popwreckoning

Any wise alterna-rocker from the ‘90s knows Our Lady Peace. They’re currently touring in support of their 7th studio album, Burn Burn. Just hours before their sold-out show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, Sara sat down and had a chat with drummer Jeremy Taggart, and here’s what he had to say about hard work, changes, and what John Candy and Ghandi have in common.

Sara Swiecki, PopWreckoning: I apologize in advance if you’ve answered these questions 8 million times and are totally sick of hearing them.
Jeremy Taggart, Our Lady Peace: Oh no. That’s fine.
PW: What would you say to people who have criticized your later releases such as Gravity and Healthy in Paranoid Times?
JT: Nothing.
PW: Nothing?
JT: Yeah. Why would I try and waste time changing the opinion of someone who’s not into something? I’ll always love what we do, and we make our records as honestly and as real as we can at the time that we make them, and I don’t think we have any regrets. But we just do what we do, and that’s all we can control.

PW: Yeah. But I’ve also heard that Raine (lead singer Maida) has criticized Healthy in Paranoid Times. Is that true?
JT: Well, I think it was just the experience that it was. It wasn’t the perfect situation. And a lot of other bands we know went through it. And we were lucky enough not to go through it. And I think we were just a little lost. That’s where some of the upset and the idea of bitterness comes in, and the unpleasantness of the experience, rather than we were doing something we didn’t want to do. We were just searching, and we may not have got where we wanted to be. But in that situation, you don’t always get what you want when you’re making a record, you know?

PW: Yeah. Mike Turner’s departure, how did that affect things?
JT: Not at all.
PW: Really?!?
JT: No. Not at all.
PW: Well, he was one of the founding members, yes?
JT: Yeah, he was.
PW: And it didn’t affect anything?
JT: Nope.
PW: Ok, then!
JT: No, because, I mean, we were already in a position where the creative….the music that was getting done at the time….that’s the reason why we parted ways. Mike, he was slowly, more and more going his way and we were going our way. That’s just the way it is. Sometimes when those things happen, it makes things slow down until that happens. And then things go along, generally….I mean, for us, things went along swimmingly (chuckles).

PW: Right on. Raine is known for his vocals, particularly his trademark falsetto. And with the exception of a couple of tracks on Gravity and with Healthy in Paranoid Times, that’s kind of disappeared. But recently, it’s started to come back. What happened there? Was there a reason that he got rid of it for awhile?
JT: I think if someone asked us before our 2nd record, they wouldn’t have said he had a signature falsetto, until Clumsy. That was just kind of a thing that we went into, and it wasn’t like, “Oh yeah! And I sing like this, too!” It was kind of affected by some of the music we were listening to at the time, like Jeff Buckley and Shudder to Think. A lot of those bands were using falsettos and it really created kind of a cool darkness to have that texture. And I think that was more the reason, that it went along with the decision-making process to do that. And songs like “Car Crash” and even “Clumsy” just had a element of all those kinds of bands. And that’s just the way it is, you know? Bands like Garbage or Portishead, those kind of records were the ones we were listening to at the time. They all kind of had an eerie quality that we kind of took the mindset of.

PW: Ok, um…You guys have been out there for quite a long time now, not stoppin’. So you kind of have to think about it. You know, Neil Young said it, Kurt Cobain made it famous….is it better to burn out or fade away?
JT: Well there’s two examples. One’s still burning and the other one burnt out (chuckles). I mean Neil Young is a good example of if you’re creative and you keep that creative fire going, then you’ll be happy in life. And obviously Kurt Cobain lost that. He had it early in his life, and making music to him helped him escape the problems and the thoughts that were making him feel depressed. And I think that once Nirvana found success, he probably lost that and tried to get it back. And he couldn’t find it in a relationship, and he couldn’t find it in making another record with the band. And who knows? It had nothing to do with the BIG picture, which is inner thoughts of a human being. That doesn’t really have anything to do with Nirvana or success or all that stuff. It has more to do with someone who grows up and what they go through, and their connection to reality, and their connection to the earth and life. And he obviously felt really very terrified. And that’s something that I’m glad I don’t know what that feels like.

PW: Nice. Where do we get the name Our Lady Peace from?
JT: It’s from a poem by a man named Mark van Doren, who was a poet and a literary professor at Columbia University in the ‘50s, I think. He was kind of an early visionary for people like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. Kind of a straighter version of that. You know, the outspoken, creative poet. And that poem, “Our Lady Peace,” just kind of had a quality that we all kind of dug.

PW: Out of your guys’ best known songs…you know, your hits and everything. If you had to pick one that best defines your band, what would it be?
JT: I don’t know. I think when we play anything our sound happens. When we play any song in our set, it’s us. So it’s hard to pick one to say that is us the most. Like “this is me more than this is me.” It’s hard to judge that. But I feel what you’re saying.
PW: Like if you were to–for somebody that has no idea who you are–hat one song would you pick for them to hear and know this is Our Lady Peace?
JT: Um, well, I don’t know. Because I can’t say, “This is us.” But you can just hopefully pick something that people would have known the most. Songs that are singles and ones that are more specifically musical songs….I don’t know. I’m not sure. Maybe “Superman’s Dead” or “One Man Army” or something like that. I don’t know.

PW: How have you guys noticed your career change as the industry has been shifting?
JT: How has our position changed?
PW: Yes.
JT: Well, now that we’re kind of independent purveyors of our own music, that’s kind of cool. That’s amazing. And it’s great to have a transparency to the business side of things. To know where all our hard earned dollars are going when we’re trying to put a record together, and all that stuff. You know? The cost of putting an album together and all those things you don’t generally have to think about when you’re on a major label. But in the big picture, it’s important to know about that stuff.

PW: You guys have a sold-out show tonight. Does that still feel really good after all these years?
JT: Oh yeah! Yeah! I mean, it’s great to have people come out. I think, for us, to play these songs is the exciting thing. To be playing at The Troubadour again….I think we played here in ’95. So, that’s kind of cool to be back here and to be in such a historic place. But in terms of playing and selling out or whatever, that’s just….that’s our creativity at work in a sense (laughs). People are lining up! They’re lining up outside to watch us play! That’s a good feeling.

PW: Cool! Back to when you guys were first getting started, what did it take and how hard was it to bridge the gap from just playing local clubs and little hole-in-the-walls to getting signed and picking up?
JT: Yeah. To paying rent and eating!
PW: Yeah (laughs)!
JT: It’s hard, you know? It was difficult, but we were prepared. We didn’t have anything to do but the music and we were on tour for 9, 10 months of the year, we were making an album when we weren’t on tour. You kinda have to give 100% of your life to give yourself a chance…to get to make a career out of music. It was easier then, because there were more bars to play. There were more live venues that were there for bands to develop. The labels had more money to pay for tour support, and stuff like that to keep the band on the road. Now, it’s more, you have to scale everything down, and it’s more….it’s about performance. And that hasn’t changed. I think if you’re a good live band, and your songs have a feeling that people can get when you play them, then you’ll have a chance. And that’s it. You just have to keep performing and practicing and you’ll be alright. I think for us, our success has always been based on one day at a time in terms of the shows. And when we’re in the studio, we don’t get precious with our ideas, and we record as much as we can, and we try and write as much as we can while we’re making a record. And we don’t really feel we’ve finished a record until it tells us. And that’s it. Anything other than that, you can’t control. People will say what they want, or try and get into our head space, or try and explain why we don’t sound like we do, or we do sound like we used to or whatever.
Man Outside: FUCK YOU!
(both laugh)
PW: Welcome to LA!
JT: That’s how I feel sometimes. When people tell you how life is supposed to be through rose-colored glasses. We’ve just been super cautious to be really simple. And all our mindset has been is just to sell some records in order to make another one. Not a lot. Not to fill a gap. It’s only about performing at a level that we feel is exciting to us musically. And making records that we like to add to our body of work.

PW: You were talking about not necessarily wanting to fill a gap. But going from a band that was just recognized in Canada to being recognized in the US, was that something you guys were shooting for? Something you were pushed towards? Was it difficult or hard? Did it just happen?
JT: Well, we’re at our best when we’re just trying to write, and everything comes from that. Whether we’re trying to make it through a performance, or trying to write a song, we follow….the only formula is just kind of mining an idea, and whether that be just trying to make something tighter, or trying to create an actual song. The only way to get through it is hard work. Again, it’s the only thing we want to do…we’re not interested in trying to do anything other than that.

PW: Alright. So I’m sure you guys get sick of being asked the same questions over and over.
JT: (Sarcastically) Oh, it’s totally a pain. (laughs)
PW: (Laughing) Well, where I’m going with that is there anything that nobody ever asks you that you’d love to talk about?
JT: Oh no, never. I think people that are like, waiting for a certain question, like wanting someone to ask…like, that’s fucked up. (laughs)
PW: (Laughing) Like did you ever see Kanye that year at the Grammys on the red carpet? He was dying for Kathy Griffin to say something about his outfit and they were only asking about his music and he was pissed.
JT: Yeah, I’m not a big fan of setting up things. No, I think the best interviews are slightly conversation-based. That way, they can be anything, like someone on the street. I don’t expect anything from anyone.
PW: I agree. Totally. So, nothing special you want to say at all?
JT: Well, no. That’s not what I meant by that! (both laugh)
PW: That’s basically what I was getting at. Is there anything that you want to say? That you want to tell people?
JT: I just want people to like me.
PW: (Laughing) Don’t we all?
JT: That’s it. That’s what John Candy said, and that’s a pretty good way to live. He was a pretty loved guy, so… John Candy is Canada’s Gandhi.
PW: That’s epic. Thank you for that quote. And for everything!
JT: No problem! Enjoy the show!

Our Lady Peace: website | myspace

Photo  by: Christopher Hickson

Welcome back, readers!  I’ve been meaning to do the inevitable Rolling Stones-esque post for a while now and my reasons were threefold: 1) They’re only one of the best fucking bands on the planet (still) .. 2) The Rolling Stones are about as relevant to me now as a child growing up on classic rock .. and 3) It is safe to say that “Wild Horses” is the earliest song I can remember absolutely falling in love with the instant I heard it.  It is quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard and if I ever became a musician, I would probably cite “Wild Horses” as the defining moment when I decided to pick up a guitar. 

Suffice it to say, the Stones got me into rock n’ roll and it’s been a lifelong love affair ever since.  The quintessential “sad love song,” it’s a little bit country, it’s a little bit rock n’ roll, but it’s all kinds of incredible and the lyrics are as poetic as they are universally relatable.  I’ve been known to tell people my favorite Stones song is “Beast of Burden” because I listen to it more, but truth be told it really is “Wild Horses.”  Mick Jagger poignantly suggests “Let’s do some living, after we die” in the last verse.  I’m down for that… as long as that includes listening to this song.  And the Stones.  Forever.  There are about a zillion covers of this song, so I figured I would do a little Top 5 list of my personal favorites.  But first the song that started it all, the original Rolling Stones version:

.The Rolling Stones – “Wild Horses”
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#5 – Garbage [live] cover
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Garbage is one the most underrated bands ever.  Shirley Manson‘s raspy vocals are in a class of her own and her backup band are capable of some serious instrumentation.  I actually don’t know where this one was played or even when, but performing such an unlikely country-fied live cover of this song only adds to their coolness factor.  In fact, I would never expect to hear such bluesy guitar work from Garbage if they weren’t doing a cover; it almost kind of suits them, and in a way I can’t help but wonder about the possibilities if they decided to widen their musical range.  Manson’s monotonous vocal delivery may annoy some people and it may be hard to believe her undying love when she sings “No sweeping exits or offstage lines / Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind.” I actually dig her delivery; she may sound like she couldt care less, but I like to think she’s gone numb for feeling so much in spite of everything that has transpired.  To be fair, I may just enjoy this cover due to my love of Garbage and not so much because it’s highly inventive or adds something more to the original, but at least I’m being honest.
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#4 – Elvis Costello with Lucinda Williams [live] cover
I’m such a fan of the artist testimonial, so it’s neat hearing how much other equally incredibly performers love this song, as well.  Again, to be fair, I love Elvis Costello and I may be guilty of nepotism for featuring him here but that’s allowed when it’s your own Top 5 list.  Enlisting the help of Lucinda Williams, these two put out an uber-country tinged duet with lingering backing guitars that seem to croon and moan as much as they do.  This one doesn’t shine like the original, but that’s okay since this is merely in homage to such an untouchable classic rock gem.  And to my knowledge, this is the only duet I’ve ever stumbled upon.  With twangy guitars, soft piano licks, and a seemingly slower pace, this rendition almost lulls the listener’s heart to a more peaceful albeit painful place.
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#3 – Jewel [live] cover
Do they even have wild horses in Alaska?  I was actually researching the inevitable Tori Amos cover and shockingly found nothing, but I did stumble upon Jewel‘s surprisingly awesome piano rendition. I felt I also had to feature this since she prefaces her song saying “This is possibly one of the first songs I fell in love with,” just like me!  Having never particularly been the hugest Jewel fan, I figured she would yodel all over this song especially during the “wild horses couldn’t drag me awaaaaaaay” in the chorus, but thankfully she contained herself.  Instead, she allowed her struggling voice to strain and crack which I found much more appealing.  Not only does it represent the painfully sad nature of the song, but it almost sounds much more natural and raw, all of which enhances this performance.  In a way, it almost sounds like she smoked a pack of cigarettes pre-song which adds a sexy, huskier texture husky to her voice I’ve never heard before.  Wow, this may be the first time I’ve ever promoted cigarette smoking.
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#2 – Iron & Wine with Calexico [live] cover
This one is smooth like a fine wine and the pairing of Iron & Wine‘s (aka, Samuel Beam) folk rock sensibility with the dusty southwestern rock styling of Calexico makes for some gorgeous music, on or off the trail.  If a truly unique mash-up between two indie rock  outfits weren’t mind-blowing as is, wait ’til you hear this one.  It’s folky, jazzy southwestern rock, pseudo-country, mellow, soft, melodic, lush, it’s just a really rendition that I like to leave on in the background when I’m laying around doing nothing.  There is so much going on in this version that’s it’s almost impossible to put into words all the different layers of instrumentation and vocal harmony.  And when Calexico adds their signature southwestern rock charm to the mix, I actually believe it when they sing “Wild, wild horses / We’ll ride them someday.”
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#1 – The Sundays cover
No contest!  No, it’s not The Cranberries.  No, it’s not Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star.  These hauntingly beautiful vocals belong to Harriet Wheeler, lead singer of British alternative band The Sundays.  Some may recognize this track from the Fear soundtrack, particularly that “climactic” roller coaster scene when Mark Wahlberg, well, takes his hand on a little trip South of the Border with Reese Witherspoon.  Anyway, this cover song has extreme sentimental value for me since it’s been known to have gotten me through some rough and trying times.  I love the jangly guitars, her incredibly resonant voice, the overall ethereal quality and the fact that this sounds like the sweet indie dream pop I live for.  I could listen to this song on loop for hours, I have and I do.  And when she sings, “Oh, I watched you suffer, a dull aching pain / Now you’ve decided to show me the same,” I actually want to call up Mick Jagger and tell him “Oh man, I know what you mean.” Not only is this my pick for the #1 cover of “Wild Horses” of all time, but it is arguably my pick for best/favorite cover song of all time, too.  As the Cowboy Junkies did for The Velvet Underground‘s “Sweet Jane”, The Sundays took a Stones hit, stripped it down, and made it entirely their own and it’s hard to believe this isn’t an original tune of theirs.  I particularly love when Wheeler harmonizes with herself in the closing chorus, which only highlights how gorgeous her voice is.  And wild, wild horses couldn’t possibly take me away from such a classic cover song.