Preview
THE TRAGICALLY HIP
Friday, November 19
Pengrowth Saddledome
"I'm just driving to Toronto, so I just stopped at a road stop," says Paul Langlois, guitarist for The Tragically Hip. For this to resonate, you have to know how it usually works.
When a journalist is set to interview a musician whose band is signed to a major label, there is usually a ritual that occurs prior to the phone call. On a good day, when the phone rings, a representative from the label informs the writer that whoever they are supposed to be talking to is on the other line. One can only assume that most musicians are so flighty (or so under the thumb of their label) that they need a series of wranglers to ensure that the everyday business of being in a band gets done. That’s why it is such a surprise when I pick up the phone and Langlois is on the other end. Most two-bit indie bands can’t get it together to make their phone interviews, yet here is a guitarist from arguably the most popular Canadian band working today and he has not only remembered the interview, but pulled over to the side of the road to make the call himself. Suddenly the no-bullshit nature of The Tragically Hip comes into crystal-clear focus.
It pervades everything about the band. Whether they are playing a 1,000-seat venue for fan-club members or rocking a stadium for the masses, they deliver the same trademark intensity. Their hair (with the exception of guitarist Bobby Baker’s) is shorter than it was when they started slugging it out on the bar-band circuit in the late ’80s but, with the exception of slightly more tailored fashions, the band looks pretty much the same. Even Langlois, who could be credited with writing one of the most-played guitar riffs on Can-rock radio (who hasn’t heard the hypnotic lead in to "New Orleans is Sinkin’") shrugs off his success. "It's not much of a baby to be proud of," he says. "It's pretty close to 'Shakin' All Over.'"
While the Hip may still act like the hard-working, road-weary band they were in their heyday, make no mistake – their music has evolved. While fans revel in the familiarity of 1989’s Up to Here and 1991’s Road Apples, there are few who would argue that the band hasn’t grown monumentally since those early albums. Their latest effort, the aptly named In Between Evolution, pushes forward musically while pulling the stronger elements from their back catalogue along with them, and Langlois attributes an uncomplicated approach to the sound of this record.
"We played a couple of gigs… that really tightened these songs up. Then we went right into the studio," he says. "I think we just ended up going with the simplest kind of arrangements. We just tied the songs up quickly – came up with ends and middles and beginnings. (Producer) Adam Kasper was certainly wanting to capture the band vibe. He wasn't too interested in any overdubs or getting too cute with anything. He just wanted to get the five of us playing together. All of that made for a record that had a similar kind of style of recording to Up to Here and Road Apples… which is just, ‘know the songs well and go out in the room and play ’em.’"
The result is an uncharacteristically optimistic 13 songs that dive and flutter with tight focus. As always, there are swampy guitar licks, metronomic percussion and some classic lyrical flourishes courtesy of frontman Gord Downey, but In Between Evolution could be the band’s most immediately engaging album in years. In most cases, their records take a few listens to absorb. This record certainly reveals itself to you over time, but most fans will tell you that, no matter what your first-listen impression is, the Hip’s albums are the kind that grow.
"I think it’s because we tend to pull away from things that sound obvious or poppy or too repetitive," says Langlois. "It's not that they are overly simple, but we avoid the obvious and to repeat a chorus twice, let alone three or four times, is something we have always had a bit of an aversion to…. Because there are five of us that are listening hard, it takes a lot for us to be really happy with a song, just to guarantee that we are not going to hate it in a year's time."
In trimming the fat, the band has amplified everything that has made them so successful. Even the first single, "Vaccination Scar," swears off verses and choruses for cyclical strumming and a protracted refrain that barely contains the song’s title. It has almost none of the elements usually associated with a typical single. Langlois may agree with that assessment, but he also points out that if a song makes the record, then it already has the band’s seal of approval.
"I'd say, more than anything, the record company was pretty over-the-top about that one," he says. ""In general we kind of stay out of it and just let objective ears and those that are going to push that single make that call."
Perhaps that contributes to Langlois’ down-to-earth behaviour. The label takes care of business and the band takes care of the music and that division of labour allows Langlois and company to enjoy the spoils of their success. The Hip certainly don’t tour as much as they used to, a perk the band doesn’t take for granted. Able to spend time with their families and steal off to do some songwriting when the mood hits, makes going back on the road that much more enjoyable. Langlois admits that after the break since the last tour, the band is juiced to get back on the road and play the new material.
"The gig is the best part of the day, so you can't really waste that," he says. "No one would ever really dare let anyone in the band down, so we all just show up for the gig and play our best. It's pretty rare that we don't feel like we had a good show."
CELEB TOP FIVE
The Top Five Canadian venues to play according to road-seasoned guitarist Paul Langlois of The Tragically Hip:
1. Massey Hall in Toronto
2. The Spectrum in Montreal
3. The Forum in Montreal
4. The Saddledome in Calgary
5. The Town Pump in Vancouver |
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