Interview: Downhere
Canadian rock band Downhere have been together for 10 years, releasing six albums and touring extensively. They have earnt a succession of awards both in their native country and in the US. LTTM spoke to the band members to find out more.
Downhere have been together as a band for quite some time now, how do you keep things fresh and continue to find new inspiration?
We are constantly reading and studying and listening to podcasts. Life experience and a dose of conflict and is always inspiring. Also we listen to a lot of different music and experiment in our writing with new themes and central ideas.
Which do you prefer playing live or recording albums?
This is actually a very difficult question and I think you may get a different answer from each guy. We really love all that we do and consider it a blessing to be able to do this for a living. Recording is great because that's when we get to create. Plus we can stay in one place for a while, often even at home! Finding those moments during recording when we're all saying, "Yes, that was a cool part!" or "You just nailed that performance man!" is always a fun thing. Then playing live, we get to see new places, meet some really great people and play what we've practiced. It's an easier thing because we've played the songs so many times. Not to say that it's boring but there is way less pressure. So for me I need to have both. The times to create and the times to perform. That's part of what makes this such a great
There seems to be a big trend in releasing Christmas albums these last few years. What made you decide to release 'How Many Kings'?
Interesting that there seems to be a trend. For us it was really no more than our schedule unexpectedly lightening up and realizing that our Christmas song How Many Kings had been quite successful. The idea started with the suggestion of recording a little Christmas EP but grew from there. Personally I've always wanted to record a Christmas album so once the suggestion was made I was all for it!
Which is your favourite track on the album and why?
Silent Night, because I like the showcasing of the last lyrics which poetically seem to throw forward to the final resurrection, a fulfilling thing to think about at Christmas.
Do you have any plans to record a new album in the near future?
Future album plans are in motion already and we are working towards a goal of releasing before the end of 2010. Just before the end! Like December 21st or something like that. Much needs to happen before we reach that. Like having songs to record. So when we are home Jason and Marc are locked up in their studios in writing mode. A pleasure and torture.
What is your song writing process?
Most of the time, I mine for little nuggets of wisdom that I can grab onto that reach both heart and mind. Things that, when I hear them, I can say, "Yeah I feel like most people could sing along to that idea." Then I'll jam on the piano or guitar experimenting with different melodies and chordal arrangements until something strikes me as new-sounding to my ear, yet still accessible to the non-musician's ear. A lot of ideas also come to me when I'm alone in my car. I have tons of little unused ditties recorded on my phone! Once I have a good song demo done, I'll email it to our head of A&R at our record label, who will then give me some great constructive feedback about the song. Then I keep "woodshedding" the song until it's album worthy... or not. In that case it never gets heard by anyone and floats off into Bad Song Oblivion.
How would you define success in your own career as a band?
Two words: Tour Bus. Huh? not really. I've always believed our success will be determined by the legacy we leave everywhere we go, during and after our career is done. The quality of relationships we've kept, the priority we put on ministry and building relationships, making sound business decisions. I love all the encouragement we get along the way from fans and close friends who see the work we've committed to during our young adulthood as good. That tells me we're doing something right.
If you could work with any musician in the world, who would it be and why?
If I could work with any musician, it would probably be Daniel Lanois because of that steady passion for creativity and feeling music.
You're stuck on an island, its hot and you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3 player, what track is it?
I Like To Move It Move It. Hey, I'm on an Island! I think it's time to dance.
What does this year hold for Downhere?
It's looking like we're going to have the busiest festival season we've ever had. I think we have around 19 booked so far, or tentatively booked. So between camps, recording and festivals our summer is going to be slammed! Oh yes, we will be recording our new record this year with plans to release it just before Christmas. We are also looking at releasing a B sides album. A bunch of songs that we've recorded over the years that just didn't fit in with the album or were used for other projects. We've had these for a while and have been waiting for a good opportunity to release them so it looks like it may be before the summer!
