05-28-2009, 10:35 AM
This is the part of the interview that stood out to me:
Downie says the band will likely document the tour in some way, either by recording or filming, though he notes that promotional activities such as a closed-circuit movie theater broadcast in Canada and a series of short films on the Hip’s official Web site “command all my psychic energy. But I imagine we will be doing something over the next 10 months.”
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/1592162,w-tragically-hip-tour-concert-we-are-same-052609.article">http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/m ... 09.article</a><!-- m -->
Tragically Hip tour is definitely not the 'Same'
Comments
May 26, 2009
BY GARY GRAFF Billboard
DETROIT — Inspired by the wide sonic sweep of its new album, “We Are the Same,” the Tragically Hip is playing a lot of music during its current North American tour.
Frontman Gordon Downie says the Canadian quintet planned from the beginning to play lengthy shows with an intermission. “We did that once, about 10 years ago,” he recalls. “I think we decided with this [album], we needed to do something where we could expand the margins and really work on the dynamics, from a pin drop to blow the doors off.”
He says the Hip’s audiences can expect “lots of songs” from the new album but also a generous selection of older music to provide context for the fresh material. “I just think our list of songs has grown to the point where we need to incorporate a lot of songs from our past,” Downie explains. “We’ve got 90-odd songs we’re going to touch on at least once [during the tour]. So hopefully it’ll keep people on their toes a little bit. It definitely keeps us on our toes. We just want to do something different, somehow, and that’s what we’re doing.”
The presence of an extra utility musician, playing keyboards and providing background vocals, will also help the Hip “touch a lot on the rest of our sound,” according to Downie. “It’s making a lot of songs sound brand new again. Like ‘Gift Shop;’ there’s an intro to that that’s pretty atmospheric that we couldn’t really touch before. It’s certainly making us better, ultimately, all the way across.”
Downie says the band will likely document the tour in some way, either by recording or filming, though he notes that promotional activities such as a closed-circuit movie theater broadcast in Canada and a series of short films on the Hip’s official Web site “command all my psychic energy. But I imagine we will be doing something over the next 10 months.”
“We Are the Same’s” 12 songs were culled from roughly 40 ideas the group came up with and pored over with producer Bob Rock. But Downie isn’t sure what will happen with the unused material.
“Ultimately, you always vow you’ll put them on the next record, but you never do,” he says with a laugh. “When you start winnowing them for [the album] you don’t work on the other ones much, so they stay in an uncompleted state as you move forward with the ones you’re interested in. They all have titles. They have melodies. They’re still there, but what we’ll do with them I can’t say.”
Downie says the band will likely document the tour in some way, either by recording or filming, though he notes that promotional activities such as a closed-circuit movie theater broadcast in Canada and a series of short films on the Hip’s official Web site “command all my psychic energy. But I imagine we will be doing something over the next 10 months.”
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/1592162,w-tragically-hip-tour-concert-we-are-same-052609.article">http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/m ... 09.article</a><!-- m -->
Tragically Hip tour is definitely not the 'Same'
Comments
May 26, 2009
BY GARY GRAFF Billboard
DETROIT — Inspired by the wide sonic sweep of its new album, “We Are the Same,” the Tragically Hip is playing a lot of music during its current North American tour.
Frontman Gordon Downie says the Canadian quintet planned from the beginning to play lengthy shows with an intermission. “We did that once, about 10 years ago,” he recalls. “I think we decided with this [album], we needed to do something where we could expand the margins and really work on the dynamics, from a pin drop to blow the doors off.”
He says the Hip’s audiences can expect “lots of songs” from the new album but also a generous selection of older music to provide context for the fresh material. “I just think our list of songs has grown to the point where we need to incorporate a lot of songs from our past,” Downie explains. “We’ve got 90-odd songs we’re going to touch on at least once [during the tour]. So hopefully it’ll keep people on their toes a little bit. It definitely keeps us on our toes. We just want to do something different, somehow, and that’s what we’re doing.”
The presence of an extra utility musician, playing keyboards and providing background vocals, will also help the Hip “touch a lot on the rest of our sound,” according to Downie. “It’s making a lot of songs sound brand new again. Like ‘Gift Shop;’ there’s an intro to that that’s pretty atmospheric that we couldn’t really touch before. It’s certainly making us better, ultimately, all the way across.”
Downie says the band will likely document the tour in some way, either by recording or filming, though he notes that promotional activities such as a closed-circuit movie theater broadcast in Canada and a series of short films on the Hip’s official Web site “command all my psychic energy. But I imagine we will be doing something over the next 10 months.”
“We Are the Same’s” 12 songs were culled from roughly 40 ideas the group came up with and pored over with producer Bob Rock. But Downie isn’t sure what will happen with the unused material.
“Ultimately, you always vow you’ll put them on the next record, but you never do,” he says with a laugh. “When you start winnowing them for [the album] you don’t work on the other ones much, so they stay in an uncompleted state as you move forward with the ones you’re interested in. They all have titles. They have melodies. They’re still there, but what we’ll do with them I can’t say.”