With five multi-platinum albums, over 3.5 million singles sold and over 54 million views on Veevo, Hedley is firmly cemented as  one of Canada’s most successful and adored touring acts. But the four-piece pop rockers still find time to savour the little things – kicking off their tour in Newfoundland chiefly among them.

‘A Second Home for Us’

“Newfoundland’s our favourite, man,” frontman Jacob Hoggard shared with The Herald. “I don’t know if we could kick off a tour in a more ruckus kind of a spot. It’s one of our favourite places to go – we talk about it all the time, and it feels like a second home for us. People there are so incredibly warm and welcoming and that’s a very polite way to say other things I’m thinking.”

Hoggard gained international recognition for his powerhouse run through the second season of Canadian Idol. Post series, Hoggard revamped his old band with an all-new lineup, keeping the Hedley name. One of Canada’s most promising bands came out swinging with their self-titled debut in September of 2005. It was all systems go from there.

“It’s freaky in a way to just look back and be like ‘Man time flies so fast,’ but it’s also just so exciting to know that there’s just as much of a future ahead of us as well,” Hoggard shared.

“We’ve built this band over the last 10 years on a really strong foundation, and because of that I feel really confident knowing what we’re doing to be able to push into these next 10 years with just as much ambition, jut as much passion and just as much excitement. For us, we know how lucky we are, and we know that if we’re not having fun doing this then there’s no point in doing it. Music, at this point, is my life. There might have been a point in the first couple of years when I was starting out where I was like, ‘Well if it works out great and if it doesn’t I’ll figure something else out,’ but now at this point I’m devoted to it. It’s part of who I am now. For me it’s every single day. I go back to that place where I’m grateful and excited to push forward.”

‘A Real Evolution’

The band has gone through many transformations since 2005. Though the lineup remains intact, the group’s sound has varied from alternative, to punk rock, to synth pop and now a more definitive radio-ready pop rock. It’s that artistic freedom and creativity that keeps the band fresh, and audiences lap it up.

“It’s such a cool feeling you get looking back over the years and seeing such a real evolution in the band’s complexion, diversity and even the surroundings and the artists we’re showing up with,” Hoggard said. “I think that speaks how hard the band really works on our devotion to growing and our devotion to evolving and continue to push ourselves. I think as artists, as musicians and as music fans ourselves, it’s just such an important element of the process. No one wants to remain the same and keep playing the same kind of music. It’s probably just a result of my undiagnosed ADHD, but it seems to be working.

‘The Greater the Risk’

“I think a lot of it has to do with honesty, and by that I mean honesty with ourselves and being honest with where we’re at as individuals,” Hoggard adds. “Honestly any music fans know your tastes are going to change as you grow. To be honest with yourself about that music evolution I think is important. Some people can be stuck in a little bit of denial where they only want to be one thing and they only want to have this one element of their identity, musically or otherwise …  I think it’s that honesty that has brought our fans on this life journey with us. It’s our ability to be really transparent and open with our fans about who we are. Even on a personal level that gives them the confidence to go down life’s road, wherever it takes us creatively or musically. It’s that same sense of honesty and transparency that gives you that pure sense of creativity and that drive to continue to push yourself and to be open to experimenting. The more honest you are with yourself the more confident you are to take those chances and to take those risks. Obviously the greater the risk, the greater the reward, but also the greater the risk the greater the failure. There’s always a downside that can be really terrifying. Facing your own self doubt and criticisms is something I’ve always battled with, because I’ve always been willing to put myself in the face of danger and put myself at risk as a creative individual. I think that’s why that struggle is so important, to maintain control of that self doubt and to be able to bet on yourself. I think it’s how we can continue to persevere.”

Hoggard shared that the band will be heading to St. John’s a week early in preparation for the kick off of their Hello Tour, which opens with a pair of billings at Mile One Centre with Carly Rae Jepsen and Francesco Yates. The guys plan to work out the bumps off the set well in advance of showtime, and surely grab a pint or two on George Street along the way.

“I have a secret for you. We’re going to be there about a week ahead of time. We’re starting the tour there but we’re also going to be doing a lot of prep,” Hoggard shared. “I don’t know if I should have given that away, but we’ll be in Newfoundland about a week getting ready for tour and rehearsing at Mile One. It’s one of our favourite places, it’s a real community there. People are always so welcoming and loving and we have such a f***ing hell of a time there.”

‘Our Lucky Stars’

Hoggard and his bandmates in Hedley know how truly blessed they are to have such a loyal fan base, many of which have been with the group since day one. That fact is never lost on the chart-topping hit makers, and they pride themselves on continuing to be as accessible to their loyal fans as possible.

“There’s not a day goes by that we don’t count our lucky stars because we know that as much as we work at this, as much as we push ourselves and pride ourselves on being creative, we couldn’t do f**k all if it wasn’t for our fans, man,” Hoggard shared. “We wouldn’t be able to be where we were, not miles close, if it wasn’t for our fans. I think that’s just so important to recognize on a daily basis. It’s why we give back as much as we can to our fans. It’s why we put on the VIP section, so we can get a little bit closer and give a little bit more of ourselves, because it’s something we’ve always done from the days that we were playing on George Street in small bars. We’d stay after the show and say hi to ever single person in the room until the bar was empty, because we wanted to say thanks for coming …we’re so  lucky to see fans coming back. We recognize them and we’d stand on stage and shout them out by name. That’s a really great feeling.”

Hedley’s Hello Tour hits Mile One Centre April 7-8.

Tickets: mileonecentre.com

When one thinks of Canadian rock legends, there are a small handful of names that come to mind: Rush, The Tragically Hip, April Wine, and of course, Blue Rodeo.

The Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor fronted folk rockers have been at the pinnacle of our music scene for decades, and are showing no rust or signs of slowing down. Founding member Bazil Donovan, who alongside Cuddy and Keelor have been with the group since its inception, caught up with The Herald ahead of the band’s February 27th date in St. John’s, the final stop on their cross-Canada tour.

“It’s kind of amazing. You never really know,” Donovan shared, recounting decades worth of Blue Rodeo memories. “It’s amazing to think that you’re going to spend the rest of your life with these people and one day you’re going to end up together for the next 35-40 years. I think at this stage of the game, at least for the three of us, it would take something pretty serious. It would have to be a health thing or death to make us not do it anymore, because it’s our whole life. Our adult life, anyway.”

Blessing in disguise

The band is no stranger to Canada’s most eastern point. Donovan surmised that Blue Rodeo has played in Newfoundland and Labrador upwards of 30-40 times since 1984. Most recently, the band served as a short notice addition to the George Street Festival after a summer storm canceled their performance at the Confederation Hill Music Festival – a blessing in disguise, according to Donovan.

“Personally I love the George Street Festival,” he said. “I wanted to do the show with Rod Stewart simply because it was Rod Stewart, but when I was told that we’re doing George Street, it was like ‘Oh wow, bonus,’ because that’s the most fun festival to play. It really is.

“For me, going east is the most fun, because that’s where I’m from,” he added. “My mum is from Cape Breton and my dad is from PEI. A lot of my dad’s relatives live in Newfoundland. The whole east coast is kind of rolled up and everyone scattered all over the place. I have a lot of relatives in the middle of Newfoundland. I don’t really know them though, my dad wasn’t really good at maintaining his side of the family.”

‘Beyond being brothers’

32 years as a touring ensemble and Blue Rodeo can count themselves among a rare breed of artists that has stayed united, and relevant, for decades. That unity has much to do with the polished on-stage performance fans receive night in and night out.

“When you’re in a band that long with somebody it’s kind of true – you spend so much time and get to know them so well,” Donovan shared. “It’s even beyond being brothers. It’s one of those things that you can’t really explain. Not a lot of people get that in their adult life where they become so close to other people. They’re interlocked forever. That’s kind of how we feel. We don’t hang out as friends or anything like that because we’ve just had so much of each other, but we just have a really strong bond. I have a brother, and I see a lot more of them than I do of my brother.

“In years past, when we were touring the States, we’d be gone for a whole year sometimes,’ he recalled. “You’re on a bus living right beside the person, literally a foot away. It’s pretty intense.”

Grinding tours

Those grinding tours are made possible thanks largely to the devoted fan base who continue to turn out in droves whenever Blue Rodeo comes to town. It’s a reality that is not lost on Donovan and his bandmates.

“It continually blows my mind,” he said. “The fact that we keep going back to the same places and playing and we see the same faces and they’re just joyed that we’re there … you think wow, that’s loyal. It’s really fantastic and something I couldn’t imagine.

“When you record something people hear it on the radio and on their stereos or in the car and they get it turned down a bit. But when you get the full impact of a band playing it live and in the moment it’s strong and it’s good,” Donovan added. “There’s nothing like it. There’s nothing like a really good band on a good night, a live band. I think that we have that. We pride ourselves in that, kind of being a good live band, going out and giving it every night.”

Blue Rodeo will be treating fans to a taste of things to come on February 27th, adding upwards to five new tracks to the setlist. Donovan shared that the band is ‘good to go’ on a new album, the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2013 release In Our Nature.

“We’re pretty much ready to go on a new album,” he shared. “There will be more songs come, but we have enough to do it now. If we had to do it tomorrow we would be OK. Between now and then, there will be more songs come into the fold. Already we have the makings of a record.

‘Road Worth’

“When you’re in a band with two songwriters like Jim and Greg, you can’t really stop those guys from writing songs. It’s just what they do,” Donovan added in closing. “We’re always willing to give it another shot. If it comes out where people love the old stuff, that’s great too. People want to hear that and I understand, but they can take a half hour out of a two hour set and listen to four or five new songs that they haven’t heard before. We’re getting those songs road worthy. It’s nice to go into the studio and to have already played the songs in-front of an audience. I think this audience allows us that, because they’re kind of open to it.”

Tickets for Blue Rodeo are available at mileonecentre.com and at the box office.