Hedley transcript

Interview by Jenia Schukov

CONFRONT: How are you!

DAVE: I’m great! How’s your morning been so far?

CONFRONT: Hectic. The alarm decided not to work this morning so I had to race down here.

DAVE: Did it just not go off or something?

CONFRONT: Just decided it wasn’t going to turn on this morning.

DAVE: Happens! I try to set three just to be safe. *laughs*

CONFRONT: We’ll get started if you’re ready!

DAVE: Absolutely.

CONFRONT: You’re fourth studio album came out just a couple of days ago….

DAVE: It sure did! It came out Tuesday and it’s called “Storms”.  It’s always nice because we’re always in Montreal around the time that the album comes out and I think this is the first time I didn’t buy my first copy here in Montreal. I’m so happy to be back.

CONFRONT: I know it’s only been a couple of days but how has the response been so far?

DAVE: The response from our fans online has been incredible. We really have to thank everyone for showing so much support. We really put a lot of hard work into this record and we took our time with it. We really made sure we were doing something new and something fresh and something that fans could sink their teeth into.

CONFRONT: Why did you decide to choose the water theme for this record?

DAVE: Well the theme Storms really came partway through the recording of the record. Usually during the last few albums we’ve known what we were going to call it and then we forged it out. This time some of the songs were already written and there was really no other name that we could call it. Looking back at the lyrics Jake was writing, it’s his most lyrically concise record. There are themes that kind of tie in through all the songs even if the songs aren’t about the same thing. The thing about storms is that when one is happening it can be really hard out. Then after a storm goes away everything is brighter again. We were trying to juxtapose what people go through in life. Everyone goes through their own storms. They lose family members and then gain new ones. People have children. You have friends that get sick and friends that fight back. It’s really all encompassing of what people go through when they’re living their lives. We were doing the same thing. A lot of things were going on in our lives separately and respectively. It was really a matter of us bonding together to make sure that this record came out and that we were talking about what was going on. We wanted to share this with our fans because we believe honesty is like the base of what we do. I hope they respect that.

CONFRONT: I heard you guys had a whole slew of songs and you had to narrow it down to just a few?

DAVE: Absolutely! That happens on every record. You always write more then you’re going to use. In the end you’re trying to put something together that’s cohesive and that works together. You always try to find the best songs. The cool thing about us is when Jake finishes writing a song or we finish it together if it’s not used on the record it might show up somewhere else. Maybe we might end up playing it live which I know that fans really enjoy. It’s something that I know I really enjoy when I go see a band play live, I love to see a b-side or something that you’re not used to seeing. Especially on this record there’s a song called “Beautiful” which was originally not on the Show Must Go and was written afterwards. We started playing it live to show our fans and give them something different. I think it’s really cool that we got to go in the studio again and do another version of that and share it with more people. Right now it’s only been a secret amongst Hedley fans.

CONFRONT: What made you guys decide to record “All You Get is Sound” and put it on the record?

DAVE: It’s on the iTunes pre-order and it’s very special. It’s an exclusive track. Like I said, it’s a song that a lot of people saw Jake play live at shows and we just had an opportunity to do it in the studio. I think it’s turned out really cute. I really enjoy when we get to invite female back up singers because it adds such a sweetest to the tone.

CONFRONT: So you guys must be excited to finally be able to get back on the road!

DAVE: Oh absolutely. Touring is what we live for; especially now that the record is done. When the record is out we can’t touch it anymore, it’s already finished. Now we can go on and tour with it and share it with people. What we do on stage when a Hedley show happens, the four of us on stage is really just a small part of what’s going on. It’s all about the people who come to the show, who have bought the record, who take the night off work and who have learned all the words. They’re joining together under one roof to sing along with us. It’s not just about us performing, it’s about everyone coming together and enjoying. We’ve always believed that we don’t want to do a regular concert. We’ve seen so many shows where bands just come on the stage and stand around and play a few songs and then leave. That’s fine, each to their own. If someone’s coming and paying for a ticket then we want to make sure that they’re getting their hard earned money’s worth. It’s like going to a movie! You want to feel like you’ve forgotten your troubles for a bit!

CONFRONT: Well you guys have an incredible energy on stage. It’s like no other band.

DAVE: *points at Jacob* Keeping up with Jake…I have to drink at least three cups of coffee a day. He’s an absolute Jack-In-A-Box. Actually we call him a Jake-In-The-Box.

CONFRONT: Is there a song that you’re most excited to play live off of the new album?

DAVE: I’ve really enjoyed playing “One Life” so far. It’s got a really neat groove and it’s got a cool underlying message. “Don’t stop live it up, just keep moving don’t ever stop” the second verse is “Not everyone’s betting about you”. It’s a real song about determination and reflects a lot about what the record is about. It’s about overcoming adversities and standing up for what you believe in and not listening to what everyone’s telling you to do. It’s a fun song. Then we have a more rock and roll song on the record called “Hot Mess”.  It’s just fun and it’s about bad influences and putting a positive spin on them all. We’ve had a great time playing it in practice and we’re going to be playing it today for the first time at Musique Plus.

CONFRONT: And you guys are playing all the arena shows again on this tour…

DAVE: Yes! We are lucky enough to be coming through and doing arena shows again on this tour. The cool thing about that it means we get to bring more stuff for the show; more lights, more sound, more action.

CONFRONT: Over the last six years you guys have slowly become one of the biggest bands in Canada. Was there a moment where it kind of hit you and you knew you had made it? Or are you just appreciating every second and not thinking about that?

DAVE:  I don’t think we’ve made it by any means. I think we’ve just been so lucky over the past six years to have been shown so much love from all the fans across Canada and Quebec. The fact that they keep welcoming us back to their homes time and time again is something we really just want to keep building on. I think success for us is measured in delivering a better record or show for the fans. We get messages on Twitter or at a show someone will come up to us and go “This record really helped me out. I was going through a hard time and “Invincible” really helped get me through my days”. That’s success. We’re out there to share our stories. All these things that are happening in our songs are things that we’ve been through or people that we know. When someone else can relate to that as well that’s the special part.

CONFRONT: I’ve noticed that for almost every music video that you’ve released, there’s been some form of message or meaning in it.

DAVE: Yeah absolutely! I think some more then others. “Invincible” has a very strong message behind it with a lot of life situations that people go through whether it’s an abusive home, body image or homelessness. We also have videos like “Perfect” which is a little bit more artsy. I think the cool thing about music sometimes is that you let the listener decide what it means. Who am I to tell you what a song means to you? A song like “Heavens Gonna Wait” means something different to Jake then it means to me and it’s going to mean something different to you. In a way delivering positive messages is something we’re proud to do and very happy to do. That’s good. Who wants to be kicking the sand all the time going “Oh ho hum lifes so rough oh yeah yeah”. There’s all kind of different bands in the world, to make a frivolous video that might be for someone else. Our next video is just eye candy. There’s no story, it’s just something fun to watch and something fun to look at which I think it’s important to do as well.

CONFRONT: Going down the positive route, you guys have taken on WeDay and Free The Children. How important has this become for you?

DAVE: I’m so happy you brought that up! We feel so lucky to not only be involved but to be a part of what Free the Children is. I say we because we feel like we’re part of what’s going on. If anybody has never been there WeDay is this huge youth empowerment rally where kids from all over the city get to come on a free field trip where they get to see speakers from all across the world take about social issues. They get to do it under a roof filled with 18,000 other students that all want the same thing as them; to make a difference in the world. When we first got involved with Marc and Craig we just knew that they were the ones we wanted to get behind because they’re so positive and they’re truly making a difference in the world. They’re showing kids that making a change in not only your own life but in others is so important and it’s why we’re here and we can’t just think that we’re all alone on this planet and that nothing’s connected. India’s in our back yard. Kenya’s in our back yard. We’re in theirs. You can do things in your own community. Like there’s Halloween For Hunger, instead of going around collecting candy you go around collecting canned goods. Halloween for Hunger raised more money on one single day then any other day Canadian food bank history. So to be involved in something like that makes us feel so good because it’s something we really believe in. Especially now after our trip to Kenya where we got to meet so many great people and to see such a different way of life and how people are living. These people have a simpler way of life but who are doing things to improve their standards of living. Things like education which we took for granted. Parents are building schools. There are medical facilities to make sure people are healthy. There are alternative income programs so that people around the world are able to use things in their environment to sustain themselves and their families. It’s really a great organization and we can’t wait to do more. We actually went to India this year and we visited a small village and we were building a school there. We showed up and the situation was quite dire because children were noticeably in need of medical attention and before we did anything everyone, all the camera crew and us, dropped everything and grabbed the first aid supplies and started to treat wounds. If you go to our website www.hedleyonline.com we’re sponsoring this village and we really want to make a medical facility there. We’re hoping we can rally fans and other people. If you want to donate and you want to make a difference this is a place where you can do it. You feel safe with where it’s going.

CONFRONT: That’s really amazing. I have one last question for you. Since it will be the December issue of the magazine, is there one Christmas tradition that you need to take part in every year?

DAVE: Oh! Christmas tradition that I love? Yes! I love going to get a tree. I have a real tree still. I don’t do fake trees at my house. I’ve always liked going and picking a good tree. When I was a kid we’d always go out on the snowmobile with a toboggan on the back and we’d go out into the bush. I grew up up north. It was Northern BC so it was cold there like it is here in Quebec. We’d go out and find a tree in the bush and bring it home. That and tobogganing. I still remember my first toboggan as a kid. It was the old school wooden kind with the curve on the front?

CONFRONT: *laughs* Yeah! The kind that would get caught on something and flip over.

DAVE: *laughs* Yeah man but those things go so fast!!! Especially if you put four people on it. That was one of my favorite things. When we go to Quebec City and we see the Winter Festival. I mean those guys on the skates who do those courses and stuff? Man you Quebecois are crazy!! It’s awesome to see. I love it!

CONFRONT: Well thank you so much!

DAVE: Thank you!!