By Eileen Tilson / @tktalt_tn
Did you know that by law in Canada, 35% of all music played on Canadian radio stations must be from Canadian bands? Which, I must say is a pretty great rule and allows for amazing bands like, The Trews, who since 2003, have had twelve Top 10 rock radio singles in Canada, including two chart-toppers, sold over 300,000 albums, performed over 850 shows worldwide and have shared the stage with The Rolling Stones, Robert Plant, Guns’n’Roses, KISS, Ace Frehley, Nickelback, Cheap Trick, The Tragically Hip and Kid Rock among many others. They joined us for our 5GB series before their show tomorrow at Smith’s Olde Bar.. And remember, The Trews are playing a mini residency at Smith’s Olde Bar, Nov. 17, Dec. 1 and 8th.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
I saw Bob Dylan play at the Metro Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1995 on his Time Out of Mind tour. Me and a friend of mine hitch hiked up from my hometown of Antigonish , Nova Scotia which is about 200 miles away. I was 15. The Metro Center is the cities biggest hockey rink and I remember being really impressed with the size of the place and thinking it would be amazing to play a place like that someday… I’ve since played there several times. Dylan’s new stuff sounded the best, as is usually the case with him, I remember his back catalogue and his hits were virtually unrecognizable but hey, it’s Dylan…who are we to question how he wants to play his own stuff? His pedal steel player at that time was Bucky Baxter who we’ve since gotten to know really well and have had the pleasure to jam with a few times.
What is the best gig that you ever played/performed at?
We opened for the Rolling Stones at the Phoenix Concert Theater in Toronto in 2005. The Stones were in Toronto to rehearse for their Bigger Bang Tour and this concert was a secret warm up show they did to kick off the tour. We were invited to open which was totally surreal. The club only holds about 900 people and getting to share that tight a space with the worlds greatest rock band was really something special.
What is the best gig you have ever been to?
See answer number 2 ! In fact, all of my most memorable concerts have been in smaller venues. Toots and the Maytals at Lee’s Palace (Toronto) , Levon Helm in his barn (Woodstock), the New York Dolls at the Town Ballroom (Buffalo), Jesse Malin at Call the Office (London) …just to name a few. There’s just something about the transfer of energy in a small club that is lost in a big arena and is usually over compensated for with big production that I just find distracting.
Gig you would most like to play?
Wayne-stock from Wayne’s World 2.
What would be the lineup for your dream gig?
As a guitarist I would love to get the chance to play with Jeff Beck. He’s my favorite lead player. I think anyone in the band would love the chance to collaborate in any way, shape,form or fashion with Neil Young. He’s the one artist that every member of our band can agree on 100%.
Catch The Trews tomorrow, Nov.17 at Smith’s Olde Bar-Atlanta Room
