Jason Collett

0:00Jason welcome. Hey, thanks for coming back. Yeah, I'm very different record for you this time around It's like half years to being here. There's more production on half and there's still those Dylan esque counterparts. Yeah, yeah, yeah Well, I think I Mean it's a progression, you know It's not a huge leap different, but the main difference is Zeus producing it and and the texture of Of the of all of the energy where they're at, you know like young fellas hitting their artistic stride and and so much of Much of this record is really me as opposed to in the past sort of and to sort of step up and be a part of the record

0:50This was more me Stepping up and plugging into what they're doing, you know even writing the songs with that with them in mind, you know, you wrote the songs knowing they produced the record Yeah, yeah, you know that that sort of fact became evident over a couple of years of watching them more to metamorphosis into what they've become you know producing other people being them writing songs together Hearing the results of that encouraging them to like, you know, make this a real thing, you know instead of a part time You know just for fun thing and and seeing them, you know charged up with that, you know There's nothing like

1:35There's nothing like, you know a young artist that that is really coming into their own And then so they're firing on also under and you know, you never know how it's gonna last and in an artist's living It's good sort of sees the moment, you know, I've been around long enough to recognize that and to know You know to know to be shooting up to plug into it and benefit from it But you know like it's not just No on their own they're hitting this stripe But they're hitting this stride together and then and then there's other bands that are their peers that are sort of swirling around As well and and therefore there's a scene and and and everybody kind of feeds off of each other's energy and is Inspired by each other's work and and I've been a part of a similar

2:24Community musicians, right, you know previous to this I've just been doing my thing always and and part of my thing happened to be you know a coincide for a while with social scene, but but I stopped doing my thing and this is where it's led me and And and these have become a part of that They've also been developing their own thing, you know, so there's this nice fluctuation of a community of artists that can can sort of work together and then Still go off and have a singular vision It's used to be a very different kind of tour in that way to be cut one the tour is an extension of all of that and and and the studio the legal studios were where Harlan works out of has become a bit of a ground zero for this community and

3:13you know AFI might buy at any time in the week and and who knows what project is going on there And then he'll end up playing on that person's record vice versa, you know Those guys play on a fees record AFS in place on my record, you know, like it's there's a fair bit of happenstance to it but but um We wanted to sort of just take the spirit of that and like it's a natural evolution for us to also tour like this because We're so much a part of each other's projects anyway, so It did start with that. Yeah Everyone's like a songwriter circle kind of it. No, no, we play as a band. That's what's great about it It's like a review style

3:58I mean the best way to think about it is you're taking all of our catalogs and just throwing it on shuffle You know, but typically I come out first in the night just to sort of set the tone You know and and make people realize this is not what It's not your typical show. It's not the answer doing three like I'm supposed to go on last You know what I mean like that's name well. Well, that's sort of how the tours build but we don't we can sort of You know turn that on and it's a lot of fun doing with that and and expectations and inviting them to come somewhere else you know come come to this sort of this party that We're Where we come from you know, I mean like like sharing the spirit that we make music in you know it just

4:47It's a lot more fun that way You know It's a more interesting show because you get a couple of songs from me and then I'll slide off and leave it with Bahamas So the band expands and contracts and might just be me alone It might be just use alone and might all of us, you know backing any of us up You know you ever try and sing one of their You know You know back at home There's you know once or a few months somebody throws a party or books of books a local bar and and invites us on out and and we all pick names out of a hat So you get a bunch of musicians going out to this club and picking names from a hat beginning other night Just when you go on and you go many else's song, but you do it unannounced

5:36You know you just sort of figure out who song you got to play so it's that you know, it's just part of What goes on, you know the silly charades that we like play, but it's good. It's good. It makes for a very vibrant Community and it makes everybody so individual work that much better. I think for sure you got a stretch further Well, you know my parents record collection was everything from Jim croche to Jimics to Your Polymerry to some beatles and some BG's records and lots of disc albums, you know disco instruction albums And you go out album speed on for sure. Yeah, I grew up being a big was the first music that I really love

6:21That was you know, I was a kid and my parents were big disc on answers And and I loved it. We sit on the practice that moves every night after dinner. Yeah It's first record where you're not on the cover Yes, it didn't feel like it, you know I kind of got into like I'm a big Card player I play you girl mostly and I should play it a lot on the road used to play it mostly with the social scene It's a very on terrain. They don't play it so much out west But it's a very cottage country game. You know, you ain't anybody with a cottage girl planning. Oh, um It's it's like the it's like the poor man's version of bridge Yeah, yeah, yeah, so anyways

7:09Becon of it as a way of socializing, you know, you can see ours can go by you know, it's great I think it's like a sophisticated form of socializing Anyway From some for that reason I Commerce and vintage playing card art and I was on you know checking out these various online museums But you know and it's a the history of and that sort of became Where I drew all work from from the record of various eras of weirdness there's a lot of weirdness in playing card art world and I I'm attracted to it like I've always been a carnivals or circuses. It has a aesthetic and and That's where the art and that's why I'm not there. I got trumped by there you go. There you go

7:57Does any of that carnival stuff come out on the record or theme you write about or just in the art? I think it's just It it comes out it comes out in in in the music, you know because it's sort of it's It's I'm attracted to the weirdness and the craziness of it as a you know as a different Way of looking at the world at at our culture, you know the sort of outside thing, you know I don't know. I've just always been fascinated drawn to it since I was kid That That be why you're in DP Well, what is the NDP in Alberta Is it is the NDP in Alberta like you considered completely outside culture? Well, they almost want to see here

8:52I know I know I know I know Well, see there you go. I mean I'm attracted to politics for the same reasons. It's got this it's just bizarre You know it's the whole world of it is really really bizarre not unlike carnival You know Something's got a gift in the way in the way that where Things are right now, you know our systems not working, you know So it might possible I don't think this proper representation, you know For voters, you know, but anyway

9:40Well, do you think it's because the left is split themselves off into three different parties where the right and so is the right, you know Well, not federally it's just it's the Conservatives and you have the green you have the NDP and the liberals so we've kind of screwed ourselves Oh for sure. Yeah, I think I think the basic problem with the left is that is that We just want to live our lives a lot of the time and then and the tenacity of the right is is Phenomenal. I mean I admire it. They don't stop working 24 seven for their mission and and we like to take our weekends off You know what I mean? Like like and but also, you know our our Always dealing with looking inward as well, you know and you know

10:28Personal politics set us back a lot, you know like a decade of the 90s, you know But but maybe that was good work in the end. Maybe maybe that'll pay off, you know, I mean Who knows who knows, you know Um But yeah, I know I know we I know we uh We've split ourselves up quite a bit, you know Um But but that really is because Uh The right never stops working. It's it's phenomenal, you know Do you ever get time to stop working? Do you know I never had time to stop working My life is pretty hectic. I wish it wasn't as hectic as it is, but that's why I enjoy touring because you're uh

11:15I feel like it's a holiday and I got lots of kids at home and you know, if anybody were kids, no, it's just crazy And there's no time so I don't have much time to write at home, but I never have I I had kids at another age So I just learned how to Juggle and and not be too precious about the environment I need to write in but I take advantage of of going away And being on the road. I write a lot on the road on the road. Yeah, because typically your day is quite monotonous You know, you're you're sitting around Waiting to do an interview waiting to do your sound check and the rest of the time, you know You the rest of the time you got a lot of time on your hands sitting in a van all day Well, it must be nice to be in a van with with with your band and other band members and other songwriters too instead of just Great. It's a great environment to be around and these guys write all the time and and that it's it's good that way

12:04It's really good. Keep showing your toes Songs come in and on a set list over the years and stuff are there songs that you think you'll always play that no matter what show It has to be played Yeah, but that but it doesn't remain static like they sort of come in To the fold for a while and then then you need to take a break from them, you know So they're fresh again. So there's a bit of a revolving door, but there's yeah, there's an you know I I've got I'm quite a bit of a catalog now and and you know what bands got to know Around 50 songs or so, you know to go out and play so There are certain ones that people want to hear and I'm getting better at

12:52feeling okay about letting them hear them Well, can they they shout out for them? Yeah, yeah, and sometimes they they don't stop shouting for like what? Well like last night a guy got kicked out of the show And I feel bad when that happens, but he just wouldn't stop yelling for a song and we actually hadn't rehearsed it For this tour so we don't know it yet and anyways, he just he had a few too many drinks He's a fan that got kicked out of the show. I I can't see how that's very good business for me, but well I'll always remember it. Yeah What are you playing for the summer? So this tour wraps up in about a month? Yeah, we're gonna do some festivals. Yeah festivals are

13:41festivals are my new idea of What success is in this business like um What I really adore about going to festivals is seeing Musicians 20 years older than I am 30 years older than I am They're still vibrant vital They're out touring and they're high-fiving there are peers from that they've seen probably around the circuit for 50 years or so That to me like to be able to still Be writing and performing, you know in my 70s. That'd be fantastic So that's my new idea of what success is All right, well, hopefully you're still doing it. Yeah Well, actually before we go what you know what song are you gonna play for us? Uh, maybe we'll play cold blue halo