HARD ROCK HOLIDAYS
One Bad Son comes home
One Bad Son, the heavy-hitting rock band that originated in Saskatoon, is gearing up for a holiday season year-end concert at the Coors Event Centre on Saturday.
It’s the last show on their One Bad Santa holiday tour, and it ends a year that included a sixweek tour in the United States.
Drummer and entertainment lawyer Kurt Dahl spoke with the Starphoenix to discuss the show and the band’s successes in 2018.
Q What’s special about the One Bad Santa tour that ends your year?
A For about 12 years running, we do this big Christmas show in Saskatoon. And it has kind of grown over the years to become this thing that’s just a massive show. No matter how big our year is, it’s always my favourite show of the year … we’ll throw in some songs we don’t typically play, we’ll even throw in a Christmas song or two that we’ll cover … so we just thought ‘Let’s take that idea and let’s bring that Christmas show to some of our favourite markets close to home.’ It’s a great reason just to celebrate with our fans and our friends. It’s one of my favourite times of the year.
Q You created a poll online to bring in a local band to play with you at the show. Why open it up to the public?
A Ultimately, we just want to shine a light on the great bands in the province and in the city. We’ve been given the opportunity so many times to open for big bands and it has always been a game-changer for us, so why not pay that forward? (Poll winner Dirty Garden) and The Wolfe from Prince Albert, a great allgirl band, they’re just amazing … we’re excited to have them on the bill.
Q One Bad Son was named Best Band in Saskatoon in 2018 by popular vote in Planet S Magazine for the third year in a row. After 15 years of playing together, what does that mean to you?
A I feel like it means more the longer we do it, you know? We’ve always been a pretty grateful band, but now the longer you do it the more you’re grateful because you realize just how much it takes, how much sacrifice, how much hard work it takes to get to even the level we’re at, and I feel like we have way further to go. This is our hometown ... to have that recognition from the people of the city, it’s not lost on me. It means a lot.
Q This has been a big year for the band in terms of touring, coming off of a big album release and achieving the No. 1 song (Raging Bull) in Canada in 2017. What’s next in 2019?
A I think we all thought our entire lives would change once we had that No. 1 song, but it didn’t … it changed things a little bit, but by and large we’re doing the same thing on a bit bigger scale. I think what we’ve come to realize is it’s a very interesting time for rock and roll right now. It’s a much smaller genre than it ever has been … 2018, we kept growing, we went outside of Canada … and I guess going forward that’s what we’re going to keep building on, is keep the Canada thing going and growing, but also duplicate that in the United States, Germany, Europe, that sort of thing.
Q You have a couple of young children at home. What advice would you give other young families for the holiday season?
A People like to wear that badge of honour for how busy they are. For me, great successes every day and every week is after I sit down and play on my hands and knees with my son for an hour, or sit down and listen to a record, uninterrupted, frontto-back with my son … put your phone down and be with your kids, they’re only young once. That goes for people that don’t have kids … being able to unplug is a real art form, and it’s a gift if you’re able to do it.