Cope

Fire.

2011-08-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

what kind of fire do i want to start?
its not what i have but who i have for the kindling
we set ourselves on fire with our efforts
and we burn burn burn burn.
we burn without prejudice
we burn with ideas.
we burn because we all belong here
drawing others in
with warmth and light
passing the torch when we die
keeping the fire alive.
we burn burn burn burn

what kind of fire do i want to start?
a fire expressed through our actions
hands caloused
and throats vanished
we burn because we have to.
we burn because we don't know anything else.
we have a life on a shelf living 8 hours in hell
but we burn because we have a story to tell.
collected together,
the sparks and the embers
we are a fire.
amd we burn burn burn burn

Why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends?

2010-10-23T01:01:00.000-07:00

have you ever wondered where your thoughts come from?
_______________________________

NO SUN NO SON
stained brain dead face blackened thoughts (thaw and rot)
frozen obscure covered in frost (thaw and rot)
power lack there of segregation (thaw and rot)
a machine with potential call it what you will

surrounded by these similar broken hearts
and these machines that swallow time
grow child and yield to life as succession departs
staying close to death life's mortal decline

anxiety pins and needles name the cliche (thaw and rot)
diagnose the disease watch me bleed but don't pray (thaw and rot)
i've read minds i hear prayers (thaw and rot)
but i'm having trouble reading my own so leave me alone.

the cavity of possession the useless shrine
the cruelty of thought the power of mind
the poison of religion abuse of the divine
death to humanity worthless and sublime

call it what ever you want
my rituals of self preservation
denial through a failed state
or apathetic exhaustion
my distorted values of self worth are as filthy as yours
but i can word them creatively enough
loop holes for words loop holes for wrists
tied to fit tight but set free the hypocrtites
so i'm laying down my crippled hands
against the grain of gnashing teeth
these hands that never saw war
these hands that never raised young
these hands and a mask, disguised
disgusted and defined.
responsible for etching names in stone
digging graves for thousands
setting fire to homes
carving the ivory for jesus' bones
i'm walking the path
i'm never waking up.

(i am a product of a catholic upbringing. when i was young, i accepted the catholic standard of god. then shortly after i rejected it. i'm uncomfortable with the futile human understanding of something we could not possibly comprehend. i'm uncomfortable with the imagery and nomenclature humans have created trying to depict and describe the indescribable. I believe in death. i reject the idea of metaphoric soul real estate. i've written about religion most of my life. again, in a pathetic attempt to try and understand. inversely i have emulated the unattractive characteristics associated with certain religions by preaching my beliefs to others. black and white no longer exists. there is only grey from now on. i take responsibility for my species errors. i want to live inside my own head. i want to live. and then i want to die.)
____________________________________________

POSSESSIONS
extravagant indulgence of each mind's discerning tastes
its why we wallow in our excess and complain about the waste
depressed our needs stay unconcerned we're so obsessed with wealth
coveting the human face we separate from self

we're dreaming of a new language we're chasing a useless chase
we're bowing down to man a promised step refused to take
these humans often asking questions chasing points into the sky
a constant breathing chasing losing beating so afriad to (die)

a prophecy through grinding teeth burning brightly underneath
desired actions unattained unfufilled dead disdain
forged with the hands broken skin seeping from the ground again
so where's my throne? where's my gain? where's my grave?

a shedding pulse illusion:time we fill the void with death
we're yet to learn to live because we're scared to take a breath
taught to burn as fuel inside a dying, fucked machine
washing away the guilt watching the drain swallow our dreams

its a constant unbalance
i've got this iron mind
but my anticipation
is ruining me
i'm forgetting to breathe...
always forgetting to breathe

my body wants what it cant have
what my iron mind wont give
i refuse to forget the motions
breathing in uncomfortable skin

setting my iron mind
against itself
forgetting to breathe
my anticipation

(the television lulls you to sleep. the radio plays in the background while you work. the ads in the magazines and newspapers making up for over 50% of the printed material. we are being subjected to advertising terrorism. we are young billboards vying to fill the emptiness in our dull lives made apparent by the people selling us the exciting new cure. we deal with loss and depression by consuming. the new standard of bettering ourselves is buying toxic plastic garbage to make ourselves feel good. because truly getting to know yourself is too hard. so our lives become excess. who we are, depends on what we own. your stance is not yours, it was culminated from years of influence, moral conundrums growing like tumors being healed by the easy way out. we dont have to work hard to be happy. we just need to have money and nice possessions. the earth is dying. we're killing it. but we know that, because we watch it on a giant flat screen TV sitting on our cheaply made swedish furniture wearing our sweatshop sewn clothing. i will never claim to not be a part of this, i'm aware of my motions and my wrongs. i'm aware that it is becoming unavoidable to exist without supporting something corrupt secretly running in the background of every action we make. most humans are too greedy and oblivious to understand the big picture. but i see it, i hear it loud and clear. we dont deserve this planet. and i hope i'm alive long enough to burn down with it. i deserve it. i accept it. )
____________________________________________

SHELLS
it wants to speak
i want to sleep
it wants to excrete
i want to eat
it wants to compete
i'm incomplete
it wants to die
i want to be
i want to be

a broken back from working
fingers bled down to the bone.
now at home, open the door
but noone else is home.
its cluttered on the inside
but not enough to fill the void
the silence is just the perfect thing
to keep from feeling annoyed

inside this rusted skeleton, a heart made of ash
(dead inside dead inside)
cold hands on the metal dead face behind the glass
(dead inside dead inside)
waiting for the moment like a hammer and nail
(dead inside dead inside)
holes in my hands
and i cant i cant i cant i fail, i fail.

not awake or sleeping
just staring through blank screens
absolutely listless
the bottom of extremes
lost inside her own head
lost inside depressed
lost inside a defected mind
but this living life is blessed.

inside this rusted skeleton, a heart made of ash
(dead inside dead inside)
cold hands on the metal dead face behind the glass
(dead inside dead inside)
waiting for the moment like a hammer and nail
(dead inside dead inside)
holes in my hands
and i cant i cant i cant i fail, i fail.

fail
fail
fail
holes in my hands
grasping at sand
dead.
dead.
dead.

("the manic restlessness for days on end were the best days of her life or so she said. there was something living vicariously through her which she could not explain something that was controlling her with racing thoughts and movements. she was living in absolute manic bliss. and then the depression came crashing down on her. it almost killed her. she was motionless and brain dead. laying in bed with her jacket on, on top of the covers for a week. when she finally gained the strength to call, the doctor paired the shock treatments and the medication hand in hand. and in the end she did get better. but she wasn't herself. she was someone else. a shell of her former self. i remember,all of this and really none of this matters. because she'll always be my mother and i will always love her." )

____________________________________________

HUBRIS
terminal decay
yeilding to dead convictions
we are cemented into place
we are where we are
a living contradiction
we are where we are
because we are

living through the shrine of a miscarrage
(we bear the right to self medicate)
obsessively hoarding garbage
(we abuse the right to self medicate)
preening mutated genetics
(we bear the right to self medicate)
addicted to violent pornography
(we abuse the right to self medicate)

i opened my wallet today and god's face wasnt staring back at me.

its the absence of warmth and the absence of truth
its beating the love out of curious youth
its the famous find in the winds of change
where these thoughts and actions reaarange

i'm a waste of time caught up with myself and lost inside my mind
you're the floating distraction that digs paths for me to take
broken trails with cold dead ends a maze made of mistakes
a temper dealt with shaking hands
sitting with you defeated on this broken path

your increments are chipped off and fed to an ever starving pride
leaving hungry, the heart weak beating, dying dead inside
i need to taste your filthy hands and know why you're better than me
i need to know why i share a road with a rejected visionary

why you're better than me.... ( i love you laughton)

i cant
i wont cope

(they subscribe to a nazi state of mind and truly believe they are superior to others. they are all around us. they tell us why we are shit. why they are elite. subtleties aside. they are the people we interact with every day. they are friends, acquaintances, enemies, family members and strangers all of whom have narrow views of acceptance. these people are so worried about how everyone else expresses themselves that they forget they have their own disgusting vessel to corrupt with petty ideas and skewed logic. hypocrites united standing strong. condemning people based on what they see on the exterior without even scraping the surface of the being. i've followed people like this. i've trusted in their words and judgements. i'm ashamed of the times in my past where i've bought into someone else's actions or ideas because it was the popular thing to do. but now, to get under someone else's skin just by being an individual, is beautiful. showing them without even doing anything how ugly and insecure they truly are. the less time you spend thinking about how other people are ruining their lives the more time you will have to ruin your own. )

Listen to your thoughts as they show you the way, look in the mirror and see everything you hate.

2010-10-21T23:48:00.001-07:00

Patient in a coma. Distracted absence. What introspective nightmares are you facing? What memory abducts you from consciousness in such greedy fashion? Leaving this numb cell behind. A holding pattern. A cell medicated and monitored like a cancer. A burden. For everyone to bear. Dead flowers and dusty get well cards fill your dim room, the afterthought. Why do they apologize to you when you are so far away. So unfathomably far from everyone and their busy lives. And we are busy. So busy in fact , that we almost forgot about you. Absorbing time and resource.

When you inhale your first breath after waking and open your eyes with a brand new perspective, believe me when I say: "i'm going to be there." To give you back what you have taken from me. My Patience. Perhaps we can start fresh. But I perhaps I could kill you just as easily as well.
We'll see.

Cancer is a Gift

GOOPE TOUR 2010

2010-07-27T10:47:00.001-07:00

First of all, many upon many thanks for everyone involved or who attended Ghost Throats in Edmonton and the Sled Island All-Ages shows in Calgary. Both shows were unreal and we're equally stoked that we managed to pull off playing the St.Gilles collab live. Thank you for making that happen.

Now on to things to come. Tour is quickly approaching and here are the details thus far. There are still a couple dates we're waiting on info for, but things are set for the most part. Clicking the links will bring you to the "facebook event" pages made for some of the shows, or just the ones i've seen so far. Tour poster will be up as soon as i get it.

Wednesday, August 11th - EDMONTON, AB - KEV'S BASEMENT (msg Cope via myspace for address)
Saturday, August 14th - KAMLOOPS, BC - LITTLE BIG HOUSE (128 Columbia St)
Monday, August 16th - CALGARY, AB - THE NEW BLACK CENTER (200 - 919 9th Avenue SE)
Wednesday, August 18th - WINNIPEG, MB - RAGPICKERS (216 McDermot Avenue)
Friday, August 20th - TORONTO, ON - SOYBOMB (156 Bathurst Street)
Saturday, August 21st - MONTREAL, QC - L'ESCO (4467A St.Denis)
Sunday, August 22nd - QUEBEC CITY, QC - TBA
Wednesday, August 25th - SASKATOON, SK - AMIGO'S CANTINA (632 10 Street East)
Friday, August 27th - KELOWNA, BC - KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS HALL (130 McCurdy Road)
Saturday, August 28th - VANCOUVER, BC - TBA

And to our Edmonton friends, come hang out with us at our going away potluck at Mr. Benson's.

See everyone in August!

-Durell

FESTAPALOOZA

2010-06-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

This summer, we are very fortunate and thankful to be a part of three amazing fests in Alberta. At two of these fests, we will be playing limited "Cope & St.Gilles" sets, giving the people coming out a chance to check out our collaborative efforts with St. Gilles before the new 10" comes out. We've received a mock up of the St.Gilles material being mixed between our songs for the A side, and it's sounding rad! The dark chaotic sounds of St.Gilles add a whole other element to our music making it, in my opinion, far more cathartic and overall more intense. We're really excited to finally being acting this out, as if you look far enough back in this blog you'll see we've been wanting to do this for years. These shows are limited in the sense that we will only be playing once in Edmonton, and once in Calgary, so come check it out.

Here are the fest details. Follow the links for more info on different days and all the awesome bands paying.

GHOST THROATS DIY FESTIVAL 2010(Edmonton, AB)
(click for more info)

Friday, June 25th

Opening Concert (7PM onwards) featuring:

COPE & ST GILLES (Edmonton, AB & Toronto, ON)
http://www.myspace.com/cantorwont
http://www.myspace.com/stgillesandthehind

BRAIN FEVER (Calgary, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/brainfevercalgary

FRENCH FRIAR (Toronto, ON)
http://www.myspace.com/frenchfriar

FUCK THE TUNDRA (Edmonton, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/fuckthetundra

TODOS CAERAN (Edmonton, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/radicallyadvanced

FALSEHOOD (Edmonton, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/rawerbreath

@ Allendale Hall (6330 105A St)
Advance 2-day passes are $15.
Individual days are $10 at the door.
Evening shows start at 7pm.
This festival is ALL AGES.

Advance 2-day passes can be purchased through the XTRUEX Distro, Blackbyrd Myoozik, and at the June 4th and 5th Castle Awesome shows. Capacity at Allendale is LIMITED so to ensure you get to enjoy these shows, please buy your tickets! Tickets will be available at the stores listed above starting June 5th.

PINT-SIZED ALL AGES SLED ISLAND SHOWCASE No.2(Calgary, AB)
(show info)(fest info)

Thursday, July 1st

Evening Concert (7PM onwards) featuring:

COPE & ST.GILLES (Edmonton, AB & Toronto, ON)
http://www.myspace.com/cantorwont
http://www.myspace.com/stgillesandthehind

BRAIN FEVER (Calgary, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/brainfevercalgary

FUCK THE TUNDRA (Edmonton, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/fuckthetundra

HAMAS (Calgary, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/hamasband

$5, or free if you went to the first show
@ Comrad Sound (1511 14 st SW)

BAGEL FEST 2010(Edmonton, AB)
(click for more info)

Friday, July 9th

Evening Concert (8PM onwards) featuring:

COPE (Edmonton, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/cantorwont

THE BIRD SANG SONG (Edmonton, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/thebirdsangsong

BRAIN FEVER (Calgary, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/brainfevercalgary

ZEBRA PULSE (Edmonton, AB)
http://www.myspace.com/zebrapulse

HOLZKOPF (Saskatoon, SK)
http://www.myspace.com/holzkopf

ADMISSION IS A BAGEL AND/OR A COSTUME
@ Catpiss (house address/info TBA)

-Durell

I CAN FEEL THE SUN ON MY NECK

2010-05-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

We're playing a show this Sunday, May 23rd in Calgary with Kali, Kasper Hauser, and Plasmorbid. All info can be found here or on our myspace page. Check out the poster at the bottom of the post.

In other show news, we'll be playing the Cope & St.Gilles collab live at two fests this summer. The first is this years Ghost Throats fest in Edmonton on June 25th, and then again at Sled Island in Calgary on July 1st. More info on these shows as it develops.

Speaking of the collab, the man behind St.Gilles is putting his finishing touches on the recordings and then they'll be sent off for mastering. Then, you can be sure, they'll be available for listening.

Here is the poster for the Calgary show this Sunday

-Durell

Nathan's Favorite Band is Wicked Wisdom, Ask Him

2010-04-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

First of all, we're playing a basement show in Edmonton with Stillbirth from Winnipeg, Wake from Calgary, and JEFFxSPICOLI from here this Thursday, April 22nd. All info can be found here or on our myspace page.

Secondly, our 10"EP is now available through the Deathwish Inc distro. We're so stoked on this!

Thirdly, Relentless Ben isn't coming to Alberta anymore. Bummer, but the Calgary show on the 23rd of May booked for them is still going down with Kali. More info on that as soon as i get it.

Mixing the new songs for the collab is very close to being done. Mastering and then some new jams will be available.

Here are some photos taken by Trista Croft from our show at Comrad Sound in Calgary on March 27th.

-Durell

The Months To Come

2010-04-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you to all the bands we played with and everyone who showed up to our show in Calgary last weekend. Comrad Sound is one the best venues in Alberta and we can not wait until we can play there again. Awesome show! I'll post some pictures when i spot them floating around.

With summer just around the corner, i thought i'd fill everyone in on our plans for this year. (all additional and available show information can be found on our myspace)

-April 22nd | Show W/ Stillbirth(winni), Wake(calg), JeffXSpicoli @ Kev's Basement. This is the second show that Kev and i have put on in this basement, the first being the Cope/Hominid tour kickoff in 2008. If the weather is nice, we'll have a BBQ going so come hang out!

-May 1st | Show W/ Rape Revenge (calg), Lab Rat (calg), Todos Caerán @ TBA. We're really excited to be playing with Rape Revenge. This band is out of control so come support them on their tour! Complete show info will be available to us soon, keep an eye out.

-May 22nd/23rd | Show W/ Relentless Ben (bc), Kali @ TBA. Relentless Ben is made up of some of our best friends from GSTS! and will be making their way through Alberta this may long weekend. So, we thought we'd tag along and ask Kali to come with too. The May 22nd show is in Edmonton, the 23rd in Calgary. Check these guys out! More info soon!

-Sled Island Fest | "Cope & St.Gilles" collaboration performance. We are extremely excited to announce that we will be playing the All Ages portion of this years Sled Island festival in Calgary! For the past couple of months, we have been working on our collaboration album and when the opportunity came up to perform the whole thing live WITH St. Gilles, we had to take it. Additional information is still coming to us and you can be sure it will be posted here promptly when we get it.

-Cross Canada Tour W/ Goose | This summer, we will be embarking on another tour, this one bringing us farther east than before to Toronto and Montreal. Dates are still being scheduled, but as it stands these are the dates:
Saturday, August 14th - Vancouver, BC
Sunday, August 15th - Kamloops, BC
Monday, August 16th - Calgary, AB
Tuesday, August 17th - Regina, SK
Wednesday, August 18th - Winnipeg, MB
Friday, August 20th - Toronto, ON
Saturday, August 21st - Montreal, QC
Tuesday, August 24th - Dauphin, MB
Wednesday, August 25th - Saskatoon, SK
Friday, August 27th - Abbotsford, BC

Being as most of these shows are still in the works, details are not set and could be changed. Regardless, we have a fun summer ahead of us and hope everyone comes out to have some fun themselves! As for the "Cope & St.Gilles" record, mixing is almost done and then we'll see if we can give everyone a taste of what we've been up to. The plan is to have this thing out in time for the summer tour with any luck.

That's it for now.

-Durell

Calgary Bound

2010-03-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

We will be playing in Calgary this Saturday, the 27th with Brain Fever (tape release), Fuck The Tundra, and Cartoon Violence. Come check it out! More info can be found on our myspace page. Check out the poster below.

-Durell

Upcoming Live Shenanigans

2010-02-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some shows coming up. This years "Love is Love" benefit and our 10" release show, as well as the first show of Cygnus. Stoner doom metal featuring members for Cope, Begrime Exemious, Hominid. Come check out the shows.

FRIDAY, MARCH 5TH
Love Is Love Is Love Annual Pride Center Benefit
COPE w/
Goose
No Problem
Lost Cat

At the Ukrainian Center (11018 97 St)
Doors at 7
Show at 8

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20th
CYGNUS w/
Colosus
Sedated Bliss
Randy Graves

At The Mead Hall (10940 166A St)
Doors at 8
Bands at 9
$8
18+

Love is Love is Love / 10" Release Show

2010-02-17T21:50:00.001-08:00

10" EP INFO/ORDERING/PRESSING

2010-02-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here's all the essential 10"EP info

-Released on xTRUEx Records
-Recorded at Four Wall Studio, summer 2008
-CD format self released by Cope
-Photography by Landon Speers and Travis Logan
-PRESSING INFO: Clear w/ Black Haze vinyl/100, Black vinyl/402, Test Press/10 (packaging picture at the bottom of this post)

Available through the band (if we know you personally, just get a hold of one of us), the xTRUEx distro, and the xTRUEx webstore. The record release show will be on Friday, March 5th at the Ukrainian Center. Poster and more info will be posted as soon as i get it.

We would like to thank everyone who has helped us out in whichever way for the past two years, especially True Nate, Matt Lecky, Taylor Geddes, Landon Speers, every band we've played with and everyone who's been to a show.

-Durell

Making Good On Our Word pt.2

2010-02-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

The Cope 10" EP's are here! Ordering info available very soon.

-Durell

Making Good On Our Word pt.1

2010-02-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

We are finally going to be recording our tracks for the St.Gilles collab this month with Mr. Steve Laughton (check out the Maus recordings he's done). You read correctly, new recordings! The collab will be in a 10" format and will be a co-release between xTRUEx and Just Say No! records. I'll be sure to post updates on the progress of this recording endeavor as they develop.

Also, the 10" EP's are actually coming! They shipped out February 1st and should be here any day now. I've literally been saying that this thing will be available soon for two years, but shit happens. More specifically, mis-information between label and pressing plant happens, but what are ya going to do? We've already received the test presses and they are sounding so much better on wax and after some re-mastering. As soon as these things are in, you can expect me to post about it everywhere.

To finish up, here are some photos taken by our friend Blake from our show on January 23rd. (click to enlarge)

That's it for now,
-Durell

Two Hours For a Fucking Chicken Burger?

2010-01-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

This is the first post of 2010, crazy.

The NYE show at Castle Awesome was absolutely insane! Packed basement with a bunch of rowdy kids flying into each other, Wolfgoat, Gift Eaters, High Jinks (secret band), Stalwart Sons and Fuck The Tundra all playing awesome sets, and Zentner absolutely obliterated. How could this not have been the best night? We're really happy to have been able to play with Wolfgoat and Gift Eaters one more time, especially at a show like this.

I would also like to point out that i totally called it that our cymbal stand was going to be annihilated at this show. Check out the December 3rd, 2009 post three posts down.

Andrea, who, from doing that 2009 pictorial, i noticed has taken a lot of great photos of us over the course of the past year or so, has kept it up and took some photos from the NYE show. Check them out. Thank you Andrea. (click to enlarge)

On to future events, we are playing a show on Saturday, January 23rd with Goose, Stalwart Sons, Todos Caeran, Book Of Caverns (new band feat. kev from cope), and War Fotune (first show!). The show is at Mckernan Hall, located at 11341 - 78 Ave. Show starts at 7:30, and it will only cost you $5. Check out the poster. (again, click to enlarge)

That's it for now.

-Durell

2009 Year in Review Pictorial

2009-12-30T08:37:00.000-08:00

Now that 2009 is coming to a close, i decided to find some pictures of most of the shows we played this year and post them on here considering i never actually post any pictures. Enjoy, and be sure to come out to the NYE show with Gift Eaters tomorrow night!

Click the images to make them bigger. I also added some brief notes and info at the bottom of each portion of photos. This is the last post of 2009, see you in 2010.
-Durell

The Hydeaway. February 27th. Photos by Kelsey Huget.
This was our first show of 2009, and our first show with then newcomers Maus and Goose. Maus and Goose killed it that night, we sucked. What are you going to do? It was a fun night regardless.

Ritchie Hall. March 20th. Photo by Chelsea Kempinski
This was the first time we would play Ritchie Hall in 2009. Withdrawal from Winnipeg and High Jinks also played this show, making it one of the best of 2009.

Love is Still Love Benefit. Circles. April 9th. Photos by Andrea Janzen
The unholy trinity of destruction was formed that night. Wolfgoat. Cope. Gift Eaters. Anyone who was at this show saw all three bands absolutely destroy anything and everything that was in their path. This was also the show of the infamous ceiling incident. All i initially intended to do was pass around some of my cymbals at the end of our set so that random kids in the crowd could play them while Matt ended with some drone stuff. Well, needless to say, this didn't happen. As soon as i saw one of my drums go flying across the floor, i just figured "aw, fuck it!", and smashed my ride into my bass drum. Kev then sat inside my bass drum, who then got lifted up by the crowd while still in the bass drum, who then climbed up into the ceiling, and then finally who fell through the ceiling. Goddammit...

Ghost Throats Fest. Ritchie Hall. May 16th. Photos by Andrea Janzen
This was one of the best shows of the year. I mean, look at those pictures! How could it not have been with a bunch of crazy kids flying around everywhere? We are still incredible appreciative to have been a part of this fest, and to CJ and everyone else who helped make it happen.

Ritchie Hall. June 19th. Photos by Chelsea Kempinski
This was a ridiculous show since Hominid and Begrime Exemious also played. It was great to finally play a show with Hominid again. We use to play with them all the time the previous year but didn't in 2009 until this show happened. This was also the first time we played with Begrime Exemious, the band of original Cope drummer Derek Orthner.

Avonmore Hall. July 12th. Photo by Matthew Cuthbert
This was our last show before setting out on our 2009 tour with GSTS!. This was also Red Hot Daggers last show, which was a bummer, but it made for good times. We also filmed our set for the Edmonton local hardcore DVD that night, so hopefully sometime in the future we'll have live video/audio from this show.

Cope hanging out before playing our first show of the 2009 tour in Abbotsford, BC. Photo by Drew Reikman

Fun House. Abbotsford, BC. July 17th. Photo by Andrea Janzen
This was our first show on tour with GSTS!, and their hometown show. That being said, kids came out and the show was pretty fucking nuts. A bunch of kids crammed into a tiny basement made this the perfect way to start off tour.

The Anti-Poverty Committee. Vancouver, BC. July 18th. Photos by Andrea Janzen
This wasn't our best show, but fun none the less. I remember us having some guitar gear malfunctions during our set, which sucks, but whatever. We got to play with Damages and hang out with some Vancouver friends that night, so that made up for our set.

Cope and GSTS! hanging out in the woods of BC. July 19th. Photo by Todd Skitsko

Ymir Hall. Ymir, BC. July 20th. Photos by Taylor Geddes
This was the weirdest show on tour. We showed up to this middle of no where town with children and dogs running around the hall we were suppose to play in. But as it turned out, this was one of the funnest shows on tour. We had a band-off with GSTS!, setting up our gear all at once and taking turns playing songs, which was really fun. We also got to see The Kettle Black play that night, which is an incredible one man band. We stayed that night at the Taberfucks cabin, who also played that night, so a big thanks is due to them.

Cope and GSTS! hanging out with some locals on a beach near Regina, SK. July 24th. Photo by Todd Skitsko

War On Music Record Shop. Winnipeg, MB. July 25th. Photos by David Van Den Bossche
This was another weird tour show, only because we didn't actually play until well past midnight. But regardless, the promoter was a rad guy, the kids that did come were cool, and playing in a record shop right next door to an amazing vegan restaurant was a plus.

Cope and GSTS! hanging out in Ontario. July 26th. Photo by Todd Skitsko

Black Pirates Pub. Thunder Bay, ON. July 27th. Photos by Taylor Geddes
This was the farthest east we played on our tour with GSTS!. Not a big turn out, but it was fun. I remember talking to Kev about how weird it was that we were playing a show in Ontario that night and being so far from home.

Cope and GSTS! on the last night of tour. Saskatoon, SK. July 30th. Photo by Todd Skitsko

New Black Center. Clagary, AB. October 17th. Photos by Trista Croft
This was our first show with Nathan playing guitar and it was fucking nuts. Calgary always goes crazy, especially since Kali, Maus, and Creeper were on this bill. What a good night.

Cope's current line up after playing in Calgary on October 17th. Photo by Mark Arsenault.
From left to right: Durell, Nathan, Kev, Todd

GSTSSTTSSSTSTSSTS

2009-12-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

GSTS!, probably some of the best musicians i've ever spent a lot of time with, have a video of themselves playing live. Check it out.

-Durell

Ending 2009 With A Broken Cymbal Stand

2009-12-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

We're playing a new years eve show with Gift Eaters and Wolfgoat. Here is the poster, additional information can be found on our myspace page. Show up on time to catch us. Stay for the onslaught of Edmonton hardcore.

-Durell

Smash Out The Old, Smash In The New

2009-11-18T10:24:00.000-08:00

The monthly update of band updates.

First things first. Writing has been going incredibly well. We're getting a bunch of new material ready and its sounding so good. Here is a demo of one of the new songs we wrote with the new line up. It's super dirty sounding, but you get a good taste of things to come.

Second. We're planning on playing a Edmonton show sometime soon in December. This one will cause so much destruction and chaos, you'd be kicking yourself in the ass if you missed it. More info on that as soon as i get it.

Third. Plans for the summer 2010 tours is underway. One tour will bring us to western Canada with a stop over the border. The other will bring us far more east into Canada than last year, again with a stop over the border. As soon as i have confirmation from the rest of Cope, i'll post the dates.

Fourth. I don't know where our 10" is. Pressing plants and their constant failing at replying to inquiries frustrates me, but it'll be here eventually. Show some love for Nathan at xTRUEx and check out the 7"split he just released in the meantime.

Fifth. Here are some pictures of the above mentioned new lineup from our show with Creeper and Maus in Calgary last month. (click to enlarge)

That's it for now.

-Durell

First Show With New Lineup - Calgary

2009-10-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

Finally. Fucking finally. Playing a show. This Saturday, the 17th of October. We couldn't be more stoked. This will be our first show with Nathan playing guitar. We'll be playing some new songs as well as some from the EP that have been fined tuned. Others playing are Creeper, from Toronto, and our friends Kali and Maus. Creeper will also be playing a Edmonton show the night before. Here's all the info for Saturday's show.

Saturday October 17th

Creeper
Maus
Cope
Kali

CALGARY
New Black Center

#200, 919 9 ave SE

$7
5:30pm

People have asked why we are not playing any Edmonton shows. The answer is that we're still taking a break from shows, with the exception of the show mentioned above. We've been wanting to play with Creeper since Gift Eaters met them on their summer tour and had nothing but good things to say. When the Edmonton show was booked up, we decided to get on the Calgary bill. Edmonton has heard our songs over and over again. We want to play a show at home when we have new songs to wreck everything to. We've only played Calgary a couple times so they haven't heard our old songs to death. THOUGH, some new songs will definitely be played. This Saturday could be considered a preview of things to come.

Here's a poster for the show.

That's it.

-Durell

Anyone That Thinks Thunderstruck is a Monumental Achievement In Musical History Deserves to Die

2009-09-17T14:19:00.001-07:00

This is what we've been up to...

Other than mountains of nachos, we are very pleased to announce that Nathan Levasseur has officially joined Cope. We've already started jamming and writing with him, and so far everything has been sounding just as good, if not better than before. Hopefully we'll start playing shows towards the end of the fall, but for now, we're in write mode. The next time Cope plays a show, we'll have a whole new bag o' songs ready to insinuate destruction. Heavier. Faster. Louder. Fuck i can't wait.

Other than all that, if you reside in the Edmonton area, you should really check out Maus' first show back with their new line up. All info can be found here.

To finish off, here's the best picture of Nathan i could find.

-Durell

Line up changes, new bands, records, oh my!

2009-08-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

I actually have stuff to talk about, resulting in me actually updating this thing more than once a month.

Cope and Matthew Lecky have parted ways, amicably. Sometimes life just goes on and you find yourself with limited time, in other words, going to school. Everyone is on the same page and though this may not be the most positive of events for us, everyone remains good friends. We wish Matt luck on all his future endeavors.

Which brings me to my next point, our replacement for Matt. Nathan Levasseur of Goose fame will be jamming with us for a bit, and if everyone's feeling it, will join Cope. We're really excited about this as Nathan is a fantastic guitar player and can bring a whole new level of playing/writing to the table. Though his position as a permanent member remains up in the air, everyone seems optimistic and is eager to get this thing rolling again. Who knows... maybe a Cope/Goose summer tour to go along with a Goose/Cope split 7" (yeah, it's still happening). But one thing is for sure, we're not letting this be the downfall of Cope. We're not breaking up. If anything, this is really a step in the right direction and we can only progress from here.

That being said, Kev, Todd, and myself have other bands aside from Cope on the go...

Kev is now playing drums in a band featuring members of Snic, Gift Eaters, Red Hot Daggers, and Maus. Last i heard, they were calling themselves Book of Caverns and have a really rough demo of a song. From what i heard of the demo, it's sounding pretty rad and fans of Envy-esque stuff will more than likely dig this. But i mean, with that line up, how could you not produce good music?
Todd has been talking about starting up or joining another band. I hope it's a really good post metal band. Bug him to start/join a really good post metal band.
I play in a doom metal band called Cygnus with the Orthner brothers, Derek and Gary, who also play in Begrime Exemious and Hominid, respectively. It's really fucking heavy and really groovy. I love it. Anyone who likes Electric Wizard, Sleep, Pentagram, or other traditional doom metal bands would more than likely dig Cygnus. We already have a near complete set written, so expect to see us play shows by the end of October or beginning of November (hopefully).

So, the 10" is still in the mail. When it's here, you'll hear about it. All our other planned recordings (collab with St.Gilles and Split with Goose) are still going down, regardless of member changes. We had a number of songs completed for these projects, but with Matt's departure goes some of those songs. But, i'm sure writing with a new guitarist will help produce some good new tunes.

There you have it. We're sorry we couldn't play the August 19th show. We'll be back soon enough. In the meantime, go check out Goose and Maus when they start playing shows again. And for all the Edmonton kids who might be reading this, go start new bands. There's nothing that your favorite locals bands do that you're not fully capable of doing yourself. It's a lot of fun, trust me.

-Durell

Sweet Dudes and Dog Dad Tattoos

2009-08-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this, that means that i actually survived tour. Tour was fun, GSTS! is fucking insane and is made up of some of the raddest, craziest, oddest dudes i've ever met, shit got wrecked, there will be a ton of photos soon.

Speaking of GSTS!, everyone in Edmonton and area should go check them out when they are back in town on August 7th playing this show.

Other than that, there is a bunch of new band material popping up where ever i look. Maybe it's old news, but i haven't been on the internet in weeks so it's new news to me. Check out these bands and their new tunes

Goose
Brain Fever
Owen Hart (they are not local, but i don't care, these guys fucking rule).

There are so many stories from tour, both good and bad, that i could share. Honestly, it'd be such a task to transcribe to this blog, so you'll probably just have to hear them from us personally. That, and i like to keep them to memory. I do have to say thank you to every band we played with, every promoter that put on a show, every and anyone who let us sleep at their place and sometimes fill our stomachs, and to every single person who came out and watched us play.

That is it, Electro Quarterstaff on the 19th with Goose. Be there!

-Durell

Ps. An explanation for the title of this post. Reuban from GSTS! saw the post called "Cross Canada Dog Day Shit Show" (look below) and actually got "CCDDSS 09" stick and poked on his arm. Ridiculous. Mike from GSTS! also got a Cope tattoo. Absolutely ridiculous.

Our Flying Burrito Brothers

2009-07-14T17:10:00.000-07:00

Last night, we got to say farewell to one of Edmonton's best bands, Gift Eaters. This band was truly one of a kind and i will miss them. On that same note, Red Hot Daggers kicked the bucket that very night. Though we didn't get to play with them as often as Gift Eaters, they will be missed as well.

Here are some posters for our upcoming tour and shows. There is information regarding the tour in the post below. Come wreck some shit!

-Durell

The Cross Canada Dog Dad Shit Show

2009-06-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

The following are our tour dates with GSTS!. If you live in these cities, or are close enough to drive out, come hang out and help us kick out the jams.

July 17th|Squamish, BC @ House Show
July 18th|Vancouver, BC @ The Anti Poverty Committee
July 20th|Erie(Salmo), BC @ Erie House
July 21st|Calgary, AB @ The New Black Center
July 23rd|Regina, SK @ The Buffalo Lounge
July 25th|Winnipeg, MB @ War On Music Record Shop
July 27th|Thunder Bay, ON @ The Black Pirates Pub (ALL AGES)
July 29th|Dauphin, MB @ The Old Fire Hall
July 30th|Saskatoon, SK @ TBA (just waiting on venue confirmation)
July 31st|Edmonton, AB @ Allendale Hall
All additional information can easily be found on our myspace page, under our shows section.

But a couple days before that goes down, we're playing a show with Gift Eaters, Wolfgoat, and Red Hot Daggers. Our set, among others, will be filmed as part of a Edmonton Hardcore DVD compilation. Come out and go fucking ape shit. Here is the poster.

That's it for now.

-Durell

Coming this fall on fox: "Dog Dad"

2009-06-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so two things to ramble on about.

First, our friends in Maus have put some songs up from their upcoming demo. This band absolutely kills it. Hear for yourself here and then go see them at this show. The show is absolutely free and a bunch of great local Edmonton bands are breaking up after this show. Definitely worth your while and the price is right.

Second, we're playing a show with Begrime Exemious and Hominid on June 19th. Here is the poster. This show is going to be ridiculously heavy. Come check it out!

That is all for now.

-Durell

Matt IS the tetris master

2009-06-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

So, i've been really lazy with updating this thing.

Last night, we played a show with Goose that most of the bands dropped off, but it was so much fun. A room with good people, two bands facing each other taking turns playing, it was a blast. The result of this Cope/Goose show is a Goose/Cope 7" split to be released on xTRUEx eventually. We're still working on the collab, but i'm sure we can get two or so songs together to make this happen. So, look out for that and look out for the Goose demo, which to my understanding is near complete. Those dudes are way too good!

Nate at xTRUEx has informed us that the test press versions of the 10" are to be expected within the week (hopefully). So, expect those to be available by mid to end of June.

Not really related to Cope, but i've been jamming with a new doom band called Cygnus featuring Derek (Begrime Exemious) and Gary Orthner (Hominid). People who like doom metal as the likes of Goatsnake, Electric Wizard, and St. Vitus would probably really dig this. Its loud and its groovy. Hopefully Cygnus will be able to play some shows by the end of June, beginning of July. I'll post updates about that band on here too.

That's all i can really think of right now.

-Durell

The Summer is Upon Us

2009-05-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

It's May. It's sunny and practically summer now. Saves The Day is on. I am excited for the upcoming months.

-Durell

I Need More Magic In My Life

2009-04-27T10:24:00.001-07:00

First off, i just wanted to say that i'm listening to Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution by Burnt by the Sun. Holy fuck, listen to this album if you haven't before! That aside, here is what we have been up to.

Writing for the collaboration 10" is complete. All we have to do is get the new songs down to the point of being able to play them comfortably enough to record and play live. Maybe there will be a new song added to the set for Ghost Throats, we'll see. The new songs are much faster and technical than the ep, but still heavy. The way i see it, the ep songs are the first ones we wrote as a band. Hell, some of the songs were even written when Orphy was playing drums. Throughout that writing process of the ep, we were still figuring out what we sounded like and what each member can bring to the table. Now that the ep is out and the 10" is on the way, and we've been playing those songs for a year now, i think its fair to say we have a pretty good idea of what we want to do other than trying to figure out what we want to do through trial and error song writing. Coming into the writing of the collab was refreshing and the shit we managed to write, i am genuinely excited about and even more excited to be able to play the songs live. So, i guess thats my little insight on new material that could very well be played as soon as our shows in May.

So with records and cd's and all that shit, we thought it'd be a good idea to get some shirts made. We've had a couple friends make some really good designs and now we just have to pick what we would like to use. So, as soon as i know what design(s) we're going to use, i'll post it on here.

The booking of tour continues to continue. I just posted all the dates we plan on playing on our myspace, and i'll post them here as well. If you or anyone you know can help us out with a show in any of these cities, please contact me via the Cope myspace or at burnceciliburn@hotmail.com.

Fri 07/17 - Squamish, BC
Sat 07/18 - Vancouver, BC
Sun 07/19 - *day off*
Mon 07/20 - Nelson, BC
Tue 07/21 - Calgary, AB
Wed 07/22 - *day off*
Thu 07/23 - Regina, SK
Fri 07/24 - Brandon, MB
Sat 07/25 - Winnipeg, MB
Sun 07/26 - *day off*
Mon 07/27 - Thunder Bay, ON
Tue 07/28 - *day off*
Wed 07/29 - Dauphin, MB
Thu 07/30 - Saskatoon, MB
Fri 07/31 - Edmonton, AB

That's it for now.

-Durell

Ghost Throats Fest '09

2009-04-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well fuck, if you're able to make it to this show, but don't, you'll be kicking yourself in the ass all summer long.

GHOST THROATS FEST '09

BE THERE!

-Durell

Andrea's photos will tell the story

2009-04-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

So our friend Andrea took some photos of us playing love is STILL love and they tell a pretty good story as to what happened. Take a look for yourself.

For the record, Cope does not encourage you to smash your drums and the venue you're playing/attending. Full responsibility was taken for all this and everyone seems to be on the same page. As hypocritical as this sounds right now, respect the venues that hosts all the sweet shows you like to go to. Though we managed to wreck the ceiling of Circles, we understood the consequences of such actions. Funds and labor will be donated from our end to reverse the damage we caused.

-Durell

Love is STILL love.....about last night.

2009-04-10T10:38:00.000-07:00

Ron Burgundy: Boy, that escalated quickly... I mean, that really got out of hand fast.
Champ Kind: It jumped up a notch.
Ron Burgundy: It did, didn't it?
Brick Tamland: Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart.
Ron Burgundy: I saw that. Brick killed a guy. Did you throw a trident? Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident.
Ron Burgundy: Brick, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you're probably wanted for murder.
-Kev

Shut the fuck up Donny

2009-03-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the lame title of this entry. I didn't know what else to put and had just finished watching Lebowski, and well, there you have it. More importantly, we are playing the postponed "Love is love" show on Thursday, April 9th at Circles. At this show, there will be CDEP's for sale for $5. For additional information on the CDEP, just scroll on down to the previous entry.

Here is the poster for the April 9th show. Wolfgoat, the band with the most gear i've ever seen, we'll be playing at Circles, the smallest venue in Edmonton. I don't even know what to expect other than it being ridiculously loud. Come destroy your hearing capabilities.

That's it. See you on the 9th.

-Durell

Holy shit! It's actually done...

2009-03-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, hell froze over. The EP will be ready by the next show we play. PROMISE. Kev has been working endlessly on the CD versions of the EP and they are looking pretty rad. You can pick one up at a show for $5. Unfortunately, we're not playing until probably May, as university finals are just around the corner and half of Cope will be enduring them. As far as the 10" version is concerned, i just sent everything over to Nathan at xTRUEx so hopefully we'll have those available in the next coming months.

In the meantime, here are some details on the CD/EP.

Home made digi packs

4 alternate covers, graciously shot by Landon Speers

(also the 10" cover)

Track list:

1. You're Not The Same Person You Were When You Were Born... (0:47)

2. Ignis Fatuus (1:22)

3. Human Resources (2:14)

4. I Select Cases 3: 1-8 (2:03)

5. Costumes (2:40)

6. Roads Over Graves (2:33)

7. Fight Or Flight (4:41)

8. Dead Body (2:38)

9. ...And You Can't Stay Inside When It Constantly Storms (1:46)

Other than the EP, we played a really great show this past weekend with High Jinks and Withdrawal from Winnipeg. Thank you to everyone who made it out and witnessed me fly into a table of vegan cupcakes.

Booking of our Canadian tour with GSTS! continues. So far everything has been going well and we're getting really excited for the summer, as you should be too.

That's all i can think of right now.

Take care,

-Durell

Regarding said upcoming shows

2009-02-19T17:42:00.001-08:00

"I'll call it... BILLY AND THE CLONE-A-SAURUS!"

2009-02-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

I just spent five minutes trying to figure out what to write as far an an introduction to this entry and this is all i got. My infinite apologies. Here's something that might boost your spirits, we're playing February 27th with Maus, Goose, and This Machine Is... at the Hydeaway! It's been almost an entire winter since we've played last and we are more than excited to get back at it. New songs will be played, drums will more than likely get even more fucked up, Kevin will break something, Matt will unplug himself and Todd will just stand there, doing what he does best, being the obvious eye candy. More information on this event can easily be found on our myspace page or Push Pins myspace page.

This isn't the only show we have lined up in the upcoming months. There are two shows at the end of March that are currently being worked on. As soon as i have more info on those, you'll read about it here.

EP NEWS! This is how its going to go down. After xTRUEx decided to put out the ep, we were stuck thinking of what we were going to do with all the CD supplies we had for this thing. So, during one of these upcoming shows, i'm not saying which one because we have to see how quickly we can do this, the EP will be available in CD format and will be by donation. You've waited, we've waited, its time to get this thing out. The 10" format will be available by the spring.

Here is the poster for the February 27th show.

Winter is almost over, and that means destruction. Support your local hardcore scene, and the touring bands that drive hours in a cramped van to come play, by going to as many shows as you can and dragging as many people as you can to said shows.

That's it.

-Durell

xTRUEx to release our EP

2009-01-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

So i guess Nathan at xTRUEx Records is a sucker for punishment. After all these months of bugging him constantly to put us on all these sweet shows he puts on, he's cracked and decided to put out our EP in a 10" format.

We are beyond excited.

We are still making CD copies of the EP for everyone who's been wanting one for awhile. We have the final version of the EP, we are collecting the materials to make the packaging, they will be ready in about a month. FINALLY!

Expect the 10" version to be out in a couple of months. Three. Hopefully.

-Durell

2009 is looking to be pretty good

2009-01-26T00:10:00.000-08:00

There isn't really much to say about Cope as of late. We're still working on songs for the collab and still working on getting the EP out. Plans for the summer however are looking really good as we are now being joined by just say no! label mates Guests! for our summer tour. Taylor, the magical mind behind JSN!, is also coming along for the ride so you can pick up a bunch of sick stuff off him.

Which leads me to my second reason for writing this entry. The Hominid/War Hero split is out of control! If you're from closer to the Edmonton side, get some off Nate at XtrueX. If you're closer to the Vancouver side, get some off Taylor at JSN!, who got this thing out.

That's really all i can think of. Last night's show with Gift Eaters, Wolfgoat, Maus and High Jinks was out of fucking control. I was so stoked on every band that played.

-Durell

this is an...

2008-12-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

unnecessary blog update.

-kevin.

You had the most ridiculously intense face!

2008-12-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

Winter is finally here. There's actually snow on the ground and its cold outside. Aside from snow, the cold, and people bitching about the snow and cold, December also brings the joyous final exams, which Todd and Matt have been really busy with for the past little while. As a result, all things Cope will be going at a snails pace until the new year.

As far as the EP goes... i'll only be repeating myself. I'm not going to mention it anymore until its actually out and ready sell. Its done, we need to package it, if you read this blog, you'll be the first to know.

Currently, we've been writing for our 12" collaboration with St. Gilles that Just Say No! records is putting out. We've all been pretty excited about the music that has miraculously been, and continues to be coming out from writing jams. The songs are far more technical and far better written then the songs we've been playing for the past year and we're looking forward to playing these new songs as soon as possible.

Speaking of Just Say No!, you should check out the JSN! blog. I'll be making little Cope updates from time to time on there so look out for those.

That's all i can really think of right now.

Take care,

-Durell

Oh Messy Life

2008-11-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

I got asked to do vocals in a pop punk band featuring the kids from this machine is... . Here is the result. Also, because i'm lazy, i'm just going to post OML updates on here rather than make a whole new blog.

Enjoy the tuneskis.

-Durell

I Dread The Winter Even More Now

2008-11-17T16:22:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to throw this picture on here because we, as well as the dudes in Hominid (sans Sam) look like we're sane and not completely disgusting individuals. This picture was taken outside Home Sweet Home when Hominid and ourselves played there this past summer with Punch.

Also, FINALLY, the ep is finally mixed and now we just have to figure out the packaging, which will be totally DIY and homemade because we are cheap, cheap, assholes. Also because we like adding a personal touch on what we do. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the ep will be available at our next show, whenever that should be.

That's it.

-Durell

Photos from HallO)))ween

2008-11-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Our good friend Travis Logan took some fantastic looking photos of our halloween cover set as Sunn O))). Here are a couple of my favorites.

You can check out the rest of the photos here.

See you guys on Sunday at the Black Ships show.

-Durell

"I guess people in back seats are more prone to jump out the window..."I'm in the back? Fuck this!""

2008-11-01T13:47:00.001-07:00

I'm being really lazy with updating this things, but at the same time, not much has been going on.

We played the halloween cover show last night as Sunn O))) and i would have to say that it went pretty well. We got a lot of positive feedback and a lot of "it was creepy" comments, which i think were the best compliments as it was a halloween show and that was our ultimate goal. Thank you to everyone who played with us and everyone who came out on halloween, considering i'm sure that there were many other festivities taking place last night.

In upcoming show news, we have two shows in the month of November. One with a terrific band, on November 9th, known as Black Ships, hailing from Montreal, and with our good friends Gift Eaters. The other, the next day on November 10th, with Drown Out, hailing from BC. We hope to have at least one new song from the St. Gilles split ready to play for these shows, so come out and wreck some shit with us.

For months, MONTHS, i have been saying "the ep is almost done".... It's almost done, all we have to do is master it. You have to understand, we are perfectionists, the mixing process was a long and tedious one, and many thanks goes out to Steve and his much appreciated patience.

Here are the posters for the two November shows.

Ca c'est tous.

-Durell

...We'll just stay inside, and play Donkey Kong

2008-10-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

I did an interview with Taylor of Just Say No! records. Here it is, enjoy!

We have two new songs written for the 12" collab with St. Gilles. We are incredibly excited about these new songs and hope you will be too when we play them in November with Black Ships. More info on that as soon as possible.

Final mixing on the Ep is in progress. It will be available soon.... hopefully.

-Durell "poo-ass" smith.

EDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are the very noisy live tracks we did on our radio interview for cjsr.

i feel its a more accurate representation of what we sound like...not that our recordings dont represent what we sound like..... but they just dont have that loud feel to them.. these are almost too loud.... also, its not that i'm trying to represent... i know people can get hurt or even killed should they feel the need to prove themselves or "reprazent" in situations.........just download these.

or better yet come to a show.

http://rapidshare.com/files/150805773/Live_Tracks.zip.html

also

this is our summer tour demo.

3 unfinished songs with fancy packaging sold to people in Saskatchewan/Alberta and BC so we could pay for gas on our summer tour. enjoy?...

http://rapidshare.com/files/150807916/tour_demo.rar.html

a-a-a-a-also ...new songs soon.

Totally, Total, Totally

2008-09-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

This is what has/is happening in the Cope camp of doom and despair.

On Tuesday September 16th, we will be doing an on air performance and interview on the radio show "Bringin' It Down" on CJSR radio. If you want to hear us make humongous asses of ourselves, you can tune in at 88.5 FM or online at http://www.cjsr.com.

On Friday October 31st, we are very excited to be playing the xtruex Halloween show! The entire show will consist of bands covering other bands. For example, we will be donning the grimm robes of Sunn O))). More info and a complete bands list will be made available soon.

We are currently in the works of putting together a weekend tour with our friends in Gift Eaters. More on that soon.

The ep... is almost done. We had to take a break from mixing due to tour and people being out of town, but we're back at it and hopefully it will be done soon.

That's it for now.

-Durell

I love home sweet home. Seriously... Lana and Sonki are super rad! Seriously...

2008-08-26T01:31:00.000-07:00

We, as well as our friends in Hominid, will be featured in a video zine made by the wonderful people that live and put shows on at a Calgary house named "Home sweet home". Here's the official word from Home sweet home.

"BASEMENTS ARE THE ONLY WAY

that's the name of our video zine with footage from all the homesweethome shows this summer. it will be available at the LEPER show Oct 2.

it will include at least a couple songs from,

DEAD DOGS
THE MOTHERFUCKERS
MIND CONTROL
MODERN PROBLEMS
THE THROWAWAYS
WASTOIDS
DIE YOUNG
OSK
MUDLARK
ENDLESS BLOCKADE
PUNCH
STARVATION CAGE
ANS
EPIDEMIC
HARDCHARGER
MADCOWBOYS
HOMINID
COPE
HATS OFF GENTLEMEN
SHARAR
SNAKE MOUNTAIN
COLD DEAD HANDS
and maybe some proof that the notorious gabber rave DID happen."

That's it.

-Durell

What's in the box?!?

2008-08-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

This video was filmed on our home turf in Edmonton before we headed out on our Western Canadian dates. It was shot by Lindsay from rotbottyrot(check 'em out here if you haven't), and gives a pretty accurate middle ground of what the rest of tour shaped up to be.
Nothing was broken on account of this show taking place in Kevin's basement, and that's our excuse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9PVKmB9Gww

-Todd

Home

2008-08-12T22:50:00.001-07:00

We've been home from tour for about a week now, just relaxing and getting our shit back together.

Tour was great! We had a fantastic time. We would like to thank everyone who helped us out in anyway by putting on shows, letting us sleep on their floor, came to the shows, or just hung out and talked. Thank you very much.

Ceremony unfortunately did not make across the border, so the show that we were suppose to play in Calgary tonight was cancelled. Hopefully, we will get another chance to play Calgary before the end of the year.

We are very excited and pleased to announce that we have been signed to Just Say No! Records! They will be putting out our collaboration with St. Gilles. As far as this project is going, we have starting the initial writing process and will be hopefully recording by the end of the year.

We are playing a show this Friday with Mind Control from Winnipeg. Here is the poster.

That's it.

-Durell

From the road

2008-07-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

So far tour has been awesome! Thank you to everyone who came out to our shows in Saskatoon, Regina, and Calgary. Right now, we are on our way to Vancouver to play and hang out. I'm using a cell phone to post this, so it's really frustrating and I'll post more shit when I have actual internet access.

Other than that, we got invited to play with Ceremony in Calgary on August 12th and we are more than excited to be playing this show. I'll post more info as soon as I have some to post.

Kev has been working on a extensive tour journal, so when we get back, I'll transcribe the whole thing so you can read all about our misadventures and understand our stupid inside jokes.

That's it.

-Durell

What is this? The bro pride march '08? - "Yep, we're all getting raped"

2008-07-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

This will probably be the last post for awhile, as we are leaving for our summer tour with Hominid on Thursday! Check out this awesome poster that Mr. Andrew Benson designed for us.

Also, be sure to come check us out tomorrow night in St. Albert with Shipwreck! Check out the poster i posted a couple of posts down for the low down.

We have a 3 song demo available! We're only making a limited amount of these, and they are only being sold at the Shipwreck show tomorrow and on our tour with Hominid. Get one while you can! $5!

That's it for now. I am both excited and terrified for tour.

Take care,

-Durell

Arabian Nights

2008-07-19T13:36:00.001-07:00

Hey guys,

We finally have a video posted from our show with ANS and High Jinks, and for those who weren't there, it was FUCKING awesome!

You can swing over to our youtube and check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i24GJLkloKo

-Matt Out

If it starts playing "have you ever seen the rain" just as it starts to rain, i'm going to cry

2008-07-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

Punch is fucking awesome! There is no way around it. They put on a fantastic show in Edmonton and Calgary this past weekend and we are so thankful to have been able to play those shows with them.

Our first out of town trip and show as a band was fantastic. We packed the van with the help of our friends in Hominid (who also played punch weekend), and St. Gilles himself. It was a good opportunity to see how things would work on tour. Needless to say, we will be uncomfortable, but it will all be worth it.

And, as always, it wouldn't be a Cope trip (previous times it was when Kevin and myself toured with Punch Out! and Leave it Behind) unless there was some really fucked up weather. And sure enough, we got bombarded with heavy rain and hail just as we were leaving Calgary.

Here are some great photos taken by Bryan Kulba from the Edmonton Punch show.

More can be seen at Byran's flickr or our myspace.

Take care,

-Durell

Shipwreck!

2008-07-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

We just got added to a show with Shipwreck on Tuesday July 22nd! On top of that, it's in St. Albert, and there hasn't been a good show here in a very long time, which means attendance is mandatory.

Here is the poster.

Take care,

-Durell

That xenu is a galactic asshole

2008-07-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

First off, a huge thank you to Rotbottyrot (for Eddie Shorts as well), Thrashtic Fibrosis, High Jinks, ANS for coming all the way to Edmonton from Texas, and Ryan from Hominid for putting on the show, which took place this past Sunday. If you missed it, well fuck, you missed a great show.

There are photos that were taken at the show by our friend Travis Logan, and a video of our set. Once i have said photos and video, i will post them here.

As far as recording goes, the actual recording is done, now its just the mixing that needs to be complete. Everything is sounding awesome so far!

This weekend, we and our friends in hominid, get to play with San Francisco's Punch in Edmonton and Calgary. The almighty Gift Eaters and always rad BYK have also been added to the Edmonton Show! Check them out!

End Transmission,

-Durell

Recording is done!

2008-06-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

Recording is all done! We finished vocals today at Mr. Laughton's house and everything sounds so rad already. All we have to do now is piece everything together and we're all good to go.

And speaking of good to go, this release will only be available on CD format. I know i said vinyl as well but we just don't have the funds for releasing both formats right now. Instead, we will be getting some shirts made up for tour, so look out for that. Once i have the official designs that we decide to use (one for a black shirt and one for a white), i'll post them on here. As far as getting vinyl out, we already have another project that we will begin working on after we're done tour. A collaboration with St. Gilles for a "planned" vinyl format only release.

That's it for right now.

Take care,
-Durell

Recording update and Punch weekend. Sorry... i don't have any inside jokes to use as a title.

2008-06-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

So, we are done almost done recording. I know i said that i'd have pictures or videos and what not, but we got lazy. We do, however, only have vocals left to record and then we are done! I know that recording is kind of a must if you're actually trying to get somewhere other than playing shows in a garage (though basement shows will always be a blast!), but i really can't stand recording. Both Calvin and Steve have been working hard and i am grateful but i find the whole process so stressful, and if you've been around me in stressful situations, you'll know that's not the best place for me. Though, through all of this, we are going to have some really great sounding tracks to share so its all worth it.

Anyways, Punch, hailing from San Francisco, will be playing some shows in Edmonton and Calgary on July 12th and 13th respectively, and we are lucky to be playing both shows with our good friends in Hominid. Here are the posters for both shows. Be there!

Take care,

-Durell

I'm trying to do CSI... ... frozen.

2008-06-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been hard at work recording and have finished drums and guitar, the two most stress full instruments in my opinion. Everything is sounding so fucking awesome. A huge thanks to Calvin and Steve for their time and effort and for having to deal with my shitty temper when playing the same damn song for the 11Th time. Bass and vocals are next, then we may have some rough, unmixed stuff to throw on myspace, and then eventually the finished product available on cd and vinyl.

Also, here is the poster for our show with Snic, Rotbottyrot, and G.W. Peaks on June 30Th. Yeah, i know, no minors, but if you are of age its free. I mean, its fucking Snic. Why would you pass that up?

Take care,

-Durell

Live Performances. Please Attend.

2008-06-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

We're playing some great shows at the end of June and beginning of July.
Here is the poster for our show with ANS on July 6TH.

Also, we are playing our first 18+ show with Rotbottyrot on June 30Th. I'll post show info as soon as i can get it

And finally, we are heading into the studio on Friday. I'm very excited to get some good quality recordings done. When we have something to show, perhaps some unmastered material, I'll upload it on our myspace. You can also expect updates, pictures, etc etc to be posted on here as well.

That's it for now, take care,
-Durell

The rhythm is in my blood maaan!

2008-06-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

First off, a big thanks to Electro Quarterstaff for coming down to play, Nate for putting on the show, and everyone who came. EQ was fucking nuts!

The Calgary Ruiner/Braindead show is a no go, but they will be playing Edmonton on the 28Th. Though we are not playing, come hang out with us anyways and support some bands on the road.

We are heading into the studio on June 13Th to start recording our first record. Depending on how long it turns out to be, it will either be a 10" or 12" record. It will also be available on CD, but not until we get the records, as we would like to release everything at the same time. We'll throw some tracks on myspace when we get them done to show exactly what to expect, and to replace the crappy demos we have up currently.

Are next booked show is July 6Th with A.N.S (from Texas), High Jinks, Thrashtic Fibrosis, and Tarantuja. The show is happening at Avonmore Hall (7902 73 Ave) and it starts at 8. I don't know how much it costs yet, but it'll probably be something between $8 to $10. Also, there should be a poster soon with all the show info.

That's it,

-Durell

Good news and bad news

2008-05-22T13:45:00.001-07:00

So, bad news first. Not really connected to us, but its a little sad. Cursed, one of Canada's greatest hardcore bands, have kicked the bucket. Broken up after they had everything robbed on their last day of tour in Europe.
This is a bummer because we really looked up to Cursed as inspiration for this band. The initial idea i had with Matt was to start a heavy band similar to sounding like Cursed.
Regardless, they were a band and they put out some fucking amazing music. If you haven't heard of Cursed, you should probably crawl out from under the rock you've been living under. Listen to some of their music here.

Good news! Taylor, the super rad guy who runs Just Say No! Records/Distro, got ours and Hominid's tour dates and myspace addresses printed in the next issue of Profane Existence Magazine! Thank you so much Taylor!

Also, Begrime Exemious, featuring ex Cope drummer Orphy, has been added to the Electro Quarterstaff show. Get ready for some brutally heavy metal. Fuck yes!

Thats it for now. We're going to go see Indy 4 tonight. It better be good...

-Durell

Cope blog. So i can blog about stuff you don't bloggin care about

2008-05-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Cope news blog. I figured with shows, recording, merch, and tours coming up, posting myspace bulletins and such will get shitty. So now with this, i can easily tell you about shows coming up, like on June 1st for example with Electro Quarterstaff.

Like i said, we have a bunch of stuff coming up. We begin the recording process with Mr. Steve Laughton of High Jinks for a CDEP/7". Also with that we will probably be making some merch so we don't starve on tour.

So, as it is, this is what is happening in the next coming months:

6/1 Edmonton, AB w/ Electro Quarterstaff
6/28 Calgary, AB w/ Ruiner
7/12 Edmonton, AB w/ Punch
7/13 Calgary, AB w/ Punch
7/24 Edmonton, AB w/ Hominid
7/25 Saskatoon, SK w/ Hominid
7/26 Regina, SK w/ Hominid
7/27 Calgary, AB w/ Hominid
7/28 Lethbridge, AB w/ Hominid
7/29 Vernon, BC w/ Hominid
7/31 Vancouver, BC w/ Hominid
8/3 Chilliwack, BC w/ Hominid

All show information including venues, additional bands, and times can be found in our shows section on our myspace. Also, as soon as i have more updates, i will post them here.

"Damn! SSSSSSSSSNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEE!"

-Durell