IN CONCERT
What: The Sheepdogs with Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs
When: Tuesday and Wednesday, 8 p.m. (Wednesday is sold out)
Where: Capital Ballroom (formerly Sugar), 858 Yates St.
Tickets: $32.50 at Lyle鈥檚 Place, 770 Yates St., and
The world of studio recording is wide open, especially when it comes to layers of overdubs 鈥� one guitar can become two, and six guitars can become a dozen in very short order. Before long, you鈥檙e left with a symphony of six-strings.
A band鈥檚 decisions for a recording have consequences for how the material is performed live, of course. And that鈥檚 something Ewan Currie, singer-guitarist for the Sheepdogs, recently discovered during rehearsals for his band鈥檚 upcoming tour of sa国际传媒.
The tour to support Changing Colours, album No. 7 from the Saskatoon rockers, began in Campbell River on Monday night, and runs for 28 dates across the country. That includes two stops at Victoria鈥檚 Capital Ballroom (one of which is sold out) and a pair of shows at Vancouver鈥檚 Commodore Ballroom. The run wraps on March 17 with the second of two dates at Halifax鈥檚 Marquee Ballroom. The band now has its setlist in place, according to Currie, but the first few rehearsals left the group with a few questions.
鈥淪ome of the songs are pretty heavily overdubbed on the record, so we were getting into that Beatles-after-Rubber Soul kind of vibe, like: 鈥楬ow the hell do we play this live?鈥� 鈥� he said with a laugh.
The group 鈥� which also includes bassist Ryan Gullen, drummer Sam Corbett, keyboardist Shamus Currie and guitarist Jimmy Bowskill 鈥� eventually mapped out its set after coming to a decision.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 really look at it like we have to present this perfect reconstruction of what it sounds like on the album,鈥� Ewan Currie said. 鈥淟ive is a whole different thing. It鈥檚 mostly about singing together and giving good energy. Songs might sound a little different, but they鈥檒l still come across just as powerful.鈥�
The Sheepdogs are a rarity in today鈥檚 music world. When the band got its start 14 years ago, rock music was alive and well. The landscape has been greatly altered, since, however: Now, the riff rock of the band鈥檚 latest single, the analog-sounding I鈥檝e Got a Hole Where My Heart Should Be, is forced to compete with the bleeps and blips of today鈥檚 pop acts. The Sheepdogs are one of the few bands today proudly waving the guitar-rock flag.
Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles are touchstones where the Sheepdogs are concerned, Currie said.
鈥淲e came around at a time when there was lots of rock happening, but now we鈥檙e at a point where pop and rap dominate the charts. But the music we love has stood the test of time, and it seems like it鈥檚 going to be around for a long time. It remains to be seen if current pop music will still be played decades from now.鈥�
The Sheepdogs have done their best to level the playing field with a shrewdly designed campaign that includes promotion rooted in the haze of the 1970s. Everything from the album鈥檚 day-glo artwork to its grainy music videos recalls a time when the drugs were free and the music was loud.
鈥淚n this increasing tricky musical time, especially for a rock band, you have to be more than just a performer and writer,鈥� Currie said. 鈥淵ou have to be a self-promoter and manage a lot of different facets of your career. We really do try and take an active interest so that the visuals are on point.鈥�
The artistic direction of the group falls under the stewardship of friend Matt Dunlop, their graphic designer. Currie and Dunlop, a Canadian living in San Francisco, often come up with ideas for the Sheepdogs during their frequent record-store visits. It should come as no surprise that Currie鈥檚 fondness for the music of the 1960s and 鈥�70s comes shining through on Changing Colours. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to separate the music from the images. It鈥檚 a total package.鈥�
It seems fitting that the Sheepdogs have been named Canadian ambassadors for Record Store Day (April 21), the date on which music fans celebrate vinyl. As Record Store Day鈥檚 so-named 鈥淐hampions of sa国际传媒,鈥� the band will offer several new releases for sale, including the re-release of their first two albums on vinyl.
While many people believe the band started with Learn and Burn, the 2010 album that included breakout hit I Don鈥檛 Know, the Sheepdogs actually had two records before that, Currie said. 鈥淭hey are kind of charming in their primitiveness, but there鈥檚 some good songs in there.鈥�
The band鈥檚 live show has been expanded to include not only songs from Changing Colours, but some newly minted cover songs chosen for this run.
Currie didn鈥檛 want to reveal too much, but said that given that he鈥檚 an avowed fan of the Allman Brothers 鈥� whose hit, Whipping Post, was included on the Sheepdogs鈥� 2016 tour 鈥� it wouldn鈥檛 be difficult to determine the band鈥檚 cover-song direction. 鈥淲e鈥檝e worked up a couple of covers that are pretty awesome. For people who like Whipping Post, this is one that is going to take it up a notch.鈥�
Currie would love to venture into deeper, Hendrixian waters as a guitar player. Until then, he will continue to make music that sounds right to his ears and heart.
鈥淲hen I was a kid and I heard Jimi Hendrix, it did something to me that I can鈥檛 describe. There鈥檚 a reason we were drawn to that music 鈥� because we love it. To make any other kind of music would be dishonest.鈥�
