Last year’s B-movie sensation was the aptly-named Canadian werewolf/cop movie sensation, Wolfcop. The movie was a bloody, ridiculous blast of entertainment, and the whole of it was made even more over-the-top by the score. As done by Canadian instrumental stoner metal band Shooting Guns, Wolfcop sounded like it looked: big, loud, and fun. The limited edition of the Wolfcop soundtrack sold out so fast that it’s just been repressed by One Way Static Records, and the band has also released a 7-inch featuring selections from the score, as well as a track that didn’t make it. We spoke with Jim Ginther of Shooting Guns about their work on the soundtrack, as well as their future plans.
STARBURST: As a band, Shooting Guns is rather more epic than might be expected. Six members make for a really huge sound. How did the band come to be more than your standard power trio?
Jim Ginther: This project started out in late 2008 (as a way of coping with the brutal winters we get out here) as a 4-piece and then added synth about 6 months later, which really filled out the sound. We’ve had a couple of lineup changes but stayed as a 5-piece until working on WolfCop, when we enlisted the amazing Toby Bond to help with scoring. The fit worked so well for us that we kept things as a 6-piece and haven’t looked back since.
The new EP features two songs from the Wolfcop soundtrack. What led you to pick the two that you did?
We picked Barn Burner since it was the ‘single’ on the soundtrack and felt it deserved some attention since it actually wasn’t in the movie (although we hear it will be in WolfCop II). We all agreed that Burchard Von Worms had to go in not only because we really like the track, but also because it’s 100% Toby Bond so it really showcases how versatile and creative he is.
The cover of ‘Moonlight Desires’ on the B-side is fantastic. Why wasn’t it included on the original soundtrack release, even though it’s in the film?
The biggest reason why it wasn’t on the soundtrack is because when the soundtrack/movie came out, we didn’t even know if that song had made the cut. Apparently it was sent to Gowan’s people for approval (we’d like to think Gowan vetted it himself) so we didn’t know the verdict until we heard the track playing over the end credits at the WolfCop premiere!
We love the fact that the video for ‘BarnBurner’ actually features Shooting Guns. What was the band’s involvement in the video concept?
We did a lot of behind the scenes work to get everything ready to shoot (lining up grants, timelines, etc., thank you Creative Saskatchewan!) but a really cool part about the concept is that it was written by Lowell Dean himself (writer/director of WolfCop). I went down for the filming not even fully understanding the treatment but wanting to see the process… and definitely not expecting to be in the thing, which was a funny surprise. All of the crew had worked on WolfCop as well so it really felt like an extension of the movie. Having WolfCop himself in full makeup certainly didn’t hurt either (except for when he put me in a head lock).
Since the release of the soundtrack, you’ve put out a split with Hawkeyes, Brothers of the Nod. What else is in the works — a possible tour?
We’ll be releasing another 12” split with Moncton-based ZAUM in November. We’ve been good buds with those guys for a long time so we’re really excited about this one. Funny enough, all of our tracks from this forthcoming release were actually from the WolfCop sessions. We combed through 6 months of 20 minute jams, found parts that (somewhat) complemented each other, and cobbled a side of a record together. It’s a very unique way of putting an album together for us but we’re really happy with how it turned out.
We set up Pre-Rock Studios so that we could work on the WolfCop soundtrack and now record everything we do so now we’re in an interesting position where we’re actually sitting on more material than we can release (the soundtrack repress, a 7”, and 2 x 12” splits is a lot for one year!). We don’t have any tour plans right now but since winter will be here soon, it seems like the ideal time to keep working in the lab and putting out new material for 2016.
Wolfcop II is officially a go — will you be doing the score for that, as well? If so, do you have plans to revisit the themes of the original, or are you opting for something entirely new?
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but we do have a great relationship with the WolfCop people, Echolands Creative, and Cinecoup. Part of the idea with this music video is that it can also serve as a teaser for WolfCop II (since the BarnBurner track will be in the sequel), so I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch to imagine us working on it. That said, projects like these have a lot of moving parts and filming is just getting started so we’ll likely be able to give a better answer closer to the New Year. If we do end up doing the score, at least we now (somewhat) know what we’re doing and you can expect much of the same, but with more Rush and Brad Fiedel (The Terminator) influences coming through.
You can find more information on Shooting Guns at their website.
