Canadian indie favourites Skydiggers released two EPs in 2023: Hide Your Light, and Bide Your Time. We reached founding band-member Andy Maize by phone, and he said (unprompted!) that he listens to CKUA whenever he’s in Alberta. We asked him five questions, and covered such topics as new music, touring, and paying tribute to musical friends.
Bide Your Time and Hide Your Light were both released this year. Can you tell us how these two EP projects took shape?
They are separate, like side one and side two of an LP. There was a practical consideration to putting them together. We were hearing that it could take a long time to manufacture vinyl. So we released two EPs digitally. And the vinyl LP came later. The internet has a pretty voracious appetite for information. In releasing two EPs, we kept putting songs in front of people who were inclined to check them out.
You pay homage to many musical influences on this record. Why was that important to you?
I think it just ended up that way. It wasn’t necessarily a conscious thing. I was a big fan of Philly soul, so “My City Is Gone” is an homage to Philly soul. And then there are a couple of songs that are tributes to people we’ve lost. I’m still waiting for Dallas Good to come back. It hasn’t sunk in that he’s gone. The Sadies are the best band in the land. Dallas was so great because you knew where he stood on things. If you tried to bullshit him, musically or otherwise, he’d call you on it. He was a gent. A kind soul. But musically he had strong opinions. He is greatly missed.
Skydiggers have such staying power as a band. What is involved in keeping things fresh and creating new music?
At the core of it are the friendship and respect we have for each other. Josh Finlayson and I have both had outside musical projects and collaborations. We have a solid core of collaborators in the band, all of whom have other projects. So when we come back together, we bring fresh learning and new energy to Skydiggers.
What do you like about going out on tour?
I like the time on stage. I like the camaraderie. We work with tremendous musicians. And we’ve had the privilege of seeing so many parts of this majestic country, and meeting great people.
Can you choose a song to send out to our audience?
Let’s send out “One Song at a Time,” for Dallas.
Skydiggers play The Ironwood Stage and Grill in Calgary November 7 and 8. More details here.
