Rockers stopping by

The only way to make a dent in the music industry is by constantly being on the road, says guitarist Chris Shaw.

Shaw’s band, the Vancouver-based rockers Versus the Nothing, have toured seven times in the past two years and are now in the midst of another cross-Canada tour that comes with a stop in Thunder Bay at Jacks on June 7.

Joined by vocalist Ross Archibald, guitarist Ande Otte, bassist Jay Scannell and drummer Jake Wyman, Shaw said there are times when they wish they were home, but it’s a great life out on the road.

"I can’t really complain but you’re going to have your moments," he said in a phone interview from Calgary. "You might have a couple of days of downtime between shows and you get a little bored. You’re walking malls and hanging out in hotel lobbies just trying to find ways to keep yourself amused. But we love this. This is what we want to do."

Their latest cross-country trek involves trips south of the border and they even played in Los Angeles at Hollywood’s famous Whiskey A Go-Go in March.

"It was awesome," Shaw said of their sole L.A. show. "The Whisky A Go-Go is a legendary venue."

Their first true foray into the U.S., Versus the Nothing has had their tunes played on the American east coast on the college and indie radio stations, so they’re looking forward to playing live in the region later this summer.

"We’ll see how it goes," said Shaw. "It’s just going to take lots of touring and once we tour the U.S. a few times, we hope we get a good response."

Versus the Nothing’s self-described sound is somewhere between a pop feel and hardcore edge and they’re promoting their soon-to-be released EP Black Gloves to which Shaw said the fans have given a positive reception.

And while Black Gloves has yet to make its way into fans’ hands, the guys are also constantly writing new material with the hopes of recording their third full-length album later this year.

With the constant touring, the fan base for Versus the Nothing has been steadily growing, with more and more people at each show, Shaw said, adding that the last few years of hard work seems to be paying off.

Once this latest trip is over – their last show on the road is Aug. 6 – the group plans to head home.

"We’re going to take the rest of the year to write and record more stuff and we’ll figure it out from there," Shaw said. "We need some time at home to get caught up on other things – family, work, bills."