Greg Keelor isn ’ t feeling well , and I knew that was the case before he told me . He and his Blue Rodeo bandmates are amidst the second leg of their 1000 Arms Tour , and just hours ahead of a performance in Hamilton , ON , Keelor calls me for our interview despite being audibly stuffed up and admittedly buzzing on cold meds . His answers are a bit short – at least compared to what I recall from our few other conversations over the years – but otherwise , he ’ s happy to indulge me by delving into |
questions about the creation of the band ’ s latest collection and a few other things .
That collection , 1000 Arms , dropped in late October 2016 and is the band ’ s 15 th studio album . Now , interviews with under-the-weather musicians aren ’ t as atypical as one might think ; however , those are usually the babes of the industry , hungry for any and all publicity and overly appreciative of the publications and platforms that offer them some .
But Keelor ? As a founding member of one of this country ’ s premier acts – one that
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has been through 14 album cycles before this one – nobody would have thought twice had he chosen to sit this one out . After all , his longtime friend and creative counterpart , Jim Cuddy , was set to call just 30 minutes later . Simply put , he didn ’ t have to do it .
Blue Rodeo – currently comprised of Keelor , Cuddy , bassist Bazil Donovan , drummer Glenn Milchem , keyboardist Michael Boguski , and guitarist Colin Cripps – are at the stage in their storied career that there ’ s probably not much they have to do ; instead ,
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they ’ re doing what they want to do , assuming they want to continue making music with their friends , playing it for their fans , and relishing the ride .
After all , this is the band that records in their own studio at their chosen pace ; that invites their friends on stage to make music with them any chance they get , from icons like Sarah McLachlan and Gord Downie to artists like Terra Lightfoot , Wayne Petti , and Devin Cuddy who would have benefitted significantly from the “ BR bump .” This is the band that made no bones about their distaste for former Prime Minister Stephen Harper amidst his unsuccessful campaign for a third term in office .
Ultimately , it ’ s the band that , despite having sold millions of records , continues to make quality , compelling music over 30 years into their career – and that still sets out to prove it by taking to the road .
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1000 Arms was recorded through the winter of 2015 / 16 at the band ’ s Woodshed Studios in downtown Toronto . Blue Rodeo have been recording in their purpose-built space for over 15 years , though the studio has also hosted a diverse list of artists in that time – from Feist to Neko Case to Bruce Cockburn to Constantines .
“ Everybody ’ s just comfortable here ,” Cuddy begins about the space being particularly conducive to his and his bandmates ’ creativity . “ There ’ s no clock , we can work for as long or as little as we want , and so much of making a record is about that balance of preparation – knowing what you ’ re doing with the songs and then also being spontaneous , allowing yourself to change things radically if you need to .”
Despite being the latest in a deep catalogue , the album marks a few firsts for Blue Rodeo – and one significant last , as longtime pedal steel and guitar player Bob Egan formally left the band just ahead of its release .
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CANADIAN MUSICIAN • 35 |