A few weeks ago, a co-worker told me about this local band called the B-Lines.

“Really? Are they named after the transit service?”

“Yes!”

Which meant the Buzzer blog had to interview them. And Ryan Dyck, the B-Lines’ lead singer, was kind enough to call and tell me all about the band and its name.

(You may have read a slightly shorter version of this in the June Buzzer, btw!)

How long have the B-Lines been together?

We’ve been together for two years now. There’s me, Bruce on drums, Scotty on guitar, and Adam is our bass player.

I’ve heard your music, but I’m at a loss to describe it. What would you call it?

I guess it’s like early California punk with a little bit of minimalism and UK DIY punk. It’s kind of obscure. [Editor’s note: you can check out their sound at myspace.com/vancouverblines]

So, how did you come up with the name?

When we tried to come up with a name, we wanted something that meant something to Vancouver, and not just a random noun with a “The” in front of it.

So we tried to think of things that we have that other cities don’t have, and the B-Line bus came up. If you’re not from Vancouver, B-Line means something too. SkyTrain was also a front runner, but it sounded too much like a prog rock band, like Jefferson Starship. We’re pretty direct, like the bus.

So do you ride transit?

Yeah, I do ride transit pretty much everyday. That and walking and riding a bike, that’s how I get around.

Do you have a favourite transit route?

Hmmm… a favourite transit route. The SkyTrain is the nicest. I live right by a station and it brings you right downtown, it’s pretty fast.

But what about the B-Lines? Do you have a favourite?

The 99 is the best one. It crosses all the best streets if you’re going record shopping, It starts at Commercial, and then you can go to the Main Street stores, and then Granville, where you can get off and you can go down to Zulu Records. It’s a record shopping bus.

That’s great. So what’s next for the B-Lines? The band, I mean?

Well, we’re going on a west coast tour to L.A. and back in July. And we should have a 7-inch record out on Nominal Records for that tour in July. We’re also playing Music Waiste, that’s at the Astoria on June 12. We’re always in lots of shows, and they’re all over the place. Check out our Myspace to find out what we’re up to.

Thanks Ryan! All our best on your upcoming tour!