Vancouver’s The SLIP-ons have a new song out called “GRAY$TONE.” It’s about singer Brock Pytel’s early days of touring with the great Montreal band Dougboys and specifically playing the legendary Graystone Hall in Detroit. The song flat-out rips and has that signature Brock yowl and melodic/hooky but loud and over-driven guitars - the foundation of my record collection.

The Graystone hosted shows by the early wave of DIY punk bands from California and elsewhere like the Minutemen, Descendents, Butthole Surfers, and Meat Puppets as well as Detroit’s finest Necros and Laughing Hyenas, and is perhaps best known as the location of the last-ever Black Flag show, before reunion tours in recent years anyway. And as one who missed shows at the Graystone by just a couple years, but nonetheless a huge fan of Detroit punk/rock history and of the Dougboys and Brock’s new band, this peaked my interest right off.

Check out and buy Gray$tone HERE!

We had Brock up to the Pencil Storm Compound recently where we had a chat about the new song.

Hey Brock! Thanks for chatting with us! “GRAY$TONE” is a killer track! What compelled you to write a song about that legendary Detroit venue?

Thanks man! Honestly, it was the way the song sounded early on. Shockk (Rob Matharu) and I were texting voice memos and demos of the main riff back and forth and I was kinda hearing that MC5/Stooges/Detroit sound in it. The idea of writing lyrics about the Graystone came out of that process, so I started making some notes from memories of those early days of the Doughboys. I reached out to Scotty (McCullough) and Bond Head (Jon Asencio) to ask what they remembered from those trips as well. Its pretty fascinating how people can remember completely different minute details from an identical moment in time.

The Graystone is long gone as a venue, though the building is still standing. I first saw Doughboys at Blondie’s in summer `88 so I just missed shows at The Graystone. What do you remember about Detroit back then in the mid-late 80s? It’s a very different city today.

Well that Blondie’s show was HOT, right? It was muggy and in the 80’s, but inside the venue, kids were wiping out on puddles of sweat and spilled water on the stage every time they got up to stage dive. Driving into the neighborhood of the Graystone, I remember passing multiple burnt out cars and boarded over windows, etc. It felt a bit like an urban war zone to this wide eyed young Canadian kid.

SLIP-ons have been around for 12 years now? How did this band come together and what has the first decade + been like?

I was really inspired to get going with this band after working a Stereophonics show at the 2010 Olympics at BC Place. Brian and I had been playing together in this band that covered their big hit “Dakota”. After their sound check, I was so stoked that I called up Brian and said, “We have to dosomething!” We got to work on “Apart” right after that. The first number of years of SLIP~ons was very casual. I was working like 60 hour weeks in film,and had a couple tour managing gigs, so the band was mostly an afterthought. We’d play just about any gig anyone offered but didn’t record or release anything.

During/after the COVID lockdown, we started writing a lot more collaboratively. That and my getting sick kinda lit a fire under us a bit.

What’s Vancouver like these days? I’m playing there in a couple weeks!

Vancouver is actually pretty great, honestly. There’s shows all the time and a lot of them are all ages. Some of the best venues are places many of my friends would never go, but I guess underground music has kinda always been that way, eh?

I love Montreal – great people and amazing music, even still. One of my favorites along with Doughboys was The Nils. Did you have interaction with them – playing shows, hanging out? Any stories about Alex and company you care to share?

Our very first rehearsal space in Montreal was the top floor of this warehouse-type building at the corner of St. Viateur and St. Dominique. The Nils shared a big room with us, so we saw them pretty often, and of course, went to most of their shows. Our first trip to Toronto was supporting them at Lee’s Palace. Alex was a very softspoken fellow. If you had a conversation with him, he’d be looking down at his shoes most of the time. It kinda chokes me up to think about him, honestly.

“Graystone” comes out on October 14th, then what? More releases? Touring? Inquiring minds want to know!

There are two more songs we recorded during the Graystone sessions at Afterlife. Those still need to be mixed by Dave. We are working on a couple more, one of which is a bit stoner rock-ish (lol). The plan is to record the newest ones over the winter, and release another 12” of all of them in June 2025.

We’ve been talking to a couple of labels in Europe as well, so ideally, we’ll be able to make something happen there as well.

Thanks Brock! Appreciate the advance listen and love what you do! We’ll hopefully see ya for a few when I’m in Vancouver in a couple weeks! Anything else you want to mention?

Absolutely my pleasure! Keep your eyes peeled for the GRAY$TONE Video. Its being animated by Scott and Sherise at Halo Creative in LA and should be out by the time people are reading this. It may or may not have a White Castle moment in there!

GRAY$TONE
Midsummer 1986’er, on the road again
Some venue - What the hell is this?
I guess we’re playing here
Michigan, seven eight sixteen

It was a fucked up place
With burned out cars and broken glass around the corner

Things are getting scary
Witches casting spells
Playing at the Graystone

Detroit Windsor Tunnel
Time to corroborate
To get accross this border now
You’d better get your story straight

And Scotty watched the New York Dolls on someone’s VCR
The shoot on sight promoter wars - who stole the liquor?
I heard a Kenworth 45 drove through the mezzannine
I guess the final coffin nail got hammered in

Lydia and Henry
The right side of My brain
Heard it at the soundcheck (never heard again?)

Things are getting scary
Witches casting spells
Playing at the Graystone
Playing at the Graystone

Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.thetucos.com
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Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic