The Trews have a secret, but they can’t keep it much longer. The rockers are ready to take their sixth studio album, Civilianaires, on tour, and lead guitarist John-Angus MacDonald is at home in Hamilton, Ontario, savouring the moments before the band share their latest work with the rest of the country.
“I think the happiest we are as a band is when our new record is finished, but the world doesn’t know about it yet,” says MacDonald. “That’s a peace of mind that I wish on everybody in the world to experience. Just knowing that you’re confident, you’re happy with the work, and it’s just yours, for now.”
The Trews participate with Pledge Music as a platform for pre-sales of their albums, as well as exclusive items and experiences; MacDonald is grateful for the support from fans but says the band has had to reconsider some of their more elaborate offers.
“We just went overboard on everything you could purchase,” says MacDonald. “Like buy a street-hockey game with the band, you can buy a house concert, or buy this and that, I’ll do a guitar lesson with people… We just got really over the top with all these different ways you could generate funds to make your record, but then you realize you have to go out and do all that stuff afterwards, and that just led to such an insanely full plate.”
But those experiences they had with their fans, although at times inconvenient, were still incredibly fun for the band.
“It’s always usually a really great vibe to actually be that face to face with a bunch of your fans,” says MacDonald. “The street hockey stuff was super fun. We actually got out there and squared off with some fans and we usually won, I don’t think I’m lying about that. Maybe we lost one out of five, but I think we usually won. They might have been letting us win; I won’t discount that.”
For a band whose members have known each other as friends and family for most—if not all—of their lives, change is inevitable. For example, MacDonald says new drummer Chris Gormley has helped the band to rediscover their strengths.
“I guess he just reminded us to capture the essence of what we are at our best,” says MacDonald. “That was exciting and it remains exciting, like now every show feels like an exciting happening again, as opposed to just another show. And a lot of that’s just in your own head, but sometimes it takes somebody to rattle you out of your own head, and that’s certainly what Chris has done for us.”
Another change for MacDonald is his approach to writing about love. It’s been a learning experience for MacDonald—who has a long history of writing songs about heartbreak—to incorporate optimism into songs that otherwise may feel hopeless.
“We’re trying to take this approach more lately in our career,” says MacDonald. “It takes a little step further to make it not cynical, not accusatory, or not, like, combative. Leave a light at the end of the tunnel on, because that’s sort of the responsible thing to do as you become older and older in this world. I remember Gord Downie saying something very similar to that when I was talking to him about songwriting. He was like, ‘I’m over the fuck-you songs, I’m done with fuck-you songs, I need hope at the end.’ It doesn’t mean I’m all roses and buttercups and this sort of thing. Life’s hard and life is full of tragedy, but I think the responsible thing to do at a certain point is to leave the light on at the end of the tunnel. Leave a shred of hope at the end of the rope, cause that’s what keeps us all going.”
The Trews
8 pm Tuesday, January 22
$32.50, Capital Ballroom
thecapitalballroom.com