Winnipeg singer/songwriter Greg MacPherson is heading out to the west coast to conclude his tour for his latest album, Fireball. And he’ll visit some bad memories along the way: his last BC tour was cut short after MacPherson and his band were in a car accident on their way to the coast.
“We were sitting in a snow bank, all turned around on the highway, and we realized that we had to cancel or we were going to get killed,” MacPherson recalls. “I’ve never had to do that before. I felt like I let people down.”
Fans may have been disappointed that MacPherson didn’t make it out to play on that tour, but surely few are disappointed with Fireball. It’s MacPherson’s sixth full-length album and, finally, one that he himself would buy.
“That’s a nice feeling that I didn’t always have,” he says. “Early on my records were good, but as an artist I don’t think I had the skills to realize my artistic vision as well as I do now.”
Fireball and MacPherson’s 2011 album Disintegration Blues were released on his own record label, Disintegration Records (previously, MacPherson has had albums released by respected Canadian indie labels such as G7 Welcoming Committee Records and Smallman Records). Starting his own record label has allowed him the opportunity to give exposure to unknown talent, something he is very excited about.
“The idea is that if we’re all putting our music out together, and we have different people interested in our work, it’s going to shine a bigger light on all of us,” says MacPherson. “I’m really excited for people to hear the music we’re putting out. We don’t do it in a lavish way, but I think we are really realistic, and are able to support our artists in a lot of ways. We want unknown artists who should be really well known to have the opportunity to get some exposure.”
Another way to get exposure is by hitting the road. MacPherson is looking forward to touring again; it’s a labour of love, he says, yet a part of being a musician that he values and wouldn’t trade for anything.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” says MacPherson. “All the hours of driving, and setting up, and waiting, are elements that make touring hard, but even after all that it is so much fun, and it’s a total privilege to be able to do it at all. If you ever hear anyone complain about touring, you should just laugh in their face. It’s an absolute privilege, and if folks really want a dose of reality they should go and get a job.”
Greg MacPherson
7:30 pm Friday May 2
$12, Lucky Bar
luckybar.ca
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