A few more things you should know about Dallas Green: He won a Juno Award (for songwriter of the year), he gives great hugs, and he doesn’t hate the Junos.
“Everyone thinks I hate them, but I am just saying what I think. I don’t do music for awards. People ask if I am excited, sure it is exciting but I was more excited to play a show where I know the people coming like the music as opposed to being sent 100 CD’s and pick which ones they like the best. That is the way awards work,” Green told GayCalgary and Edmonton Magazine.
Dallas seemed to be targeted by the media as a major story. At a press conference he was quoted as saying the awards were “hokey.”
“I wouldn’t have ever said the word ‘hokey’, I probably used the word confusing. I am a little confused by the award process and why certain people are nominated and others aren’t. I think they should come out with a handbook for the recently nominated that describes the process,” he replied during his press conference. “The Junos have a few awards where the nominations are based on sales. There are a lot of great Canadian bands that don’t make those sales. Over time they have changed that to include more artists, and I think that is great but I would like to see it opened up more. There continues to be great Canadian bands that don’t get any notice.”
He clarified further in an interview with us the next day.
“I think since the beginning of [the Junos] they have progressively opened up more categories and I think they still need to open up more. There are lots of bands - why try and shove 100 alternative bands into one 5 nominee category, when you could have separate categories and recognize the Canadian music industry, like they say they are doing,” he said, admitting that he was surprised at the media response around him. “Maybe it is because all of the interviews I did. When people asked me what I thought and I gave my answer, they all agreed with me. It seems like everyone agrees that it is a little confusing. I am not saying that I know how to do it, maybe I am ignorant as to how it works and they need to make it a little clearer to the uninitiated.”
We kind of stalked Dallas over the course of Juno weekend. First, we attended his sold out show in the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver on March 26th. Then we attended a media press conference to unveil the Juno awards set on March 27th. March 28th we met up with him at Juno Fan-Fare, whereupon we later regrouped, away from the cold, in a coffee shop on Granville street for his interview. Dallas was gearing up for his show-stealing duet with Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, of Sleeping Sickness at the broadcast.
“The first time we did that song live was in Calgary (at Virgin Festival) and the second time will be tomorrow night. We had been talking and planning to rehearse and he was busy and I was recording the new Alexisonfire record so we decided to do it when we just got there.”
Green is someone who is always busy, juggling two bands and being constantly on tour. In addition to City and Colour, he is also in Alexisonfire, whose new album Old Crows / Young Cardinals is set to be released this summer.
“We finished it on Tuesday. I think it is going to knock people’s socks off. I am very proud of what it is so far. It hasn’t been mixed or mastered yet but we are finished recording. It is different, George is doing a lot more singing, I think Wade and I are screaming more than George does. It still sounds like us.”
Before the album comes out, Dallas has one last short tour with City and Colour to come. He will play the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary on May 20th. We had a sneak peak at what was to come at his show in Vancouver.
“I was kind of worried because the last time we played was January, and we didn’t practice before the show. We did sound check and it was like, uh oh, maybe we should have practiced. We got on stage and it felt great. I think I was delirious so that is why I was talking so much.”
Green is a natural storyteller. With his parents and wife (Much Music personality Leigh Miller) in the audience, he told stories about getting in trouble for leaving to catch frogs in the gully with a friend, or the awkwardness of being in a friend’s room while his mom is standing at the door yelling at him.
“I don’t think it is funny I just tell stories about my life. Sometimes I think people are laughing at me – oh he is telling another bad story. People always ask, ‘are you a sad guy’ because of my music. I am actually usually pretty happy, but when I am sad or down I write a song about it. It isn’t about always being sad. When I play music I am very happy. You get into the mood of the song. I dedicated a song to my wife and screwed it up on purpose because I thought it would be funny. The mood of a song at home you go to listen to it and connect on that level, but when you go to a show it should be more about the experience instead of being exactly like listening to the record at home.”
A City and Colour show is a unique experience. The Vancouver show started with Haris Cehajic playing an acoustic version of Bohemian Rhapsody to a massive 6singalong before Dalls took the stage.
“He does that all the time. When we toured in January in the states Harris had said he had been learning this thing on the internet. So instead of having an intro with music, he became the intro. It sets the stage that it is not a serious thing, the music is serious but there is a fun part to the show. I like it to be more of a hang out as opposed to this sad musical experience.”
We caught up with Dallas one last time after the Juno Awards. No longer a Juno nominee, he spoke to reporters after winning the Songwriter of the Year and performing in front of a packed GM Place, and millions on television.
“Well the Raptors won in overtime and we have won four in a row now, so that is exciting. I was on the red carpet texting with friends and that was more stressful. Once that was over, singing with Gord Downie on national television was no big deal,” he quipped. “It has been a great week. The show on Thursday at the Orpheum was amazing; it is one of the best places in Canada to sing in. Meeting the people who are responsible for who you are at Fanfest is great. I think a lot of people forget that the kids buying the records are 90% of it because otherwise you are playing to no one. Getting to play with Gord and my friends that I have known since I was a teenager, and stand on that stage, and to win the songwriter of the year award is amazing.”
It has been an eventful year for Dallas Green since we spoke to him last May. Critical and mainstream success, sold out shows, a US tour, awards, and most importantly marrying his long time girlfriend Leigh in January. Green was asked if the events of the last few months of his life affect his songwriting.
“I have been with my wife since before I wrote Bring Me Your Love and will hopefully be with her after the next album, hopefully that works out. I tend to just write songs about things that are happening to me. The first record I wrote in high school when I was bummed out about relationships. I wrote Bring Me Your Love when I was already in love so I didn’t have to write heartbreak songs because there are enough fake love songs out there. I am going to be on tour with Alexisonfire for the next couple of years and I think that will influence the next City and Colour record more than my marriage.”
