Considering that I am signed up to the mailing list, I sure don't get much info about the happening with The Hip. They seem to broadcast almost nothing via their fan maillist.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
TORONTO (November 1, 2016) – The Tragically Hip’s 2016 epic cross-Canada tour, culminating in a highly charged and powerful concert in their hometown of Kingston, Ont., captured the heart of the country. Bell Media is teaming up with Canada’s foremost chroniclers of popular music, Banger Films, in association with Shed Creative (a division of Universal Music Canada), and one of the country’s most celebrated documentary filmmaking teams, Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier, to take viewers on-stage, in the crowd and behind-the-scenes of this historic tour. Commissioned by Bell Media and coming to multiple Bell Media channels and platforms in 2017, MAN MACHINE POEM (working title) is a feature documentary that follows The Tragically Hip’s momentous cross-country tour after the band’s announcement that lead singer Gord Downie has incurable brain cancer.
The documentary event special will premiere exclusively across an array of Bell Media TV and on-demand platforms, including national pay service The Movie Network, leading specialty channel MUCH, and to a mass audience on Canada’s most-watched network, CTV, before moving exclusively to CraveTV. “We are incredibly honoured to share this amazing moment in Canadian history with the band and viewers across the country,” said Randy Lennox, President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media. “MAN MACHINE POEM comes from a dream team behind the camera and we know they’ll show Canada a side of The Hip we’ve never seen before.”
“We have filmed hundreds of hours of footage from the tour and beyond,” said Scot McFadyen, co-founder of Banger Films. “This stands to be a powerful cinematic music doc that captures a nation’s love for a band whose music and lyrics embody the Canadian spirit.”
From visceral celebration of performances where the whole arena jumped in unison, to singular moments of appreciation, grief, and love, viewers will be given a unique perspective on this ambitious arena tour, which sold out in minutes, as well as the reactions from their devoted fans.
In stunning 4K, MAN MACHINE POEM will include select performances from the Man Machine Poem tour that took the band from Victoria, B.C. to Kingston, Ont., as they played close to 90 different songs from their albums through the years – a unique selection for each concert.
Capturing these iconic performances and the profound reactions from fans, the documentary encourages viewers to stop and reflect on the shared experience and collective appreciation for this music that somehow embodies what it means to be Canadian. MAN MACHINE POEM is the definitive document of The Hip’s final tour.
MAN MACHINE POEM (working title) is directed by Canadian documentary filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier (Manufactured Landscapes, Act of God, Watermark), and produced by Scot McFadyen (RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE) and Sam Dunn (METAL: A HEADBANGER’S JOURNEY), in association with Shed Creative (a division of Universal Music Canada). Music Consultant is Tyson Parker, Bell Media. Production Executive is Robin Johnston, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, CTV and Specialty, Bell Media. Tracey Pearce is President, Distribution and Pay, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media. Elevation Pictures Corp. will distribute the film internationally and is planning a special theatrical release in Canada next year.
TORONTO (November 1, 2016) – The Tragically Hip’s 2016 epic cross-Canada tour, culminating in a highly charged and powerful concert in their hometown of Kingston, Ont., captured the heart of the country. Bell Media is teaming up with Canada’s foremost chroniclers of popular music, Banger Films, in association with Shed Creative (a division of Universal Music Canada), and one of the country’s most celebrated documentary filmmaking teams, Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier, to take viewers on-stage, in the crowd and behind-the-scenes of this historic tour. Commissioned by Bell Media and coming to multiple Bell Media channels and platforms in 2017, MAN MACHINE POEM (working title) is a feature documentary that follows The Tragically Hip’s momentous cross-country tour after the band’s announcement that lead singer Gord Downie has incurable brain cancer.
The documentary event special will premiere exclusively across an array of Bell Media TV and on-demand platforms, including national pay service The Movie Network, leading specialty channel MUCH, and to a mass audience on Canada’s most-watched network, CTV, before moving exclusively to CraveTV. “We are incredibly honoured to share this amazing moment in Canadian history with the band and viewers across the country,” said Randy Lennox, President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media. “MAN MACHINE POEM comes from a dream team behind the camera and we know they’ll show Canada a side of The Hip we’ve never seen before.”
“We have filmed hundreds of hours of footage from the tour and beyond,” said Scot McFadyen, co-founder of Banger Films. “This stands to be a powerful cinematic music doc that captures a nation’s love for a band whose music and lyrics embody the Canadian spirit.”
From visceral celebration of performances where the whole arena jumped in unison, to singular moments of appreciation, grief, and love, viewers will be given a unique perspective on this ambitious arena tour, which sold out in minutes, as well as the reactions from their devoted fans.
In stunning 4K, MAN MACHINE POEM will include select performances from the Man Machine Poem tour that took the band from Victoria, B.C. to Kingston, Ont., as they played close to 90 different songs from their albums through the years – a unique selection for each concert.
Capturing these iconic performances and the profound reactions from fans, the documentary encourages viewers to stop and reflect on the shared experience and collective appreciation for this music that somehow embodies what it means to be Canadian. MAN MACHINE POEM is the definitive document of The Hip’s final tour.
MAN MACHINE POEM (working title) is directed by Canadian documentary filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier (Manufactured Landscapes, Act of God, Watermark), and produced by Scot McFadyen (RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE) and Sam Dunn (METAL: A HEADBANGER’S JOURNEY), in association with Shed Creative (a division of Universal Music Canada). Music Consultant is Tyson Parker, Bell Media. Production Executive is Robin Johnston, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, CTV and Specialty, Bell Media. Tracey Pearce is President, Distribution and Pay, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media. Elevation Pictures Corp. will distribute the film internationally and is planning a special theatrical release in Canada next year.
Gord hinted at new Hip music in his National interview. Not sure if that was mentioned or not. I wouldn't be surprised if they put out a rarities set. That would be killer.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
Gord hinted at new Hip music in his National interview. Not sure if that was mentioned or not. I wouldn't be surprised if they put out a rarities set. That would be killer.
Yeah, didn't he say something like there being a good 3 albums worth of material that hasn't been released? Not sure if he meant the The Hip, his own work, or both though.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
Gord hinted at new Hip music in his National interview. Not sure if that was mentioned or not. I wouldn't be surprised if they put out a rarities set. That would be killer.
Yeah, didn't he say something like there being a good 3 albums worth of material that hasn't been released? Not sure if he meant the The Hip, his own work, or both though.
I believe it in the context of the Hip, but I can't be sure. I'd have to watch it again. Either way, that's great news.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
That documentary looks amazing. I usually watch these at the gym while doing cardio, and I feel like there may be some tears that well up.
Key Arena - Nov 05 2000, General Motors Place - May 30 2003, General Motors Place - Sep 02 2005, Canada Olympic Park - Aug 08 2009,Key Arena - Sep 22 2009, GM Place - Sep 25 2009, The O2 - Jun 22 2010, Odyssey Arena - Jun 23 2010, Hyde Park - Jun 25 2010, Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Sep 03, 2011, Alpine Valley Music Theatre - Sep 04, 2011, Scotiabank Saddledome - Sep 21, 2011, Rexall Place - Sep 23, 2011, Pacific Coliseum - Sep 25, 2011, Portland OR 11-29-2013, Spokane WA 11-30-2013, Vancouver BC 12-04-2013, Seattle WA 12-06-2013, Toronto ON 05-10-2016, Toronto ON 05-12-2016, Seattle WA 08-08-2018, Seattle 08-10-2018
EV Arlene Schnitzer Hall - July 14 2011, EV Benaroya Hall - July 16 2011
found a nice article with some Q&A for Joel Plaskett(one of my heros) http://www.macleans.ca/culture/arts/joel-plaskett-on-the-tragically-hip-lucky-to-be-in-their-presence/ The Halifax singer/songwriter on the Hip in the Canadian landscape — pure and cool and weird Michael Barclay August 13, 2016 Joel Plaskett is a Halifax singer/songwriter who is often hailed as one of the true heirs of The Tragically Hip’s legacy, in terms of writing stadium-size, raw rock’n’roll married with the Canadian folk tradition, with explicit lyrical nods to a specific sense of place. He spent the ’90s with his high school friends in Thrush Hermit; in the 2000s he formed the Joel Plaskett Emergency, who opened for the Tragically Hip in 2004; you can hear Gord Downie thanking them on the 2005 live album That Night in Toronto.
What did the Tragically Hip mean to you as a kid? A. I got Up to Here in Grade 9, when it came out. Then I found the first blue album [the 1987 debut self-titled EP]. I was a big fan of that and Road Apples; those two records got a lot of play from me. Then the whole Halifax thing took off, the Hermit got going, and I was very wrapped up in what was happening locally. When they were touring those early records, I was too young to see them in bars. The first two records—I can sing along to every song. “Little Bones” and the riff-rock stuff like that kicked my ass and continues to do so. There were songs after: “Courage,” that song too stuck with me. He dedicated “Courage” to Hugh McLennan, who is a first cousin of my grandfather. I met Hugh when I was in junior high; I remember him coming over to my grandparents’ house for dinner.
So you didn’t follow them in the ’90s, when they were ubiquitous? A. There were always songs on my radar, but I didn’t have intimacy with the records. That goes with almost every band: [as a fan], you have two records you always go back to. After that I only knew the hits. I did see one show in the ’90s, maybe in the late ’90s, at the Metro Centre. It was when we got the opportunity to tour with them, in 2004, that my real understanding came, when I had an insight into the power of the band, Gord in particular as a frontman and lyricist, and the scope of their music in terms of how deep-reaching it was. It was an opportunity to learn a lot. They embody a sense of community. They never lost their love of cool Canadian rock’n’roll and songwriters. Their opening acts, you could walk the different sides of what they did, from the Rheostatics to Change of Heart to Eric’s Trip to the Constantines to Buck 65 to us. Their love of music is obvious. What do you think makes them special? A. There’s a singularity to the band. I can hear the Stones and the R.E.M. in it and other things they were tapping, but they’re not copying any one band. Then the brew, and particularly what Gord has chosen to sing over these kind of songs, is a totally distinct recipe. It’s not a juxtaposition. That’s what interesting about the band. You hear a certain groove and you hear a phrase or story laid over it that turns you a bit sideways. It’s an unconventional quality that is unique to them. What more can you ask for than when you drop the needle on something and you can instantly say, “Oh, that’s the Tragically Hip.” You never think, “Oh, it could be something else.” Even though the records are produced differently, there’s something about the recipe the whole band has, not just Gord. I’ve been listening to them a lot over the last few months, as I’m sure many have—you feel an urgency to remind yourself what it is you love about the band. It is that unusual quality the band has at such a successful level is such an inspiration. This represents something cool about Canada that a hugely celebrated band that can be so weird. That gives me a lot of hope, that the art has pushed its way into the mainstream. It’s like Group of Seven paintings: you feel the intention is always there and pure but it’s also widely accepted in a way that makes you feel proud to be part of that landscape.
When they were at their commercial height, I feel like their ubiquity overshadowed how different they were from what else was going on. I knew a lot of artier people who thought the band were merely rubes with an interesting lyricist. That changed over time. The ’90s were very tribal. A.If I were to be totally honest, if you talked to me in ’96, I might say, “I don’t know if I like this band.” (laughs) I’d have something critical to say about it because it was everywhere, and as a young man you’re trying to mark your own territory. It’s not that I actively disliked them. For me, it’s unveiled itself over time; my appreciation has deepened. I start to see what they were doing. I got out of my young indie rock snobby self, and realized that things they were doing that seemed so simple weren’t simple at all. As I’ve grown older, some songs resonate more, either the subject or the poetry and language that click in a way they didn’t for me back then.
What songs are you thinking of? A. There are the big ones you love regardless, like “Ahead by a Century.” My favourite song that didn’t cross my radar at the time was “Bobcaygeon.” I was not listening to them at the time that song came out. But it didn’t register with me until I was in its presence live. A lot of people’s love for any band comes from seeing them live and watching them develop and feeling like you’re a part of that momentum. That kind of fandom stems from feeling like you were there at an early stage and there’s all this nostalgia built into it.
What’s your take on Downie’s writing style? A. They have a couple of modes. Sometimes you think they’re just jamming and Gord’s just winging it. Other times the lyrics show up very crystallized and—not exactly clear, because there are always angles and tangents there. What’s really great is that there are these phrases that leap out and you grab on to them, despite the fact you don’t know what they mean to him or why they’re there, you develop your own relationship with them. You react even to the punctuation or the meter of the words in a very visceral way. You’re one of the few rock writers of the generation after the Tragically Hip who occasionally write explicitly about this country. How do you think they changed the landscape? A. It’s not like I’m a super well-read person, but I have my peculiar interests. I have a lot of references in my music that only a few people might pick up on. And I know that when I mention Halifax or Edmonton, beers get cracked. I’m happy to do that, and I wear that badge as a Canadian, and people celebrate this location-based stuff that I evoke in my songs. But I’ve also written songs about Australia and other places I’ve been, or I’ll sing about Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter. I’m not reinventing any wheels; a lot of writers do that. But obviously people really pick up on what they relate to the most. Gord does sing about Canadian history and hockey, and it’s great to celebrate that. But Gord’s writing goes all over the place. It’s rich, and you can dig deeper than what most people associate with it. In folk, counttry and especially hip-hop, the local is paramount; there is a distinct sense of place in the lyrics in all those genres. Whereas rock music doesn’t often do that. Most rock lyrics are still very generic and universal. A. I remember a conversation in the Hermit days. We had this song called “North Dakota” on Sweet Homewrecker, and it was about being denied at the border. It was about being Canadian. But someone said to me, “Why don’t you write about where you’re from? Why do you write about American places?” That kind of stuck with me, that someone was taking this at face value; they thought the song was about North Dakota.
That’s very funny to me, because one of the Hip’s very first hits was about taking “the last American exit to the northland”—similarly identifying the narrator as Canadian in an indirect way. A. Ha, that’s right, isn’t it? The more I travelled, the more I reflected on where I was from. The idea of this sense of regionalism in music for me became a lot more fascinating as I got into New Orleans music or Memphis music or this idea of being associated with a place. The Hip is a Canadian band that punches above its weight around the world, but they’re also distinctly from Ontario. As a guy from Nova Scotia, they somehow romanticize Ontario cottage country, which is an experience I don’t know. When I think of people in Ontario having a good time in the summer by a lake, I think of the Tragically Hip. (laughs) They evoke a sense of place even if you’re not from there. That’s what Springsteen did for Jersey: suddenly you can romanticize something that’s maybe pretty banal and make it cool. In rock music you mostly hear a lot of big universal sentiments, this weird middle ground that is always been less interesting than the peculiar. I always liked Vic Chesnutt, too, for that reason.
Did you ever talk to the band about songwriting? A. They’re all quiet guys, I can’t say I got to know them too well. Talking to Gord—he’s not elusive, but he’s a listener. I’m a talker, and he’d just be silently engaging me. Then he’d say a few things that would be everything I should have said in a condensed form. That’s probably what makes him such a great wordsmith. He gives you just a few bits that you can chew on for a long time. All the contexts in which I’ve encountered him have been at a show or a tour. He came out to one of my shows once, which was such an honour. We were at the Horseshoe and he got up and we did a version of “Love This Town” and he riffs on a verse. You can find it on YouTube. That meant a lot to me.
Have you heard the new record? A. Yes. Oh man, there’s a song on there, “Ocean Next,” that is so good. Tell me, because I don’t know, was that record all done before the news?
Yes it was. He was diagnosed in December, and it was finished shortly before that. A. I think that, um, I don’t really—I mean, man, the whole thing just bums me out, with the exception of the fact that what they’re doing now is so inspiring. I’ve had a few people call me about the Hip in light of what’s going on. I feel lucky to merit that phone call because I’ve been in their proximity and I’m a fan. A lot of people have told me they first saw me opening for the Hip. That means a lot to me and I feel very blessed. Proud is a weird word, but seeing what they’re doing makes me want to stand up a little straighter, the grace with which they’re handling things. I think we’re lucky to be in their presence right now.
Joel Plaskett & Gord Downie - Love this Town at the legendary horseshoe tavern in 2007. joel did 6 shows in 6 straight days. covering a diff album every night from starts to finish. then adding a set after that of the hits. major highlight of my life, especially when gord showed up(clip below) mon dec 10-in need of medical attention tues dec 11-down at the khyber wed dec 12-la de da thurs dec 13-truthfully truthfully fri dec 14-ashtray rock sat dec 15-various https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG-r1Jhqtn0
with ed's heartfelt tribute to gord at wrigley over the summer, and with gord's new project for aboriginal reconciliation, i wonder if ed or pj would cover a hip song and donate the proceeds to the cause. it's worthwhile, no doubt.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
that would be awesome if that came together. it was so very cool of ed to even mention gord on that special day. ed's such a class act. gotta wonder if they baked in seattle when they met. i'm betting yes...
that would be awesome if that came together. it was so very cool of ed to even mention gord on that special day. ed's such a class act. gotta wonder if they baked in seattle when they met. i'm betting yes...
I am also betting yes.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
with ed's heartfelt tribute to gord at wrigley over the summer, and with gord's new project for aboriginal reconciliation, i wonder if ed or pj would cover a hip song and donate the proceeds to the cause. it's worthwhile, no doubt.
I would love PJ to cover a Hip tune...have often wondered which song it would be if they did. I think a cover of Scared would be great, or maybe a rocking version of Gift Shop. *Sigh* dare to dream.
I keep listening to many of their unreleased tracks that sound like they got dubbed off a broken ghetto blaster in 1952 underwater. God I hope they release a rarities set.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
I have the 4 acoustic tracks they played at Planet Studios back during the Phatom Power cycle. I noticed today they are numbered tracks 2, 4,6, and 7. does anyone have all 7 tracks? are the in between tracks just interview segments? If so, I'd like to hear them. @demetrios ?
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
the full morning moon was a real beuty today reminded me of this song god bless gord Gord Downie Morning Moon July 23/2011 Jackson Triggs Niagara on the Lake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5zY47FlNs
going to see Long Time Running with my wife tomorrow after sushi. looking forward to it. just found out though that it's also going to be on TV commercial free in a month or two. oh well, date night!
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
going to see Long Time Running with my wife tomorrow after sushi. looking forward to it. just found out though that it's also going to be on TV commercial free in a month or two. oh well, date night!
Looking forward to seeing it myself but will likely have to wait for a blu-ray release here in the US. Really wish they would just release the final concert in full!
going to see Long Time Running with my wife tomorrow after sushi. looking forward to it. just found out though that it's also going to be on TV commercial free in a month or two. oh well, date night!
Looking forward to seeing it myself but will likely have to wait for a blu-ray release here in the US. Really wish they would just release the final concert in full!
Will it not be on Netflix in the US?
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
going to see Long Time Running with my wife tomorrow after sushi. looking forward to it. just found out though that it's also going to be on TV commercial free in a month or two. oh well, date night!
Looking forward to seeing it myself but will likely have to wait for a blu-ray release here in the US. Really wish they would just release the final concert in full!
Maybe one day they will, but some fine people out there in internet land intercepted the satellite feed of that show. There's a giant 40 gig full on mega awesome HD quality copy of the show circling around the internet. If they never release the Kingston show in its entirely, at least it's out there
went to see LTR at the local theatre last night and it was so good.....excellent behind the scenes perspective on what Gord and the band themselves were going through last summer....gave me even more of an appreciation for the fact I was able to catch the Hamilton show and a beaming sense of pride for what they represent as a musical backdrop and lifeline to my Canadian heritage......Gord is one of the great poets of our generations and I am so grateful to have seen them live and have met them on a number of occassions.....the Hip's grace and humility and total respect for one another epitomizes the true meaning of a "family band"
'93 Toronto
'94 Detroit
'10 Columbus
'11 Detroit (Eddie solo), Toronto 1 and 2, Ottawa, Hamilton
'13 London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
'14 Detroit
'16 Ottawa, Toronto 1 and 2, Chicago 1 and 2 '18 Chicago 1 and 2 '22 Hamilton, Toronto
going to see Long Time Running with my wife tomorrow after sushi. looking forward to it. just found out though that it's also going to be on TV commercial free in a month or two. oh well, date night!
Looking forward to seeing it myself but will likely have to wait for a blu-ray release here in the US. Really wish they would just release the final concert in full!
Will it not be on Netflix in the US?
Saw an article saying that it will be on Netflix in the US on November 26th.
going to see Long Time Running with my wife tomorrow after sushi. looking forward to it. just found out though that it's also going to be on TV commercial free in a month or two. oh well, date night!
Looking forward to seeing it myself but will likely have to wait for a blu-ray release here in the US. Really wish they would just release the final concert in full!
Will it not be on Netflix in the US?
Saw an article saying that it will be on Netflix in the US on November 26th.
Comments
http://www.bellmedia.ca/pr/press/five-musicians-15-dates-90-songs-millions-of-fans-one-unforgettable-summer-the-tragically-hips-historic-tour-immortalized-in-new-documentary-from-bell-media/
TORONTO (November 1, 2016) – The Tragically Hip’s 2016 epic cross-Canada tour, culminating in a highly charged and powerful concert in their hometown of Kingston, Ont., captured the heart of the country. Bell Media is teaming up with Canada’s foremost chroniclers of popular music, Banger Films, in association with Shed Creative (a division of Universal Music Canada), and one of the country’s most celebrated documentary filmmaking teams, Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier, to take viewers on-stage, in the crowd and behind-the-scenes of this historic tour. Commissioned by Bell Media and coming to multiple Bell Media channels and platforms in 2017, MAN MACHINE POEM (working title) is a feature documentary that follows The Tragically Hip’s momentous cross-country tour after the band’s announcement that lead singer Gord Downie has incurable brain cancer.
The documentary event special will premiere exclusively across an array of Bell Media TV and on-demand platforms, including national pay service The Movie Network, leading specialty channel MUCH, and to a mass audience on Canada’s most-watched network, CTV, before moving exclusively to CraveTV.
“We are incredibly honoured to share this amazing moment in Canadian history with the band and viewers across the country,” said Randy Lennox, President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media. “MAN MACHINE POEM comes from a dream team behind the camera and we know they’ll show Canada a side of The Hip we’ve never seen before.”
“We have filmed hundreds of hours of footage from the tour and beyond,” said Scot McFadyen, co-founder of Banger Films. “This stands to be a powerful cinematic music doc that captures a nation’s love for a band whose music and lyrics embody the Canadian spirit.”
From visceral celebration of performances where the whole arena jumped in unison, to singular moments of appreciation, grief, and love, viewers will be given a unique perspective on this ambitious arena tour, which sold out in minutes, as well as the reactions from their devoted fans.
In stunning 4K, MAN MACHINE POEM will include select performances from the Man Machine Poem tour that took the band from Victoria, B.C. to Kingston, Ont., as they played close to 90 different songs from their albums through the years – a unique selection for each concert.
Capturing these iconic performances and the profound reactions from fans, the documentary encourages viewers to stop and reflect on the shared experience and collective appreciation for this music that somehow embodies what it means to be Canadian. MAN MACHINE POEM is the definitive document of The Hip’s final tour.
MAN MACHINE POEM (working title) is directed by Canadian documentary filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier (Manufactured Landscapes, Act of God, Watermark), and produced by Scot McFadyen (RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE) and Sam Dunn (METAL: A HEADBANGER’S JOURNEY), in association with Shed Creative (a division of Universal Music Canada). Music Consultant is Tyson Parker, Bell Media. Production Executive is Robin Johnston, Bell Media. Corrie Coe is Senior Vice-President, Independent Production, Bell Media. Mike Cosentino is Senior Vice-President, CTV and Specialty, Bell Media. Tracey Pearce is President, Distribution and Pay, Bell Media. Randy Lennox is President, Broadcasting and Content, Bell Media. Elevation Pictures Corp. will distribute the film internationally and is planning a special theatrical release in Canada next year.
-Seattle,Wash-Key Arena-9/22/9 -Pemberton,B.C-7/17/16
-Vancouver,B.C-GM Place -9/25/9 -Seattle,Wash-Safeco Field-8/8/18
-Vancouver,B.C-Pacific Coliseum-9/25/11 -Seattle,Wash-Safeco Field-8/10/18
-Misoula,MT-Adams Field House-9/30/12 -Vancouver,BC-Rogers Arena-5/4/24
-EV 8/14/93
-EV 8/14/93
EV Arlene Schnitzer Hall - July 14 2011, EV Benaroya Hall - July 16 2011
http://www.macleans.ca/culture/arts/joel-plaskett-on-the-tragically-hip-lucky-to-be-in-their-presence/
The Halifax singer/songwriter on the Hip in the Canadian landscape — pure and cool and weird
Michael Barclay
August 13, 2016
Joel Plaskett is a Halifax singer/songwriter who is often hailed as one of the true heirs of The Tragically Hip’s legacy, in terms of writing stadium-size, raw rock’n’roll married with the Canadian folk tradition, with explicit lyrical nods to a specific sense of place. He spent the ’90s with his high school friends in Thrush Hermit; in the 2000s he formed the Joel Plaskett Emergency, who opened for the Tragically Hip in 2004; you can hear Gord Downie thanking them on the 2005 live album That Night in Toronto.
What did the Tragically Hip mean to you as a kid?
A. I got Up to Here in Grade 9, when it came out. Then I found the first blue album [the 1987 debut self-titled EP]. I was a big fan of that and Road Apples; those two records got a lot of play from me. Then the whole Halifax thing took off, the Hermit got going, and I was very wrapped up in what was happening locally. When they were touring those early records, I was too young to see them in bars. The first two records—I can sing along to every song. “Little Bones” and the riff-rock stuff like that kicked my ass and continues to do so. There were songs after: “Courage,” that song too stuck with me. He dedicated “Courage” to Hugh McLennan, who is a first cousin of my grandfather. I met Hugh when I was in junior high; I remember him coming over to my grandparents’ house for dinner.
So you didn’t follow them in the ’90s, when they were ubiquitous?
A. There were always songs on my radar, but I didn’t have intimacy with the records. That goes with almost every band: [as a fan], you have two records you always go back to. After that I only knew the hits. I did see one show in the ’90s, maybe in the late ’90s, at the Metro Centre. It was when we got the opportunity to tour with them, in 2004, that my real understanding came, when I had an insight into the power of the band, Gord in particular as a frontman and lyricist, and the scope of their music in terms of how deep-reaching it was. It was an opportunity to learn a lot. They embody a sense of community. They never lost their love of cool Canadian rock’n’roll and songwriters. Their opening acts, you could walk the different sides of what they did, from the Rheostatics to Change of Heart to Eric’s Trip to the Constantines to Buck 65 to us. Their love of music is obvious.
What do you think makes them special?
A. There’s a singularity to the band. I can hear the Stones and the R.E.M. in it and other things they were tapping, but they’re not copying any one band. Then the brew, and particularly what Gord has chosen to sing over these kind of songs, is a totally distinct recipe. It’s not a juxtaposition. That’s what interesting about the band. You hear a certain groove and you hear a phrase or story laid over it that turns you a bit sideways. It’s an unconventional quality that is unique to them. What more can you ask for than when you drop the needle on something and you can instantly say, “Oh, that’s the Tragically Hip.” You never think, “Oh, it could be something else.” Even though the records are produced differently, there’s something about the recipe the whole band has, not just Gord. I’ve been listening to them a lot over the last few months, as I’m sure many have—you feel an urgency to remind yourself what it is you love about the band. It is that unusual quality the band has at such a successful level is such an inspiration. This represents something cool about Canada that a hugely celebrated band that can be so weird. That gives me a lot of hope, that the art has pushed its way into the mainstream. It’s like Group of Seven paintings: you feel the intention is always there and pure but it’s also widely accepted in a way that makes you feel proud to be part of that landscape.
When they were at their commercial height, I feel like their ubiquity overshadowed how different they were from what else was going on. I knew a lot of artier people who thought the band were merely rubes with an interesting lyricist. That changed over time. The ’90s were very tribal.
A.If I were to be totally honest, if you talked to me in ’96, I might say, “I don’t know if I like this band.” (laughs) I’d have something critical to say about it because it was everywhere, and as a young man you’re trying to mark your own territory. It’s not that I actively disliked them. For me, it’s unveiled itself over time; my appreciation has deepened. I start to see what they were doing. I got out of my young indie rock snobby self, and realized that things they were doing that seemed so simple weren’t simple at all. As I’ve grown older, some songs resonate more, either the subject or the poetry and language that click in a way they didn’t for me back then.
A. There are the big ones you love regardless, like “Ahead by a Century.” My favourite song that didn’t cross my radar at the time was “Bobcaygeon.” I was not listening to them at the time that song came out. But it didn’t register with me until I was in its presence live. A lot of people’s love for any band comes from seeing them live and watching them develop and feeling like you’re a part of that momentum. That kind of fandom stems from feeling like you were there at an early stage and there’s all this nostalgia built into it.
What’s your take on Downie’s writing style?
A. They have a couple of modes. Sometimes you think they’re just jamming and Gord’s just winging it. Other times the lyrics show up very crystallized and—not exactly clear, because there are always angles and tangents there. What’s really great is that there are these phrases that leap out and you grab on to them, despite the fact you don’t know what they mean to him or why they’re there, you develop your own relationship with them. You react even to the punctuation or the meter of the words in a very visceral way.
You’re one of the few rock writers of the generation after the Tragically Hip who occasionally write explicitly about this country. How do you think they changed the landscape?
A. It’s not like I’m a super well-read person, but I have my peculiar interests. I have a lot of references in my music that only a few people might pick up on. And I know that when I mention Halifax or Edmonton, beers get cracked. I’m happy to do that, and I wear that badge as a Canadian, and people celebrate this location-based stuff that I evoke in my songs. But I’ve also written songs about Australia and other places I’ve been, or I’ll sing about Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter. I’m not reinventing any wheels; a lot of writers do that. But obviously people really pick up on what they relate to the most. Gord does sing about Canadian history and hockey, and it’s great to celebrate that. But Gord’s writing goes all over the place. It’s rich, and you can dig deeper than what most people associate with it.
In folk, counttry and especially hip-hop, the local is paramount; there is a distinct sense of place in the lyrics in all those genres. Whereas rock music doesn’t often do that. Most rock lyrics are still very generic and universal.
A. I remember a conversation in the Hermit days. We had this song called “North Dakota” on Sweet Homewrecker, and it was about being denied at the border. It was about being Canadian. But someone said to me, “Why don’t you write about where you’re from? Why do you write about American places?” That kind of stuck with me, that someone was taking this at face value; they thought the song was about North Dakota.
That’s very funny to me, because one of the Hip’s very first hits was about taking “the last American exit to the northland”—similarly identifying the narrator as Canadian in an indirect way.
A. Ha, that’s right, isn’t it? The more I travelled, the more I reflected on where I was from. The idea of this sense of regionalism in music for me became a lot more fascinating as I got into New Orleans music or Memphis music or this idea of being associated with a place. The Hip is a Canadian band that punches above its weight around the world, but they’re also distinctly from Ontario. As a guy from Nova Scotia, they somehow romanticize Ontario cottage country, which is an experience I don’t know. When I think of people in Ontario having a good time in the summer by a lake, I think of the Tragically Hip. (laughs) They evoke a sense of place even if you’re not from there. That’s what Springsteen did for Jersey: suddenly you can romanticize something that’s maybe pretty banal and make it cool. In rock music you mostly hear a lot of big universal sentiments, this weird middle ground that is always been less interesting than the peculiar. I always liked Vic Chesnutt, too, for that reason.
Did you ever talk to the band about songwriting?
A. They’re all quiet guys, I can’t say I got to know them too well. Talking to Gord—he’s not elusive, but he’s a listener. I’m a talker, and he’d just be silently engaging me. Then he’d say a few things that would be everything I should have said in a condensed form. That’s probably what makes him such a great wordsmith. He gives you just a few bits that you can chew on for a long time. All the contexts in which I’ve encountered him have been at a show or a tour. He came out to one of my shows once, which was such an honour. We were at the Horseshoe and he got up and we did a version of “Love This Town” and he riffs on a verse. You can find it on YouTube. That meant a lot to me.
Have you heard the new record?
A. Yes. Oh man, there’s a song on there, “Ocean Next,” that is so good. Tell me, because I don’t know, was that record all done before the news?
Yes it was. He was diagnosed in December, and it was finished shortly before that.
A. I think that, um, I don’t really—I mean, man, the whole thing just bums me out, with the exception of the fact that what they’re doing now is so inspiring. I’ve had a few people call me about the Hip in light of what’s going on. I feel lucky to merit that phone call because I’ve been in their proximity and I’m a fan. A lot of people have told me they first saw me opening for the Hip. That means a lot to me and I feel very blessed. Proud is a weird word, but seeing what they’re doing makes me want to stand up a little straighter, the grace with which they’re handling things. I think we’re lucky to be in their presence right now.
mon dec 10-in need of medical attention
tues dec 11-down at the khyber
wed dec 12-la de da
thurs dec 13-truthfully truthfully
fri dec 14-ashtray rock
sat dec 15-various
-EV 8/14/93
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-EV 8/14/93
reminded me of this song
god bless gord
Gord Downie Morning Moon July 23/2011 Jackson Triggs Niagara on the Lake
http://www.thehip.com/news/long-time-running-official-trailer/
-EV 8/14/93
-EV 8/14/93
http://www.thehip.com/news/long-time-running/
good god, that box set...
-EV 8/14/93
'94 Detroit
'10 Columbus
'11 Detroit (Eddie solo), Toronto 1 and 2, Ottawa, Hamilton
'13 London, Pittsburgh, Buffalo
'14 Detroit
'16 Ottawa, Toronto 1 and 2, Chicago 1 and 2
'18 Chicago 1 and 2
'22 Hamilton, Toronto