Photo By Caelie FramptonImagine finding a musty box filled with Devo and Gary Numan records at a garage sale. Inside the box, you find an old betamax cassette that has a long lost video from the new wave punk days. That’s basically what you experience when you’re watching the new Mick Futures video.Mick Futures is the solo project from Mitch Houle, who has been a staple in the Canadian punk scene for over a decade in bands like Statues and Strange Attractor. These Sudbury based bands have had a huge impact on Canadian punk, even though they’re from well a place best known for its nickel mines. “A Few Pieces” will be on his upcoming album Banned From The Future, which comes out June 16 on Telephone Explosion. Mick Futures will be playing NXNE in Toronto on June 18. Watch the video below, and find out why Mitch choses to pursue his rock dreams in Sudbury, of all places.Noisey: Why stay in Sudbury to make punk and new wave music?
Mitch Houle: It’s easy here. I’ve made a home base here. It’s a lot easier to find a practice space here. Not everyone in Toronto or Montreal can have a basement. it’s just a lot easier to work from here for me, and I like the pace. It’s nice for me to hang out here and release stuff without being bothered by any one really. Sudbury doesn't have a very big scene, but it’s nice because everybody’s really cool with each other. I think there are four punk bands in Sudbury, and I’m in three of them.Mick Futures sounds a lot different than other projects you’re involved with, where does that come from?
Houle: Definitely Strange Attractor has a more kind of punk and garagey kind of vibe. I’ve always been into Devo and Gary Newman and that kind of shit, like keyboard new wave kind of stuff. I wanted to write music that I want to hear, so I kind of did my own thing. I have a studio in my basement, and I got a bunch of toys and electronics in my basement and stuff, so that kind of steered the sound towards a more new wave type thing. Statues and Strange Attractor are more from the traditional rock and roll, punk rock kind of thing.Do you plan on staying solo for awhile?
Houle: I’m still playing in a few other projects right now, but this album is the focus for this summer. I’ve been waiting for this album to come out now for a year plus, so I have stuff lined up for the next several releases.Eric Mclaren is not from Sudbury - @Erik01
Advertisement
Mitch Houle: It’s easy here. I’ve made a home base here. It’s a lot easier to find a practice space here. Not everyone in Toronto or Montreal can have a basement. it’s just a lot easier to work from here for me, and I like the pace. It’s nice for me to hang out here and release stuff without being bothered by any one really. Sudbury doesn't have a very big scene, but it’s nice because everybody’s really cool with each other. I think there are four punk bands in Sudbury, and I’m in three of them.Mick Futures sounds a lot different than other projects you’re involved with, where does that come from?
Houle: Definitely Strange Attractor has a more kind of punk and garagey kind of vibe. I’ve always been into Devo and Gary Newman and that kind of shit, like keyboard new wave kind of stuff. I wanted to write music that I want to hear, so I kind of did my own thing. I have a studio in my basement, and I got a bunch of toys and electronics in my basement and stuff, so that kind of steered the sound towards a more new wave type thing. Statues and Strange Attractor are more from the traditional rock and roll, punk rock kind of thing.Do you plan on staying solo for awhile?
Houle: I’m still playing in a few other projects right now, but this album is the focus for this summer. I’ve been waiting for this album to come out now for a year plus, so I have stuff lined up for the next several releases.Eric Mclaren is not from Sudbury - @Erik01