phone before I forget.
14. What’s the most embarrassing thing to happen on stage or on tour? – It’s usually always something Ben does haha. Falling on stage during set up or tear down, Clogging the green room toilet, cutting his hand open just by opening the merch bin, and so on haha.
15. What can BleachBANGS do to help you in any way?
– Help spread the word of The Bloodshots!
Share our music into countdowns and new music shows, this interview helps! I’m this day of Rock n roll, it’s tough as am emerging band so everything is always appreciated.
16. How can everyone keep up with everything you have going on? Where can they get albums/merch?
– @thebloodshots204 on Instagram, Facebook, tik tok & YouTube.
Also our website www.thebloodshots.ca where we are in the midst of setting up our online store!
