Brendan Kelly on resurrecting The Falcon: “We are about catharsis and rock and roll. Full stop.”

A decade after The Falcon last took flight, the punk rock super-group have reformed once again for Gather Up the Chaps (Red Scare), the band’s first LP since 2006’s Unicornography. Featuring Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy (The Lawrence Arms), Dan Andriano (Alklaline Trio), and new recruit Dave Hause (The Loved Ones), The Falcon is essentially an all-star punk team for the beardo set.

We caught up with Brendan Kelly just ahead of the band’s upcoming Canadian tour to discuss how they teamed up with comedian Kyle Kinane for this run of shows, why he resurrected the band after so long, and what drink pairs best with the new album. The Falcon play Montreal’s Katacombes (1635 St. Laurent), Wednesday, November 16 with Kyle Kinane, Arms Aloft and The Penske File. Tickets are $15 / $20, available here. For all upcoming tour dates visit the band’s Facebook page.

First off, I don’t know anything about baseball, but congrats!

Thanks. Now that we have a new president-elect, the glory of the Cubs win is…um, well, it’s not as inspiring as it was. But it was a hell of a few days there while it lasted.

How did this tour with Kyle Kinane come about?

We’ve just always been interested in different ideas for tours and I don’t EXACTLY remember the details, but someone suggested Kyle and he’s an old buddy of mine so I hit him up. Next thing you know, we’ve suckered a very talented and well known comedian into doing a punk tour. Everyone wins!

Why don’t we see more comedians touring with bands? It seems like such a natural fit.

I dunno. It could be great or it could be a disaster. We’ll know more in a few days.

Will be see any on-stage collaboration between you two?

Kyle and I have discussed him jumping up and doing a song with us. He used to play guitar in some bands, so I assume he can handle my rudimentary songwriting.

Gather up the Chaps is the first new Falcon album in a decade – what prompted you to resurrect the band now?

It was really the addition of Dave [Haus], at a time when The Lawrence Arms and the Trio were in a period of inactivity. It just made sense. It was real inspirational to suddenly have a different band full of old friends to collaborate with.

Did you always expect there’d be another Falcon album?

Um, I had never thought about it in those terms, but I always knew that I’d do it if I ever wanted to.

Was there any pressure in following up Unicornography so many years later?

Nah. The Falcon is just such a fun thing. The idea of pressure is the antithesis of what we’re about. We are about catharsis and rock and roll. Full stop.

Were these songs specifically written for The Falcon? Is there a different mindset you’re in when writing for The Lawrence Arms or for Wandering Birds?

These songs were specifically written for The Falcon. The process for all three bands is the same, but I write records at a time. I don’t write something and then decide where it will go. I sit down to write a Falcon record, or a Lawrence Arms record, or a Birds record, so the songs are intentional as they come out of me, if that makes sense.

Did you consciously plan on making such a dark record this time around? Or is that simply what the songs dictated?

Darkness interests me. I think a lot of my output in the last ten years has been dark. This record just sort of reflects the kinds of things I’m into. I don’t know if it’s “intentionally dark” but I gravitate to dark stuff, so my output reflects that, I guess.

When you’re writing, are you writing for the strengths of everyone else in the band? How does the collaboration process work when you’re working with other songwriters?

Well, when I write with Chris for TLA, I recognize that his style will be all over the record and I adjust for that, it’s more dualistic and I am one side of it, as opposed to in The Falcon where I’m more responsible for bringing the dynamics within my own songs. In every project, my process is the same: I write songs on an acoustic guitar and send the bare skeleton demos around and then everyone adds their own touches to them. That’s it. I don’t tailor anything to anyone’s abilities. I don’t have that much talent nor do I have that kind of dictatorial streak. I love seeing what people bring to my dumb songs.

How much of The Falcon is about subverting expectations? Fans might assume the band will sound a certain way based on everyone’s other projects – is that something you actively try to push against?

Not really, but I don’t mind subverting expectations. I think to people not really embedded in this style of music, The Falcon sounds a lot like the other bands we are in.

What’s the best drink to pair the new record with?

Cough syrup and ice. Garnish with a jolly rancher.

You’ve got some great shows with The Lawrence Arms coming up in Chicago for the 3-day War on Xmas – are there any recording / touring plans for the band next year?

I hope so. I miss doing TLA. Time will tell.

The Falcon play Katacombes (1635 St. Laurent), Wednesday, November 16 with Kyle Kinane, Arms Aloft and The Penske File. Tickets are $15 / $20, available here.