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Canadian rockers The Sheepdogs, are gearing up to release their third album ‘Future Nostalgia’ on October 2nd, 2015 via Dine Alone Records. Featuring a collection of songs that highlight the bands 70s rock-inspired roots, ‘Future Nostalgia,‘ has many flavors that showcase the band’s creative license when left to their own devices. GroundSounds recently caught up with the guys for an exclusive interview about their forthcoming album, musical inspirations and more, check it out below.
For those just discovering the Sheepdogs how did you guys come together, form the band and start making music?
Ryan & I went to high school together, then started hanging with Sam in university. When we were 19 we made a conscious decision to do 2 things: 1) try something new with our lives & 2) meet new people. Starting a band was a pretty bold new move and we found it put us in all these different social circles and suddenly we were meeting all kinds of new people and getting all of these new life experiences. Needless to say it was a good move.
What made you guys decide on the name The Sheepdogs?
When i was a young boy my mother left me in the front yard of our house and i wandered off down the street. She went running looking for me and found me down at the park playing with a kindly Sheepdog. I’ve always felt like those dogs were especially benevolent and sort of watched over me.
What do you guys enjoy most about Saskatoon? What is one thing every visitor should see or do?
Saskatoon’s crown jewel is without a doubt the river that runs through the city. It’s the most beautiful part of town and is often the setting for a variety of festivals.
Can you tell us about the creative and writing process involved with the track “Downtown?”
I came up with the main riff at about 4 am one night on our tour bus and it wasn’t until about a year later that i pieced the rest of the song all together. I wanted to combine a big rock riff with a sweet melody. Im a big fan of contrast and dynamics in rock music. Too often a band will just beat you over the head with a riff, we like to mix it up. I’ve always thought of our musical mission as mixing the big Led Zeppelin style rock with the sweet harmonizing of a Crosby Stills & Nash.
You guys are currently on tour, what do you enjoy most about being on the road?
I really enjoy travelling across America and there’s no better way to do it than by road. Everything from the changing landscapes to the crazy truck stops full of bizarre bric a brac, to various local food specialties. There’s something very freeing about living out of a suitcase, unencumbered by all your possessions and regular options. You just get up, throw on your cleanest shirt, put on the one pair of shoes you brought and off you go.
Can you tell us about working on bringing your forthcoming LP ‘Future Nostlagia’ to fruition?
I gathered up all these songs i’d written over the last couple years and made demos for the other guys. Once we determined our favourites we started rehearsing them for about a week. We then rented a house in the Ontario countryside and spent 3 weeks tracking the songs. We were inspired by the stories about Exhile on Main Street and Music from Big Pink – basically a band of dudes living together and fully immersing themselves in making a record.
How did you guys decide on the album title ‘Future Nostlagia?’
It was a phrase I had kicking around my head, it’s actually from the show “Mr Show”, which is a comedy from the 90s starring David Cross & Bob Odenkirk. The mayor of television says “Here’s to Future Nostalgia” and it was a phrase i always thought was really provocative. Nostalgia and music are very related to me.
What bands/musicians are you guys currently listening to?
In the van we’ve been pumping lots of Thin Lizzy, Badfinger, and believe it or not a bunch of Hall & Oates. We dont care about being cool, we just love to rock and we like our music to have good melody, harmony and groove.
Can you tell us about the inspiration for your track “Help Us All?”
I describe this song as Blood Meridian as read by Sly Stone. It’s sort of an apocalyptic vision, the lyrics get a little doom and gloomy, and we crammed a lot of crazy sounds in there. Rusty plays trumpet, Shamus trombone and i played the clarinet on this one. I also have this old synthesizer from the 70s that gets all these crazy sci fi type noises. It’s fun to use some sounds outside of the usual drums, guitar and bass.
After the LP release, what can fans look forward to? What’s next for the Sheepdogs?
We are just trying to build up a fan base wherever people are into rock music. We know we’re not some hot new band or the next big thing, but we know we are a damn good rock n roll band that can really play. If you like to see a band of dudes who can all sing and throw down tight guitar jams come and get some.
Top Photo by Matt Barnes
