Colin MacDonald Interview – Lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Canadian rock band The Trews. Interview December 2, 2014.
Colin MacDonald Interview
– What’s new in the world of The Trews?
A lot of rocking and touring. We are out promoting our latest self-titled fifth studio album. We’ve got an awesome light show and the band is playing great. New material is going over really positively live!
– How is the current tour and life on the road?
Life on the road is busy but fun. As we grow we are getting better as a unit, we are trying to stay healthy and we are bringing the show to new and exciting levels every night.
– The band is quite active on the tour scene. I am sure you are looking forward to playing the Toronto show at Massey Hall?
It will be a landmark gig for the band. Massey Hall is a legendary venue, we’re looking forward to doing our thing on that stage.
– During a year how many shows do you do on average and how crazy does the schedules get?
We’re currently on an album cycle so touring has been pretty intense. We’ve been out since May, with some time off here and there. We’ve been going pretty hard. We’ve always worked really hard on the road, I think once we did 250 shows in a year. It can wear you down but it’s also the reason we have a career.
– Could you describe some of your earliest influences in life and in music?
A lot of sixties rock n roll, my dad had a pretty great record collection. I remember listening to Sgt. Pepper when I was 5 years old. In my teens I really liked punk rock and heavy metal.
– How important are music videos in the industry today? How do they compare to videos from the past?
Music videos used to be a really big deal, they used to help break bands. Now with everyone having so much access to the technology and everything being so overexposed on the Internet, videos don’t have the same impact. We still make them and we’ve worked with some great directors, Drew Lightfoot being a personal favorite.
– How was it filming the video for Rise in the Wake. Great live footage as well to it?
“Rise In The Wake” was quick and painless. We set up in the upstairs loft of a coffee shop in the east end of Toronto. We ran the song 6 or 7 times and that was it, the rest of the story is told through the narrative about the female boxer. I love short video shoots! Some of them have taken up to 21 hrs to shoot.
– What could we find interesting in your music collection at home?
I have a lot of punk rock and heavy metal albums but I also really love Cole Porter and George Gershwin. It’s all over the map. My two favorite albums are Elvis Costello’s “Blood and Chocolate” and Randy Newman’s “Sail Away.”
– Could you describe what goes on in a day in your life as a musician on tour?
I try to sleep and rest my voice. My sleeping patterns get really messed up on tour so I’m always catching up on my sleep. I drink lots of tea and try to eat healthy – real rock n roll lifestyle ;) I used to drink and party every night but now I’m older and more professional ;)
– Where do you see music in general going in 100 years from now?
I have no idea. I hope there will always be a group of young people playing in their basement and writing rock n roll songs. There will be geniuses who emerge and redefine rock n roll. Album cycles are gonna get shorter and shorter, people are going to need to start putting out new material once a month in order to stay relevant.
Check out the Colin MacDonald and the Trews online. http://www.thetrewsmusic.com/
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