By Will McGuirk
One of the most interesting musicans in Shwarock City for some time is the musical raconteur that is Myke Pulito. We must be closing in on almost two decades since Pulito’s beatnik leanings became the fulcrum to an emerging scene of artists in the city aka the Hairy Holler. Its at least one decade for sure as Pulito is celebrating ten years of Vs The Borg, a psych-rock outfit he along with his brother Chris and Jason Ducey formed after the Hairy hollered its last holler. The anniversary is being celebrated Friday May 31 at the Biltmore Theatre is downtown Oshawa. So of course a chat was in order with the brothers Pulito, Myke and Chris Pulito.
Q: What was your reason for forming Vs The Borg?
Myke Pulito: I think for me it was just the need to have something more heavy and aggressive on stage again. Before Vs The Borg, our drummer Jay Ducey and I had been playing in a couple projects together, there was Hairy Holler and a punk band called The Drive Chimes. After the Chimes split, I really missed having that outlet, so decided to get something fun together that would help scratch that itch.
Putting the lyrical Sci-Fi spin on things really lent itself to me creatively, finding ways to work stories and concepts into the writing that I hadn’t previously been able to touch on, also when in doubt, could always just reference the classics.
Chris Pulito: It was a bit different for me, I hadn’t really played in a full band before. I tried to start a few projects and was always jamming with buddies but nothing ever made it to the stage. So when Myke, my older brother, asked me to start a band with him, I was all in!
SC: How has your initial sense of the band evolved over the decade?
MP: In so many ways really, the sound has always been changing, I don’t think we’ve ever quite fit in or fallen into any one particular place. In the beginning things had a sort of fast paced Punk band feel to them, but with Chris coming from more of a Metal background, he started bringing a lot of that vibe to the table. We’ve since honed and blended that all together with some good old fashioned Rock n Roll thrown in the mix for good measure.
Honestly, the older I get now, the slower and sludgier I want to play. I guess as the world has gotten more Doomy, so have we!
CP: Yeah, between all of us, there is quite a wide range of influences and that has really shined through over the years. I’d say the biggest upgrade came in 2019 with the addition of Aaron Till on Synth and Keys.
MP: Laser Fingers!!
CP: He’s really added a great new dynamic to the band that has enhanced the way we write musically and even altered the way we play some of the earlier stuff live. Those songs from the ‘Terrorforms’ album and ‘Punch It!’ EP, were both recorded as a 3 piece with just guitar, bass and drums, and so for a lot of those tunes our live show is a totally new experience now.
SC: Covid of course smack in the middle of it all - how did the band survive and navigate the restrictions?
CP: That was a tough one for sure, but we just took advantage of the down time to write and record some new material.
We actually did a pretty cool live stream concert from The Biltmore Theatre in the summer of 2021 and there was the odd outdoor gig thrown in the mix too. Really just tried to stay busy when and where we could.
SC: Tell me about some of your more memorable shows, have you toured?
MP: Too many to name, but I’m forever a fan of the DIY spaces/house parties and grass roots outdoor festivals we’ve had the pleasure of playing over the years.
Whether we’re on home turf, ripping a local banger or on the road, camping out in the middle of nowhere, it’s always been a blast making noise with these guys!
CP: Agreed! One that always stuck with me though, is back when we opened up for Cancer Bats at The Moustache Club. It was a packed house at one of my favorite venues with a band that I’ve always been a big fan of. Plus it was pretty early on for us, I think 2015, so for only being a band for about a year at that time, it felt like a big deal. Definitely one for the books.
SC: You have albums available - where can one find your music? Are there plans for new music around the anniversary - what celebrations do you have lined up for being a band for ten years?
MP: Absolutely, you can find our stuff streaming just about anywhere on the internet, with everything for sale on the Bandcamp site.
We’ve got a new EP called “Heavy Sonic Alchemy” coming out on May 17th, it’s the first batch of a whack of tunes that we’ve been working on over the last few years and we’re really stoked to finally get them out there!
Then on Friday May 31st, there’s the Ten Years of Vs The Borg party coming up at The Biltmore Theatre here in Oshawa. Our friends in Veinduze, Mellohoney and Poison Fountains are all joining us for the night, looks like it’s going to be one helluva good time.
I’d also like to put it out there that we’re so thankful the Biltmore was down to throw this show and make it All Ages. I don’t think there’s enough of those that happen, especially with heavier styles on the more local level. Growing up around here, being able to see shows in my teens is what inspired me to play in bands and make music in the first place.
That mixed with places like The Stache and Wasted Space being our main haunts when this band first started out, I can’t think of a better and more fitting place & people to have it happen with, feels sort of like coming around full circle in a way.
SC: What do you think you have learned about the longevity of a musical project that you can share?
CM: oh I don’t know, probably just show up to band practice! Nah but seriously, if you have a passion for what you’re doing and put the effort in for it, it’ll go a long way. That with a touch of compromise should do the trick.
MP: That's a good start for sure! I think the main thing is to have fun. I doubt any of us would still be doing this if it wasn’t. Definitely helps when you find yourself with a great crew like this. We’ve all got our own quirks and certainly don’t always agree on everything, but hey, that’s family, both blood and chosen. It's our mutual love of Science Fiction and Rock n Roll that really keeps us going. Also a little trip to the arcade every now and then never hurts either.
SC: Why did you call the band Vs The Borg, whats the story behind it?
MP: It was actually just a joke to begin with. Started at a party years before, where an imaginary band called Stallone was hypothetically formed. They made songs about bad action movies and I came up with Vs The Borg as it’s lo-fi Sci-Fi side project. The more I got to thinking about it though, the more it seemed like a great idea to try and make happen.
The name lent itself so well to those Punk Rock ideals of going against the grain and fighting against something that would try to take you over, to make you just like everyone else. Pair that with us taking inspiration from so many different places and assimilating it all into our own little unique musical hive, I’d say it makes for a pretty fitting title.
Plus, in my opinion, those are all the best episodes of Star Trek and it looks great on a poster!
