The Novaks live for rock 'n' roll. After an opening slot for KISS, the band returns to Halifax to celebrate its new album, Things Fall Apart, at The Seahorse on August 2.
"KISS was great. I was a fanatic when I was a kid," says vocalist-guitarist Mick Davis. "Ace Frehley was one of my heroes and you can hear his guitar playing all over my record."
Davis didn't stick around to meet the band; after years of touring he knows handshakes and praise just blur into the background for most musicians. But The Novaks do pride themselves on being Newfoundlanders. "One of the thing that separates us from other bands is we're not too cool for school," says Davis. "Because we're from Newfoundland, we meet a lot of groups from the mainland that don't say hello. They're not snobby bands, they just don't come up to us."
Things Fall Apart layers heavy-rock riffs under brash lyrics and gives a serious nod to '80s and '90s Canrock. "The whole idea about the lyrics is a lot of complaining, preaching and bitching," says Davis. "That's sort of what rock 'n' roll is. I think the idea is that things fall apart and you build them back together."
The Novaks w/Alert the Medic
Sunday, August 2, 10pm at The Seahorse Tavern, 1665 Argyle, $10