Q&A: Royal Tusk Members Find a New Safari
After spending more than a decade as part of Edmonton, AB, alt-rock act Ten Second Epic, Daniel Carriere (vocals, guitar) and Sandy 
MacKinnon (bass) needed a fresh start. For the duo, a new beginning has been found in Royal Tusk, a project that zones in on a no-strings-attached hooky rock n’ roll.
Earlier this month, the quintet that also features Motorbike James (keyboards), J. Eygenraam (guitar), and Kurtis Schultz (drums), released their debut EP, Mountain, through Hidden Pony.
Riffyou.com recently hooked up with Carriere to discuss moving on up to Royal Tusk.
RY: Firstly, could you please share with us how, why, where and when Royal Tusk came to be?
Dan: “I have wanted to sing in a band for years so it’s been a long process for myself to get to where we are now. In between Ten Second Epic tours I’d try to jam with as many musicians at home (Edmonton) and write as much as I could. Probably anticipating that at some point I’d be slugging it out on the road, singing in a band. On this day, we are in northern Ontario driving a logging road because the highway is flooded. Oh the glamorous world of music. Anyways, I suppose we are all here because we love playing, and the touring life.”
RY: Although you’re a new band, there’s that automatic connection to Ten Second Epic. How important is it for this band to carve out a unique identity, so that past band connections don’t need to be focused on?
Dan: “I think it’s very important to find your own identity as a group. Luckily, there are some elements in Royal Tusk that have made starting new a natural and inspiring endeavour. We have a new set of musicians with a totally different background than ours in Ten Second Epic. This alone creates a brand new and unique sound. Also, previous to TSE, (pretty much) no one has heard me sing lead vocals, so that in itself has created its own thing. I think if someone heard Royal Tusk without knowing, they would be quite surprised that the two bands are connected.”
RY: I’ve read that a number of these songs were very old before they were used for Royal Tusk. How much, if any updating did they require when it came time to put them down on tape? What did you want them to represent?
Dan: “Some of these songs have been just waiting to be recorded for years. They definitely were updated in a natural way when we hit the studio as far as arrangement, and instrumentation. However, it was my goal for them not to change too much. I’d imagine a song is at it’s purest when it is first written. We didn’t want to over think anything – that can ruin a track. I wanted these tunes to represent the feelings I had when I needed to write them in the first place.”
RY: With an EP, bands are hoping that the small sample size they’re putting forth will grab people right away. How much of a process was it for you guys when it came down to determining what made the cut, and what may have to wait for a future release?
Dan: “We went into the studio with over 25 songs to choose from, so needless to say it was a tough decision cutting it down to six tracks. Between the band and the producer, we figured out six tunes which would best represent what Royal Tusk is all about. It’s times like that you feel relieved in deciding to go with a producer like Gus Van Go. I’m already excited to record again.”
RY: With that said, how much thought is already being put toward your first full-length?
Dan: “We love writing, so there is an ever-growing stockpile of potential tunes for the upcoming full- length. Given the experience we had 
making the EP, I think we have a strong sense of what we want to do and hear this next time in the studio.”
RY: What is the significance of the name “Royal Tusk?” It just sounds unbelievably strong to us.
Dan: “I originally performed alone as Daniel and the Impending Doom. When I managed to get a band together we found that our current name as a full band was a little too ‘George Thorogood and the Destroyersy’ or something. The name change felt great to us, and we adopted it easily. When we play live there is some carnal energy we all feed off, so Royal Tusk definitely felt right.”
RY: This question is not to sound patronizing or anything, but you are some long-haired (and in some cases) bearded dudes that like to rock. With fellow hairier Canadian bands like The Sheepdogs and Monster Truck having the success that they are, could you venture a guess regarding why it is that hairy, no-bullshit rock bands from this country are thriving once again?
Dan: “Maybe dudes who are too lazy to shave have extra time to write good riffs or something! In all seriousness, though, I’d imagine these bands could be finding some commercial success because there is so much music out there that is not performed on instruments live. All the bands you mentioned have guys that have been playing for a long time and I think audiences like seeing people actually play their instruments. The bearded man has always been around, and I hope audiences continue to enjoy seeing live music. But those are just guesses!”
-Adam Grant
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