February 25, 1995

by Paul Andrew

The struggle for fledgling bands in
Canada is a tough one. Whether the
band is from the east or the west coast,
every new original band is motivated
by the all consuming quest for that ini-
tial recording contract.

And every rocking musician
knows that for every band that does sign
a contract, there are a hundred more
hard working bands that and don’t sign
a contract. ail

After the band signs that illusive
recording deal, the hard work really
begins.

Toronto rockers Our Lady Peace
is a good example of a hard working
band.

Ever since the band signed a deal
with Sony Music, they have been work-
ing their proverbial asses off, touring
Canada twice in just under 8 months.

In Vancouver last June and again

just last week, Our Lady Peace played
two sold out shows at two different ven-
ues in just two days. Their first show,
open to all ages at the New York Theater
on Friday night, was a warm-up for the
sold out show at the Starfish Room on
“Saturday.

It is unusual to play different
rooms in the same town on the same
weekend; it certainly keeps things in-
teresting. While being accessible to a
wide variety of fans.

It is difficult to keep tabs on a band
that moves around as much as this band
does, but The Other Press managed to
catch up with Our Lady Peace drum-
mer Jeremy Taggert a few hours be-
fore their show at the Starfish Room in
Vancouver on February 11.

Taggert is an unassuming young
man who seems unaffected by the rigors
of the music industry. He spoke openly
about life on the road, the strange me-
dium of the video recording
industry, and a variety of
other topics, includ-
ing radio in
Canada. Taggert is
just 19 years old.

 

So how are things going for the
band so far?

Great! Everything’s been moving
upward, it hasn’t been moving too fast.
You know, it been a... gradual uphill
climb, but nothings been too crazy.
We’ re all waiting for something new to
happen everyday.

How do you like being back in
Vancouver?

My brother lives out here, so I get
to see him every once in awhile. It’s
gist eu ;

F Howdo youfeel about the local fans?

The people here are really laid
back, so that’s cool. They don’t seem
to go too crazy, so ya know, it’s good.

Compared to...Toronto?

Toronto people are more tense,
there’s a little more stress in the envi-
ronment and out here, everyone’s kinda
chillin’ out.

You guys are getting a fair amount
of radio air play, how do you feel about
that?

Things have been great across the
board for radio... we’ ve got pretty much
every city playing us, but we’re always
waiting for something else to happen,
you can’t really sit back and just see
how everything is going. You have to
think, okay, we’re on radio; how are we
doing on video; how are our record
sales- you know, always waiting for
something else to happen.

Do you think that there is a possi-
bility of new bands moving to quickly
from radio to video?

I don’t really agree with video. I
think it’s a weird art form. It’s a me-
dium, It’s a strange medium...it’s visual.
It has nothing really to do with music.
Radio is just songs, which is fine... but
you have to make a video. It’s not mu-
sical, vid-

The Other Press

eo’s aren’t musical, they’re just kind of
a fad that keeps getting bigger so, I don’t
agree with it.

Perhaps it’s just another vehicle for
the band?

It is a vehicle... and it’s become a
monopoly in Canada with MuchMusic
or in the States with MTV. I mean, they
can make or break a band. That’s the
sad thing... you have to have a video to
succeed.

Is it important for you guys to have
number one hit?

No. It’s great if it happens, but all
we want to do is to be able to make mu-
sic for as long as we can. We’re not,
you know, financially con-
cerned. You’re gonna have to
sell records to stay
around, right? So...

There is a con-
dition that Cana-
dian music
radio
Stations
must
have at
least 30%
Canadian
content.
How do you feel
about that?

Canadian content is important,
obviously, since we’re living here. |
think it comes down to whether it’s
good or bad....

People, no matter what, they’re
gonna want to hear what they want to
hear, through requests or whatever. I
mean....classic rock...] can’t stand lis-
tening to it over and over. Like Steve
Miller a million times a day. That’s one
thing that bothers me about radio in
Canada. I think radio in Canada isn’t

that good at all.
Just

 
  
 
   

for the fact that there’s so much shit
going on, and it’s like... a young band
or an alternative band really doesn’t
have a chance... basically.

Do you feel there are bands that
shun the number one status, like some
of the bands coming out of Seattle, who
want to be

ful, but

apparently
SUCCESS-

   
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
 
  
  
  
 
   
 
 
  
 

they
don’t
vat

to be
‘commercially’ successful.

I think you run into that all over
the place with younger bands. The fact
is, if you’ re doing it for music, you want
to get your music heard... and if it’s

too

happening... I think it’s just an ego thing
to stop.

How do you feel about being on
the road?

My father was a musician, and |
kinda’ grew up ina very musical house-
hold... I grew up in an environment
where it’s not a big deal to be on the
road. I adapted to it well. The first tour
I never really worried about being
homesick. I never really had a problem
with being on the road. Now I love be-
ing on the road.

Do you find it easy living with the
guys on the road?

19

A piece on Our Lady

Everything gets trying eventually,
right? I think when I’ m on the road for...
like, a month and a half at a time, obvi-
ously you get sick of being in a van with
five or six people... there’s a van, and
then there’s a truck the crew drives, so
there’s two in one truck and five in the
other. Your gonna get sick of seeing one
another, but there’s no fights or any-
thing like that. Everyone just listens to
music in their own CD player... you go
into your own space. And then when
your playing... that’s the only great
thing about it. I mean, I don’t mind
traveling and meeting new people, you
learn so much.... from town to town, you
become a big time observer.

I’ve heard that sometimes when
bands are on the road for a long time

and you have girlfriends or wives at
home, it can be really hard. Is
that true?
Yeah! (laughs), I ... had a strong
relationship the first tour, and
I kinda changed as a person,
so it’s like... I became a road
person, so I find that I have
relationships that aren’t
that...
come back home, everything

serious. So when I

is cool. You go out and you
just talk. So ...it’s really hard to have a
committing relationship... you know
how it is when you just start a relation-
ship, your crazy about the person and
you always wanna be with them, that
can be really hard. But you gotta make
the decision to what’s more important
to you... like your music and you ca-
reer, or do you just wanna waste you
life and do nothing just for somebody?

O.K. I guess my last question is;
Are Our Lady Peace hockey fans?

I kinda missed hockey when it
wasn’t on. Our crew is always setting
up [hockey] pools and stuff, Raine is a
big hockey fan...We’re obviously ‘Leaf
fans (laughs). I get into hockey once in
awhile, but it’s kinda hard, we’re really
busy.

O.K. Thanks.a lot.
No problem.

 

 

NIGHT

 

 

 

PUB

 

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