FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
Compadres James Keelaghan and Oscar Lopez
Continue to Reach New Career Highs
Compadres at the Calgary Folk Music Festival, Friday, July 25
by Martin KempJames Keelaghan and Oscar Lopez - you've just sold out the Jack Singer Concert Hall! Now what are you going to do?
Odds are, the answer wouldn't be, "We're going to Disneyland."
After selling-out the 1,700-seat Jack Singer in January, 1996, the high-energy guitar duo of Keelaghan and Lopez could have taken a break. Hell, they probably deserved it, being only the second Alberta act to play to a full house in the concert hall. But no. Call it ambition, call it good business sense, call it hyperactivity - whatever it is that drives the pair, it has not let them slow down since their triumphant Calgary performance.
Following an intense period of touring both together and individually, Keelaghan and Lopez went into the studio in November, to record their first CD together entitled Compadres (meaning "friends"). Released in May, the album was produced by Don Pennington and features Brent Gubbels on bass and Spirit of the West's Vince Ditrich on percussion.
Because of the hectic touring schedules that both Keelaghan and Lopez face, the process of recording the album had to be a quick one. "We didn't really take our time to do it - we just thought about it, we made the songs, we worked together on arrangements and the process was very fast," explains Lopez.
Combining the traditional folk sounds of singer-songwriter Keelaghan and the hot Latin-American influenced guitar stylings of Lopez, the Compadres album is an excellent representation of the music that has impressed so many audience members at their live shows. With both musicians contributing three songs each from previous albums plus six new songs arranged or written together, Compadres is a true collaboration, highlighting the merging of styles that the two have been able to achieve.
But is it difficult to find the time to collaborate on a second project when their own careers are doing so well? With a Juno Award and a Juno nomination under his belt, Keelaghan continues to be a hot commodity on the folk circuits, while Lopez, also with a Juno nomination, is burning up the Billboard charts with his newest release, entitled Heat (Narada). Yet despite the success of their individual careers, Keelaghan and Lopez both say they are committed to making music together.
"It is a project that I'm as committed to as I am to my own solo career," says Keelaghan. "Our solo careers help fuel Compadres. It is nice for both of us to be able to get together and play for about six weeks, and then do our own stuff and then come back together."
Lopez agrees, emphasizing that both of them are excited about the Compadres project. "We talked about this - that we are (either) going to go all the way or we're not going to go anywhere - and we decided that we are going to go all the way."
Despite the intensity, are the Compadres still excited about their music? "I think we're more excited now," suggests Keelaghan, "because now there's a disc and we can sell the fucker."
Concludes Lopez, "It's not like we're here together because we have to be together. We are together because we want to be and that's an important thing. I think we're also both smart, we both know about this business and we are both great musicians. So why not do it?"
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