This was the group ’ s first time working with engineer Tim Vesely , who also earned co-production credit for the record . A founding member of revered art rock outfit Rheostatics , Vesely was appointed as the house engineer at Woodshed ahead of the sessions for 1000 Arms .
“ He ’ s a musician and a songwriter himself , and one we really like , and that creates a sense of trust ,” Keelor comments on their working relationship . “ When you ’ re making a record , the brain is already spinning at a certain speed , and it ’ s nice having someone you trust but with a bit of distance and an external perspective .”
“ We ’ re self-directed , but we require that person sitting behind the desk to be doing more than just twiddling knobs ,” Cuddy takes over . “ We want that outside source . Tim is in a band we respect and is a bass player , so he has that foundation in harmony . He has great ears .”
Both Cuddy and Keelor – the core songwriters behind most of Blue Rodeo ’ s catalogue , including all of 1000 Arms – admit Vesely had a particularly notable impact on this album ’ s overall aesthetic .
“ He ’ s the one that suggested we sing more like we did on our earlier records ,” Cuddy shares . “ When he said that , it was kind of a surprise . I mean , I thought we were , but he said , ‘ No , you should listen back .’ So we did some listening and realized we ’ d been a lot more choral lately – not as much call-and-response or two-part harmonies , so we made an effort to revisit that this time .”
The Cuddy-led lead single “ Superstar ” and Keelor-led “ Dust to Gold ,” which was the second cut to receive an official video treatment , offer prime examples of each approach . The former bounces along to an incredibly hooky chorus that finds Cuddy putting out the melodic call and Keelor responding in kind . Conversely , the latter features Keelor channeling Leonard Cohen ( who passed just 10 days following the album ’ s release ) during its sombre and slow-burning verses , setting up a cathartic chorus with the two vocalists intertwined in harmony .
As a whole , the record offers an interesting hybrid of Blue Rodeo ’ s rock-country roots and the more diverse and
ambitious songwriting style they ’ ve adopted in the latter half of their career , thanks in part to some input from the newest addition to the lineup .
While guitarist Colin Cripps was involved in the recording of 2013 ’ s In Our Nature and minted as an official member ahead of its release , his presence on 1000 Arms is admittedly more palpable .
“ You know sometimes when you ’ re playing with someone and they just make you raise your game , eh ?” Keelor asks rhetorically . “ Colin ’ s such a great musician that when you ’ re playing with him , he helps you be better and better realize the song ; he helps you take the song to a better place .”
Cuddy again picks up where his friend leaves off : “ It ’ s easy to talk about styles now , so we can do a record like this that harkens back to the ‘ 70s pub rock from England – Nick Lowe and such – and Colin says , ‘ Yep , I know where you want to go .’ Even though it
“ This record was a bit more of a band record , you know ? Everyone ’ s opinion was incorporated as it was coming together .” -Greg Keelor
sounds like a little incremental change , it ’ s a big change ; it allows Greg and I to concentrate on the things we should be concentrating on .”
1000 Arms is a title Cuddy encountered while listening to a podcast about a woman with bipolar disorder who would often get confused and lose awareness of her surroundings in public . Fortunately , she was well known in her community and any time she suffered from such an episode , someone would make sure she made it home safely . It ’ s about the importance and power of community , Cuddy muses , so it ’ s interesting that Keelor calls the album the band ’ s most communal to date .
“ This record was a bit more of a band record , you know ?” he offers . While he and Cuddy remain the credited songwriters for the album ’ s 12 tracks , it was the case that “ everyone ’ s opinion was incorporated as it was coming together .”
Cripps came into the fold under unique circumstances . He was initially tapped to handle lead electric guitar duties onstage and in the studio as Keelor now keeps primarily to acoustic guitar and vocals due to a hyper sensitive hearing condition .
But otherwise , Blue Rodeo ’ s member changes are usually more linear – someone departs the group and someone else steps in . Despite now being at the point where there are more ex-members of Blue Rodeo than current ones , Cuddy knows that the lineup changes have led them in new musical directions , and that ’ s not something he discounts .
“ We were sad to lose Bob [ Egan , who left in the summer of 2016 for a new career opportunity ], but we ’ re optimistic ,” Cuddy admits . “ When we first started losing members , it felt so cataclysmic . To lose Cleave [ Anderson , original drummer ] was losing the heart and soul of the band , then Bobby [ Wiseman , original keyboardist ] and it was like we were missing so much charisma and showmanship , but now , each new person adds somewhere new to go musically , and we embrace it .”
And it ’ s not just internal influence that the band embraces . Blue Rodeo has become something of a mothership of musical collaboration , seemingly inviting anyone that will take them up on it to join them in performance . On 1000 Arms in particular , decorated blues musician and new Sheepdogs member Jimmy Bowskill adds some mandolin to a pair of tracks and has joined the band on their subsequent tour to lend his touch to many more .
While some of their noteworthy guest spots have come in recent years – including a beautiful , high-profile perfor-
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