The fellowship of Dead Tired released their fourth full-length, Hornets of Fall, on August 14, 2026. Forged and perfected in the warm atmosphere of one of their favorite places in Hamilton, the record had to fight its way through a plethora of projects and activities the musicians are involved in before it could be born. Through the years, tied simply by the love of being in the company of one another, the bandmates keep returning to this hardcore punk act, or it summons them in a way they have to yet realize… The collective’s guitarist Franz Stefanik talked to us about the band’s progress, the new album, and their secret-not-so-secret spot.
Musiknights (MK): Does it matter to you that your next album is always a step forward sonically?
Franz: As far as creating goes, whether it’s visual art or music, I’m always trying to push myself and do new things. However, it’s a little trickier with a band where you don’t want to do something totally different. You kind of want to ease the people who were your fans before into a new version of the band. Of course, going back to our first record and comparing it to where we’re at now, I realize that sonically they’re two different things, but they have the same feel.
MK: It’s interesting how this band sits somewhere between a just-for-fun project and one that keeps progressing compositionally.
Franz: Yeah, I mean, I’m a full-time tattoo artist, and that’s a lot of visual creativity. So I use the band as an outlet, a break, a different way of getting art across. It feels less serious because it’s not my full-time job, so I don’t feel obligated to create. However, being a guitar player, you want to play some more technical, exciting parts, too. You don’t want it to be all punishing and fast (although there’s nothing wrong with slamming power chords).
MK: So, how was that balance preserved with Hornets of Fall?
Franz: We all live here in Hamilton, so we try to get together at least once a week, whether it’s to hang out or to jam. Often, a casual hangout turns into a band practice. As for working on new stuff, it’s usually like this: we start writing something, then a couple of weeks pass, and we gotta practice the old stuff again to play a bunch of shows. With Hornets of Fall, we got a good little break in between. We could dedicate more time just to curating all these songs together.
This time, I wanted breaks, rivers, and valleys to give the listener breathing room. There’s definitely an intentional atmosphere and mood in how we organized these songs, especially in the order you listen to them on the record. We give the listener a bit of a breather from chaos, some elements of melody and enjoyment before it gets back to punishing.
MK: You write your parts separately, but in a single space?
Franz: Yeah! We have a great studio downtown. It’s totally like a Ninja Turtles hangout vibe: sofa, bar, TV, and our rehearsal spot behind us. So, we get together and write in person. It’s been more fun like that, especially with our latest lineup. We enjoy the company of one another so much that it all comes very naturally. Some of the stuff is just on the fly. Also, I have a couple of guitars at home, as does our other guitar player, Marco Bressette, and sometimes we bring some loose ideas to our space. We start with all the instrumentals, and George comes in later to add the vocals and lyrics. He really tied the overall mood of Hornets of Fall together.
Left to right: Nick Ball, Franz Stefanik, George Pettit, Marco Bressette, Theo McKibbon
MK: About that, I read somewhere that your previous LP, Satan Will Follow You Home (2022), served as a distraction from the state of affairs back then. With Hornets of Fall, you seem to jump right into reality, its dark side. Was that intentional from the beginning, or did it just explode?
Franz: George is the curator of words, and he uses this band as a different outlet than Alexisonfire. It can be a little bit darker and more upfront. So, yeah, it’s hard not to touch on current affairs and the state of the world, as you can’t even flip through your phone now without being forced face to face with it. That played into the lyrical direction of some of the songs.
It’s kind of fun because as the music ensemble of the band—drums, bass, and the two guitars—we write the music. When we hear it with vocals afterwards, we don’t really get to digest the words. Not until it’s actually recorded. Then we’re reading all the stuff in the liner notes, and we really get to see and feel all the lyrics. I always look forward to when a record’s done because George is very efficient, and having him write the lyrics and voice songs as he does, turning parts into such memorable moments, is like having a secret weapon in your band.
MK: Given that the record also carries some criticism of today’s vices, although not too straightforwardly, how do you think it will age? I mean, what if better times are waiting right around the corner…
Franz: As a long-time fan of music, I know some bands from the ’80s who said the same stuff back then and are just as impactful now, if not more. I saw Napalm Death about two months ago, and they’ve been doing their thing forever. Seeing a 56-year-old man on stage, speaking the same words he was saying back in the day, and having them hit the same, was very affirming. Even going outside of lyrics, having someone of that age giving life to aggressive music… It’s cool to still be that angry!
MK: I saw that you’re planning to share your portion of angry with Canadian audiences soon.
Franz: Yeah, we just booked a handful of shows, and we’re obviously gonna be playing a lot of stuff from the new record. But also, it’s going to be fun to go back into our catalog and pick some older songs that we’re still excited to play and that fans who’ve been around since before this record are going to enjoy. We’ve gone through a couple of member changes and brought new life to our music, especially in the drum aspect of it [drummer Theo McKibbon replaced Chris Whetstone — ed.]. I feel like everyone has their voice in our music now.
MK: What is the weirdest show you’ve played or the weirdest place you’ve played?
Franz: I’m always down to play a weird, weird spot. Once, we played this really cool show in a warehouse in Toronto with an axe-throwing alley. It was very industrial, and felt like an underground Euro nightclub just in the middle of nowhere. It was so unexpected that a punk show would happen there, and later it was a packed room, full of people drinking and having a good time. The show itself was really great, too. We’re very fortunate with this band because we’ve got to play a lot of amazing venues with friends. Maybe down the road we’ll run into a stinker, but it’s been 10+ years, and it’s all been great!