Growing up in small-town Ontario, as bassist Jeff Welch, aka Agent Ampeg, aka Reginald Goodthrust did, can be pretty dull with not a whole lot to do. Perhaps that’s why small town kids so often turn to music to entertain themselves. Like many folks from the boonies, Reg isn't unfamiliar with the odd day of drinking in the park , but nowadays it’s Glenfiddich and not JD in the paper bag. Ahh… still so much to learn.

Lead guitarist, Victor Tremolo is a little further along in his malt journey, being a sophisticated aficionado of Laphroaig 10yo, not just for its smoky sweetness, but partly because the name has three vowels in a row. “You don't see that every day.” Being the older and wiser musician and drinker, sometimes I discern that these guys aren’t totally serious all the time.

Serge likes to ask musicians to compare tasting whisky and listening to music; enhancing the enjoyment by deconstructing the palate as one deconstructs a song, but when I run this one by the guys they only comment that “Well the Syndicate does believe there is a connection between drinking whisky and making music. Unfortunately that connection is that we don't play that well after we've drank a couple of bottles of it.”

Well they must not have been dramming this afternoon because they’re spot on. “As for our musical career,” Welch adds, “we will go wherever it takes us. Hopefully it will take us to some amazing go-go lounges with free-thinking individuals who enjoy dancing. If that’s the case, we'll pretty much be happy.”