Interview: The Trews Still Aim to Earn Success
“We view every album as an opportunity to put forward a new, improved version of ourselves,” asserts Colin MacDonald, the 
frontman of one of Canada’s most appreciated bands, The Trews, when speaking with Riffyou.com. “We try to become better with every record: a better band; better writers; better players – that’s the point, right?”
When speaking with MacDonald, it’s abundantly clear that he is not into this rock n’ roll thing for the glamorous side of it. He and the rest of the band – which includes his brother John-Angus (guitar), Jack Syperek (bass), and Sean Dalton (drums) – are continually on the hunt for something more.
This has been publically evident since The Trews released House of Ill Fame in 2003. From that point onward, they gained a reputation for touring their butts off and building a fan base one person at a time. If you were a Canadian rock fan back then, you quickly knew who this band was. They were almost unavoidable.
“It made our career,” says MacDonald when of the touring The Trews did early in their career. “We became known as a really hard-working band. People used to call us ‘the hardest working band in Canada.’ People believed in us because they knew we put everything we had into this. As a result, it endeared people to our band – we weren’t just a band looking for a quick hit of fame. We wanted to tour, play, get better, and be a great rock n’ roll band. I think this is why we have a career to this day.”
As the band continued to build its ladder, they did so by resting it upon a steady foundation of rock radio hits like “Not Ready to Go,” “Tired of Waiting,” “So She’s Leaving,” “Hold Me in Your Arms,” “Hope & Ruin,” and “Highway of Heroes.” These songs and the albums in which they sat upon felt connected, even as The Trews pushed themselves in fresh directions each time out.
Earlier this year, the band released The Trews, their fifth full-length, no bullshit rock n’roll studio album in a little over 10 years. This, contends MacDonald, isn’t an easy feat for bands from the Great White North. So what has sustained his?
“We really love making music and playing live,” he explains. “We have respect for what we’re doing. We don’t look at this as something we’re doing in the interim. We see this as our life. We try to grow with it and make it part of our lives. When you don’t have a back-up plan, you have no choice but to go with it and make music in the times you’re making it…which is always.
“We wanted to earn [success],” he continues. “In the old days of the music business, there were a lot of people in it for the wrong reasons. We just wanted to prove that we were in it for the right reasons.”
All of this hard work – which included a two-and-a-half month run across the US this year – is culminating with a special performance at Canada’s most special live music venue: Toronto’s Massey Hall.
On Thursday night, The Trews will take to a stage that’s been stood upon countless times by Neil Young, and one that MacDonald has often fantasized playing.
“It’s amazing – that’s probably the best venue in the country. I’m really looking forward to bringing our show there,” he offers.
When asked if he expects this to be a career highlight for The Trews once the night is complete, MacDonald’s modesty and cautiousness kicks in: “I don’t want to jinx it.”
Beyond the Massey Hall date, The Trews will finish their remaining 2014 dates before gathering in January to determine what’s next. It may be an EP; it may be a live album, who knows? What’s clear, however, is that the band won’t be sitting back for long.
“You just have to listen to Exile on Main St. and ask yourself, ‘have we done this yet?’ The answer is ‘no, we still have a long way to go,’” says MacDonald with a laugh. “We’re humbled by music.”
-Adam Grant
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