It has been awhile since Gob rocked out on stages in Alberta. It was 2009 when they last toured Canada, and since 2010 the band has been working on the follow up to 2007’s Muertos Vivos. A number of different influences contributed to the seven year gap but finally, in August, Apt 13 was released.

"We set out to make it quickly – in 2010 I had a bunch of songs, and we got together and started working on them," singer Tom Thacker told GayCalgary.com. "A lot of things happened within the band: Theo moved across country and back; two of us lived in New York; so it was hard to get together. Also I have been playing with Sum 41 the past seven years, so I would be on tour a lot. It wasn’t always easy to get the band together, it took awhile."

Apt 13 features multiple stellar tracks that will be featured on their current tour, which brings them to Dickens in Calgary on October 9^th, Edmonton’s Pawn Show October 10th, and Wild Bill’s in Banff on November 3rd. Thacker talked about some of his personal highlights from the album.

"I think "New York" is a song that is a highlight. It speaks about the anxiety of the record taking so long, and needing to get home to finish it; that is what it represents. I love all the songs for different reasons so it is hard to pick ones. "Cars on Fire" is on the ITunes deluxe version. That one is about a feeling of hopelessness. When I was a kid we were driving from the PNE and saw a car on fire, and my dad got out and was seeing if there was someone in the car. My mom was screaming. It was an intense thing to see as a kid. It seemed like a good metaphor for being a band on the road. Sometimes it is hard.... A feeling of helplessness – that is what that song is about."

The first single "Radio Hell" reflects on being in a band, and the current state of music.

"We just shot the video for it. [Radio Hell] is about resigning yourself; that you are going to be a musician. I didn’t think I would still be a musician. I figured I would have gone back to school and tried to learn something, and taken a different career path. There is something about music: it is in you, and you have to do it... almost like a curse. That is what that song is about. You are going to live or die by music. We want to contribute something musically and change the landscape. We don’t like a lot of the shit we hear on the radio. We want people to hear good music."

Founded in 2003, with Thacker and Theo Goutzinakis, the band currently also includes Steven Fairweather on bass and Gabe Mantle on drums. Thacker admitted to being surprised that 21 years later the band is still at it.

"It feels good," he said. "I don’t think I imagined we would be in a band past five years. We didn’t really think of the future when we started, we just thought about the now. Knowing we are still together, and doing it, is an awesome feeling. A lot of it has to do with the fact that every time we make a record, we make the record we want to make. It is always sort of a punk rock record, but we do our own thing, and it is a reaction to our previous record. What do we want to do artistically? What do we want to say? Just sticking to our guns has kept us together."

Strong fan support has also played a vital role.

"We have always had an awesome fan base. It is weird that it has kind of turned over the years: someone’s little brother will pick up on us now; we have always gained new fans. I feel like older fans are coming back along with new ones. Without our fans we wouldn’t be here because we wouldn’t be able to afford to make it."

In addition to Gob’s fresh return to the airwaves, 2014 has seen the release of new albums by The Tea Party and Moist. It seems like there is a draw in seeing and hearing music from bands who launched their careers in the ’90s.

"It doesn’t surprise me," Thacker says. "What music has become is underground, and most of what is promoted is American Idol type acts. People want something that is real; they want the bands that they loved for years. It is kind of like the vinyl comeback. Record sales are up because it is an event to pull a record out of a sleeve, put it on a record player, and put the needle down to start playing. It is amazing you can get music so easily: buy a download, you click it and get it; there is no ceremony or anything. People just want realness."

In addition to Gob, Thacker joined Sum 41 in 2006. There is a line in the song "Terpsichore": you don’t want me to be in a band. Being in two successful – and consistently touring bands – grants Thacker a unique challenge. Eventually musicians usually stop and pick one.

"It is hard at times," he admits. "If both bands are touring at the same time I am hopping between tours, which is physically and emotionally draining. My wife has her own career so it works nicely. She is busy and doesn’t need me there all the time, and I don’t have any kids. It may be different if I have kids. My wife loves that I make music so [Terpsichore] isn’t about my relationship. There is more pressure when you have your own band to write a majority of the songs. I love playing music so I like doing it both ways. When it is your song, there is a different pressure, and you want people to like it. But I love playing music so it is good to have both. You look at someone like Dallas Green – he wrote for both AlexisonFire and City and Colour. It would be a lot harder to have to write for both."

Gob has played Calgary many times at many locations, from Olympic Plaza to the Max Bell Arena; from festivals like Edgefest to free shows on the Coke Stage.

"Every show is pretty awesome in Calgary. Alberta has always been one of the first places were people started paying attention to us, so we have always had an awesome time [there]. One time we played the Stampede and a friend was backstage grappling with Theo, and upended the entire deli tray. We got banned from the Stampede for making a mess. But then we were hired back so I guess they lifted the ban. There might have been other things too... we may have swore on stage (which is not permitted at Coke Stage shows). We try to keep it in check; swearing isn’t about our artistic integrity, we just happen to be foul-mouthed degenerates. If there are kids in the audience we don’t want to poison their ears with foul language, so we have to get creative."

Both Gob and Sum 41 are known for their high-energy live performances. Performing at the energy level at 40 is different than when the band members were in their 20s.

"I still feel like I am in pretty good shape so it isn’t too hard. Now I have the experience to know to condition myself. Say we are going on a tour of small clubs in the summer time – I will go out and run in 30-degree heat, because then I get acclimatized to intense heat. A lot of the clubs have sweat dripping off the roof, and it is disgusting, but you have got to play there. I think that is the key: knowing your limits and how you will feel after your performance. I don’t do a stretching routine or anything, just vocal exercises."

Calgary is the second date of an extensive tour that crosses the country and comes back, wrapping up in Victoria on November 8th. With many singles like "Give Up The Grudge", "I Hear You Calling", and "Soda", as well as covers like "Paint It Black", there are a lot of songs that will appeal to both long-time and new fans.

"There is a new-found interest in the band, so it is hard for us to pick which songs to play. We pick a bunch off each record and sub them in and out; maybe a certain set will stick by the end of the tour. Shaking it up keeps it more fresh for us too. It is the same band. We have been doing the same thing for years. Different songs, but we are gonna go take the stage and rage and put on the best show we can."