One Bad Son ready for one good time
Saskatoon rockers opening for Shinedown here
With the amount of time they spend in Lethbridge, the members of One Bad Son could almost be considered honourary citizens. And the Saskachewan-based rockers probably wouldn’t have an issue with that.
“We love it there, radio has been great for us and the fans are always amazing,” said lead singer Shane Volk Monday.
One Bad Son, formed in 2004, had a stellar year in 2017 with the release of its latest album “Made In the Name of Rock N Roll” on 604 Records.
That album, the band’s fifth full-length recording, spawned the hit “Raging Bull” which is the band’s fastest-charting single in its career, a tune that spent four weeks at No. 1 on the BDS Mainstream Rock Chart and 14 in the top five.
One Bad Son has just released its latest single from the album called “Hurricane” in time for its tour with Shinedown which hits the Enmax Centre on April 4.
Tickets are $58 and $68 at the Enmax Centre Ticket Centre, 403-329-7328.
The tour is a big one for One Bad Son which Volk says hasn’t played in arenas since it opened for Def Leppard in 2015. “We’re stoked to be in a big room again.” Since forming in Saskatoon well more than a decade ago, One Bad Son has forged a career making melodic hard-nosed rock ‘n roll.
It first garnered the attention of many local fans opening for Buckcherry at Average Joe’s in 2013, an appearance which ignited a rock ’n roll love affair between southern Alberta and the band. The band has also opened for such rock luminaries as Three Days Grace, Papa Roach and Judas Priest. The band’s foursome includes three original members including Volk, lead guitarist Adam Hicks and drummer Kurt Dahl. Bassist Steve Adams joined One Bad Son last year.
One Bad Son is one of four bands on the Derailed tour which also includes In This Moment and 10 Years. Shinedown last performed here as the opening act for KISS a couple of years ago, its blistering set which wowed a sold-out crowd.
“Ours is a pretty short set, only a half hour,” said Volk, whose band is going to squeeze in as much as it can during the allotted time.
“We’ll play some hits” and songs like “Hurricane,” he said.
While One Bad Son has only in recent years moved into the spotlight, the band is hardly an overnight story.
It’s a hard-touring band which has paid its dues performing constantly. “We’ve worked our asses off,” said Volk. The song “Scarecrow” off One Bad Son’s self-titled third album became a monster hit back in 2013 and it’s one that Volk brings up when discussing the band’s climb up the charts over the years. “We don’t take a lot of time off the road.” The road is where much of the band’s songwriting is done and song ideas conceived.
“All of us are writing ideas all the time. . .it’s a long process that never stops and is more than just sitting down in a room.”
One Bad Son doesn’t strive with each album to create one more popular than their previous efforts. Instead, they focus on producing the best rock record they can.
“We never go into the process thinking we have to make it better; we just try to make the next thing as great as it can be.”
The band is starting to get exposure south of the border and is working on summer shows in the U.S. Volk says it’s too early to go into details but the band does plan on hitting stages in America more often.
In the meantime, One Bad Son is looking forward to one good time on the Derailed tour. “It’s going to be great,” says Volk.