Long before his time in bands like Fucked Up, the Bitters, Young Governor, Yacht Club and whatever else he's dreamed up this week, Ben Cook was the frontman for legendary Toronto hardcore outfit No Warning. The long-dormant group recently reissued their seminal 2002 LP Ill Blood, but fans of the group will get even more this year, as the band have planned a new 7-inch.
In an interview with Exclaim!, Cook explains that, while No Warning had never planned to come back, they've decided to record a few new songs. "An old member has found himself in a difficult and very serious situation and we want to help him and his family financially," he says. "We are all still very tight with each other so getting together for this was very easy for us."
As for the sound of the release, Cook says, "The music is brutal as ever.... Jordan [Posner, guitarist] is still, in my opinion, one of the best hardcore song writers of all time."
As for their process, Cook explains that they "wanted to create the songs the same way we did at the beginning.... Jord came with the riffs. We got in a room for two hours. Smoked a bag of weed. Matt and I fixed things up where it needed to be, mostly arrangement wise.
"When we put our minds to this kind of music it's going to sound like NW and no one else. It was interesting to get back in a room. Within 30 seconds, it was the same old shit. Me being an asshole yelling at everyone to do shit and them jamming Aerosmith and me telling them to shut the fuck up."
The 7-inch was recorded at DNA Studios with Chris Tedesco and Steve Chahley. The A-side is called "Resurrection of the Wolf," with a surprise cover on the flip. Though the release date is still to be announced, the record will be released via Cook's own Bad Actors imprint, with all proceeds going towards their former member's difficult situation.
Most likely, this will be a one-off reunion, as Cook says he's not interested in pursuing this style of music again.
"I have no interest playing live. I don't want dudes yelling in my face or jumping on me," he explains. "I like creating music with these cats, and that's that. We've been offered lots of money to get back together. Maybe it's selfish of me to decline all these offers based on those reasons, but this band was a very special thing to us at one point. Getting back together for bills like everyone is doing now is cheap and I think it's corny.... No disrespect to bands who choose to do so, just not my vibe."
In an interview with Exclaim!, Cook explains that, while No Warning had never planned to come back, they've decided to record a few new songs. "An old member has found himself in a difficult and very serious situation and we want to help him and his family financially," he says. "We are all still very tight with each other so getting together for this was very easy for us."
As for the sound of the release, Cook says, "The music is brutal as ever.... Jordan [Posner, guitarist] is still, in my opinion, one of the best hardcore song writers of all time."
As for their process, Cook explains that they "wanted to create the songs the same way we did at the beginning.... Jord came with the riffs. We got in a room for two hours. Smoked a bag of weed. Matt and I fixed things up where it needed to be, mostly arrangement wise.
"When we put our minds to this kind of music it's going to sound like NW and no one else. It was interesting to get back in a room. Within 30 seconds, it was the same old shit. Me being an asshole yelling at everyone to do shit and them jamming Aerosmith and me telling them to shut the fuck up."
The 7-inch was recorded at DNA Studios with Chris Tedesco and Steve Chahley. The A-side is called "Resurrection of the Wolf," with a surprise cover on the flip. Though the release date is still to be announced, the record will be released via Cook's own Bad Actors imprint, with all proceeds going towards their former member's difficult situation.
Most likely, this will be a one-off reunion, as Cook says he's not interested in pursuing this style of music again.
"I have no interest playing live. I don't want dudes yelling in my face or jumping on me," he explains. "I like creating music with these cats, and that's that. We've been offered lots of money to get back together. Maybe it's selfish of me to decline all these offers based on those reasons, but this band was a very special thing to us at one point. Getting back together for bills like everyone is doing now is cheap and I think it's corny.... No disrespect to bands who choose to do so, just not my vibe."
