I don’t think that bands that make it on their first album are as strong as bands that don’t: there is nowhere to go but down.
You don’t have to have a great voice to sing, just a distinctive one. But make sure you say the words clearly and tell a story.
We like the imperfect because it reminds us of ourselves.
Generally, you are held to a sound and that becomes your sound. That gets branded as your sound, and all the copycats start with it because the labels are looking for that sound.
The fact that the internet is so active; people can now speak to me indirectly.
When you get successful, you can do pretty much whatever you want.
With The Guess Who, it took us fifty-something singles before we had hits.
You are still lucky – you have a certain type of people who keep buying your music – but then you can get typecast and have to keep making that same music, and you can change only slightly. It’s risky to bounce around and change your type of music.
The local music community here was dying for a place to record, so we started doing acoustic, folk and bluegrass and then did rock projects for other bands, as well as for my son Tal and my own work.
I listened to it last night for the first time since we started this project. I went out to my car and put it in and went to an empty parking lot and just listened and read the little pamphlet that came with it. After two or three songs I burst into tears.
I learned at an early age that I was given something special when I was born, and that was the gift of music.
To add an AC outlet, for example, you just drill a circular hole in the wall, tap into the wiring, add the outlet and you’re set. If you don’t want it, pull it out and plaster over it with more earth to seal the hole.
You take all the things that frighten you, and when you can get them to work for you all of sudden people are calling you a success.
Those two songs condense the two albums. They also show what the audiences wanted. I was desperate to keep the band together and find something that the public would like.
When I was five I had violin lessons.
My love, growing up on the Prairies, was country music.