CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 154: ON CELEBRATING THE 20 YEARS OF ONE FELL SWOOP DOWN UNDER
Interview by Brooke Gibbs.
This month, the emo faithful are being treated to a dream tour that pairs two of the genre’s most influential and beloved acts, The Juliana Theory and The Spill Canvas, for a three-show run across Australia. It marks the first-ever visit to Australian shores for The Spill Canvas, and the band is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their breakout album, One Fell Swoop.
We caught up with vocalist and bassist Landon Heil just before the whirlwind journey kicks off. From reflecting on two decades of music and the emotional stories fans have shared, to the grind of life on the road and the excitement of finally meeting their Australian audience in person, Landon gave us a candid look into what fuels the band’s longevity, and why this milestone tour means so much.
With long flights ahead, merch tables to man, and a tight back-to-back schedule, The Spill Canvas is still making time to soak in the moment. This isn't just a tour; it’s a long-overdue reunion with fans they've only known through the digital void. And with One Fell Swoop being performed in full each night (plus a few encore surprises), it’s shaping up to be a celebration worth the 20-year wait.
FMM: We are so excited to have you in Australia very shortly for your tour. How are you feeling about it?
Landon: Oh, feeling good. A lot of logistics that we've had to iron out, so it better be worth it because it's been a lot of work on our end and we still got some long flights to go. But we're really excited to get over there and play for these fans that we've kind of built a relationship with over the years through shipping merch and communicating with on social media, but never got to meet in person. So we're really excited to kind of finally get out there and play.
FMM: Do you have much time to explore Australia? Or are you very busy with the shows, rehearsals, and logistics?
Landon: Well, yeah, unfortunately we just have the three shows and they’re back to back. So, it's going to be a lot of flying in, setting up, doing some sound check and then hopefully we have a couple hours to at least explore the local areas, get some food, but then basically play the show, sell some merch and try to get a few hours of sleep and then fly to the next city. I'll probably be seeing most of the country from the air, to be honest. But yeah, we always try to do our best to at least carve out a couple hours to explore and see what the country has to offer. But I wish we had like two or three days after to make it into a mini vacation, but the logistics just didn't really allow that this time.
FMM: It sounds like a full on schedule. How do you guys look after yourselves on the road when you guys are so busy?
Landon: We just kind of go through the grind and are used to it at this point. It's basically from the minute you park at the venue to the minute you get back in the bus or van to go to the next city. You're just constantly working and doing stuff and we're just kind of accustomed to it after all these years of doing it. It's fun. It's exciting too. There's really never a dull moment, maybe a couple hours before the show where you got the anxious nerves like, oh, we still got an hour till we play and I can't really go anywhere. But other than that, it's just kind of setting everything up. And me and Evan, the guitar player, sell merch ourselves, so when we're setting up merch, we're at the merch table meeting fans and selling the merch. So it's definitely busy, but that's just kind of what we signed up for in this world.
FMM: This tour is a milestone for you. How does it feel to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of One Fell Swoop?
Landon: Yeah, it's pretty wild that it's been 20 years. I remember doing the 10 year anniversary and that feels like forever ago, so to be 20 years is even crazier. But that is still one of my favourite Spill records. I know that's definitely a fan favourite, so it's always fun to play these songs, especially to be able to play the album front to back, which we only get to do on an anniversary tour, so that'll be really exciting.
FMM: After more than 20 years, what keeps your band so strong?
Landon: That's a good question. I think honestly, it's the fans. Because we play these same songs night after night after night, the shine can wear off after a bit. Like, you play Staple Gun and Lust A Prima Vista over and over and over for 20 years, the shine can wear off, but to see the crowd sing along, you know how excited they are that when they hear certain parts of songs that they like, that's what kind of keeps us going and keeps us motivated to, to keep playing. Hopefully that lasts another five or ten years.
FMM: This pairing with the Juliana Theory feels like a dream lineup for emo fans. Did you grow up listening to them?
Landon: I did, actually. They're probably one of the most influential bands musically for me growing up. I remember 15 years old and that was a band that I came across because I grew up in a very conservative Christian household and I was only allowed to listen to Christian music, and they were on what was technically a Christian record label. So I was like, hey, I can actually get this band. I can get this cd. And they quickly became basically my favorite band for a couple years there. I remember sitting in my room trying to learn how to play their songs, so to see it come full circle now, I guess even 25 years later, it's pretty wild. I’m really excited to see those guys play every night too.
FMM: Do you have a personal favourite song to perform live?
Landon: We've recently started playing this song, The Meds, which is from an album called Gestalt, which is really fun to play live. As far as a song off of One Fell Swoop, I've always loved playing Break a Leg. That's probably one of my all time favourite songs to play live, and we stopped playing it live in our regular set, so I'm really excited to play that one every night.
FMM: It’s been said that your fans put the ‘fan’ back in ‘fanatic.’ Are there any particular fan moments that stand out to you?
Landon: A lot of very, heartfelt moments where, someone will come up to us after a show and say, you know, I was in a really dark place and your music saved me. It saved my life. I've heard that countless times from fans. And that puts it into perspective that what we're doing is bigger than just playing music. We're actually helping people get through tough times. And even if it's not now, there was a time maybe, you know, five, 10 years ago where somebody was really struggling and a lyric or a song helped them through it. And that, that makes it all worth it. That's something that Nick always talks about too, and it’s kind of a motivating factor for wanting to continue doing this.
FMM: Obviously, this is an anniversary tour, so you’re playing songs off One Fell Swoop, but will there be an older songs in the mix?
Landon: Yeah, I don't want to give too much away, but what we have typically done and had success with is we play the album front to back, so we get that whole album out and then we typically will do maybe two or three more for an encore, and those three or four songs we decide in rehearsals. We're actually going to start rehearsing this weekend, so we'll decide what those songs will be. Those will be the hidden treats for the fans.
FMM: What’s next for you after this tour?
Landon: We do have a busy schedule coming up. We have three shows in the Midwest of the United States, in August. Then in the fall, we have three different legs of a tour with the band, May, which is another really influential band on us. That's going to be a really fun tour. In the New Year, I really want to get into the studio and work on some new stuff, because Nick probably has 20 songs that he's got compiled on his computer he's been working on, and we'd love to sit down with them for a good month in the studio and hopefully come out with a full length. But who knows what 2026 has in store? That would be my goal at least; to get started on a new album.
