Evergreen Terrace's trek to Canada
Written by Ronak Ghorbani
Photos by Selven Cunningham
Date: May 6, 2008
With a 10 year track record of ripping up every stage they’ve stepped foot on, Florida’s Evergreen Terrace brought their melodic-hardcore set to Toronto in mid May.

On tour with As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red, and Misery Signals, the all-star line-up had a tough time getting across the border to deliver what EGT guitarist Josh James calls “whiplash.” “Getting into Canada is always the hardest thing for bands; even when we go over seas we don't have that much of a problem,” James explains. “But it's awesome when we actually get in here, because we're always stoked to play shows here.”

After hours of trying to clear up incorrect criminal history, border officials let EGT cross into Canada. Only one problem, they forgot to tax the band’s merchandise, which stalled them when trying to get back into the US.

“Us and Misery Signals were stuck at the border for six hours together. They searched the entire van, it was really sketchy. But finally, we got through because it ended up being a staring competition between us and them, and then finally they were like ‘Alright, just leave,’” says James. “This time we crossed through Niagara Falls [to Canada], in 10 minutes. [The border officials] were like ‘Oh cool, have fun! Later!’”


"We've grown as musicians because we've been able to tour with such a diverse group of bands. It's cool because when we do get back into the practise space and start writing songs, it's like we have tons of different ideas. That's why we really like going out with a diverse group of bands, because you do get different influences instead of always going out with metal bands,” James says. “There hasn't been any ska riffs in any of the records, and I highly doubt there ever will be, but if that came out and everyone actually was like, “Dude I like this, it fits well,” well, we'd do it.”

With their newest release, Wolfbiker, EGT continues their streak of being individuals in a sea of clone-like guitar breakdowns and shrieks.

“The majority of us came from a punk-rock scene and there never were gimmicks for bands. You always saw bands play in people's garages or rented out halls, and now it's blown up and massive. We just can't bring ourselves to put on makeup and dress in bright purple and straighten our hair. Which I mean there's nothing wrong with that, if that's what you like to do, then that's awesome, you should do it. But if you're doing it just because everybody else said that's the only way you're going to be a successful band or whatever, I think that's stupid,” James says.

To catch Evergreen Terrace this summer, check them out on Warped Tour – they’re playing every date.