Dear readers, in this article we have the pleasure of offering you an interview with a Canadian power trio that mixes Stoner and Heavy Prog. We welcome Pharm.
Hi, how are you?
“We are doing very well, despite freezing our buns off in the Canadian Winter.“
Your sound mixes Prog and Stoner, where does your passion for this music come from?
“We’ve all been fans of Rush and Progressive music from early on, and adjacent to that we’ve always been into heavy music. Sometimes we’ll be listening to death metal, sometimes psychedelic rock from the ’60s. Our sound has never been to pre-planned and comes out pretty naturally to what we feel inside and we’re always trying to add in a little twist to make the song a little weirded!“
How did the band come about and what is the meaning of your name Pharm?
“Our bassist and our guitar player both knew our drummer from separate projects we had done in the past and one night we all were in the same room, watching a local metal show and after a few beers we scheduled a jam. From the first practice, things had already gotten off to a good start (despite our guitar player having all his gear stolen that night!).
Pharm was a name we had on a list of many names we liked, but it ultimately was our favourite. In an alternate universe, we may have ended up being called “Old People” as that was a close contender!
We like to leave the interpretation of the meaning up to the beholder. Some people think of it as “farm”, others think it has a “pharmaceutical” implication.“
December 01, 2023 saw the release of your first EP “The Tower,” how would you describe this new work?
“The Tower is an offshoot of the band we were when we released our debut album last year. This one was largely written when we were in the Covid pandemic, and I think some of those frustrations and frenetic energy are reflected in the songs. It’s definitely a little crazier and a little angrier. We are in a writing phase again, and the next album you hear from Pharm will be a little different than the previous two again!“
Technique and energy come together to give life to your sound, how does the composition of your music come about?
“Somebody in the band will come with a riff and the others will add their input and the subsequent riffs typically come about from the feeling we get when playing the first riffs all together. We then try to add a bunch of surprises and jankiness to it. Essentially, we try to piss the other guys off as much as we can by adding changes and complications, but typically we always just wind up laughing and leaving with a smile.“
Both the instrumental and vocal parts are very intense, what themes do the lyrics deal with?
“The Infinite Stairway of Madness: This one is interwoven with some H.P. Lovecraft-y themes but is essentially about being trapped in a place within one’s mind
No Mouth, Must Scream: This one was based off of the short story “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison. I was fascinated by the story which came out in 1967 but still seems fresh and spooky all these years later. It’s essentially about a vengeful computer God who is keeping its subjects alive out of spite and hatred. The music was written before the lyrics on this one and after coming across this story, I felt they both felt strangely complimentary.
The Tower: Once when we were on the road, I was sitting in a hotel room after consuming too many edibles and came up with the idea of being eaten by the room you were sitting in haha! The rest of the lyrics are an expansion of that idea.“
Many of our readers and your fans wonder if there will be a chance to hear you live, do you have plans in this regard?
“Absolutely! 2023 saw us playing the most shows we have played in a year with ~60. We are always looking for more shows and love to travel. For our readers who live on remote corners of the globe, there are some terrible production quality live vids floating around on the internet, but we are planning to get something professionally filmed to scratch that itch also!“
Your debut album ‘Vortex’ was released in 2022, how has your sound evolved since then?
“Compared to Vortex, this EP has more of an angry and frenetic sound quality to it. We also consciously chose more of a garagey feel in the recording studio. The changes are more abrupt in this one, you will hear the odd blast beat and you may notice less keyboard action in the background!
Stay tuned for our next release where you may notice the sound will be different once again!“
Canada has offered quality artists over the years, how do you see today’s music scene in your country?
“There are tons of fantastic Canadian acts and artists out there. We had the privilege to cross the country on tour this summer and met so many great artists, friends and fans. Stoner Metal is certainly alive and well. Although there are so many amazing bands, there isn’t quite a good system in place to support and expose the talent. You’ll hear the same 4 shitty bands getting all the radio airplay. Furthermore, much of the government funded grant money does not go to heavier artists such as ourselves and our peers, so shame on them!“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music in a more sophisticated genre such as yours?
“We’d love to emphasize on keeping the music fun while making it technical! Make sure it’s still listenable and see how far you can take it without emptying out a room with it!“
Do you have any other passions or artistic activities outside of music?
“Yes! We also love beer! Further to that, we’re fans of nature, comedy and snowboarding!“
I thank Pharm for the interview and wish them all the best for the continuation of their artistic career.
“And thank you too!“
read our Review of “The Tower” here: [Review] Pharm – The Tower