For the last two decades, The Trews have been a staple of Canadian rock music. Starting with 2003’s breakout album House of Ill Fame, the band have been a fixture on the Canadian rock charts, remaining one of the best-selling rock bands in Canada for the lion’s share of their career.
This summer, they’re hitting the road once again in support of The Bloody Light, the group’s eighth studio album. Even after nearly 20 years together, the band’s passion and drive are just as strong as ever.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to make a living at it for all those years, which has been a great blessing,” frontman Colin MacDonald says. “We definitely love the creative part and the playing live part. It’s always been something that we love to do.”
The Bloody Light sits firmly in The Trews’ rock ‘n’ roll wheelhouse while expanding their sonic boundaries. The band enlisted Brett and Jay Emmons of The Glorious Sons as co-producers in something of a full-circle moment; guitarist John-Angus MacDonald produced The Glorious Sons’ debut EP and first full-length.
It’s certainly not the first heavyweight collaboration The Trews have been a part of. Over their storied and successful career, The Trews have worked with Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson, The Tragically Hip’s Gord Sinclair, and many other fellow titans of Canadian rock music.
“All those guys are very, very talented, and we just tend to go with the people that we find a spark with,” MacDonald says. “We’ve been fortunate to cross paths with a lot of very talented guys to help bring our vision to recordings.”
The Trew’s tour in support of The Bloody Light will include three stops in Alberta: two electric sets at Pigeon Lake Music Festival (August 1) and the Badlands Ampitheatre (August 7), and an acoustic show at Bear Creek Music Festival in Grande Prairie on August 14.
“By the sounds of that schedule, I feel like we should be moving out to Alberta for the month of August!” MacDonald quips.
He adds that the band welcomes the contrast between acoustic and electric sets, which offers more opportunities to showcase songs from across its catalogue.
“It shines a bit of a different light on the band,” MacDonald says. “The acoustic thing is really fun because we can kind of do a lot of different material…it’s more of a listening audience and we can get away with doing a lot more stuff.”
Looking ahead beyond the summer tour, MacDonald says The Trews intend to keep pushing ahead, just as they always have.
“We’re always moving forward, working on new material,” MacDonald says. “Just keep creating and a path will present itself, and we’ll follow it.”
Learn more about The Trews’ upcoming tour dates here.
Watch the music video for “Carolina” off The Trews’ The Bloody Light below:
