Veterans offer tips for young musicians
Donnie Walsh says Downchild has always been a good-time, dance band and its new CD reflects its members’ maturity. LYNN SAXBERG reports.
Downchild, the legendary Toronto-based band formed in 1969 by real-life blues brothers Donnie Walsh and his late sibling, Hock, continues to thrive, celebrating good times and bad with a lively concoction of soulful, sax-laden blues.
The current incarnation, featuring Walsh, a.k.a. Mr. Downchild, on guitar and harmonica, and Chuck Jackson on vocals, marked their 40th anniversary a few years back with a star-studded album and tour, along with a show of support by Dan Aykroyd, the Canadian actor who credits Downchild as the inspiration behind his Blues Brothers characters.
Now it’s time for another Downchild album, their 17th, Can You Hear the Music, an all-original set produced by Walsh that finds the veteran musicians at the top of their game.
Walsh and Jackson were in Ottawa this week for an interview to discuss the state of the venerable Canadian blues outfit, and offer some timely advice for young musicians. Here’s an edited version of the discussion.
Did you do anything differently on Can You Hear the Music?
DW: There are no guests, it’s back to basic Downchild, which is nice. There were guests on our last two albums, so it’s nice to get back to doing it without any outside help or interference.
CJ: I think one thing about this CD is it represents our maturity. You know, getting a little older. One of the songs, Worn in, is about teaching old dogs new tricks; we’re still alive, we still have relationships and loves like anyone else.
What does Downchild represent?
CJ: It’s always been a good-time band, a good-time dance band. People come back because they enjoy the band. We’re pretty easygoing guys. We take our music seriously but we present it in a good feeling, a party-type atmosphere.
Did you ever think the band would last so long?
DW: Never thought about it. When I started the band, it was just what we did. It never entered my mind how long it would last. It’s like, ‘When do you think you’re going to die?’
CJ: I never thought it was going to go by so fast.
What’s your proudest moment?
DW: It was pretty exciting when the Blues Brothers did a couple of our songs, I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost) and Shotgun Blues, on their first album. A lot of the songs they did on that album, I didn’t write them but they were songs we had in our repertoire. Dan (Aykroyd) has mentioned if there was no Downchild, there would be no Blues Brothers. When he was doing theatre in Toronto, all the actors would come down and see us after, and so when he started the Blues Brothers, he had a big singer and skinny harmonica player.
Have there been challenges?
DW: The options outweigh the challenges. I drove a truck when I started the band. There were lots of frustrations but it didn’t come even close to the upside: You’re happy. It’s been pretty good.
How has Downchild adapted to the changes in the music industry?
DW: We’re lucky we’re an established act. We’re still getting more popular as time goes on. We get more fans in the audience and people who haven’t heard of Downchild, which is really neat. To play your music and get people excited, it’s great to see them singing along.
CJ: It’s more worldwide, too. The Internet has opened it up. We’ve played Europe and Central America, and people hear our stuff on the Internet radio stations all through Europe. We get emails from them.
What advice would you give young musicians who are starting out?
DW: Somebody asked me that years and years ago, and I said, ‘ Just stick with it.’ And try to get yourself out there, go out and talk to club owners, agents, whatever. And stick to original material.
How come?
DW: Because everybody’s heard the other stuff. When I was growing up, I listened to a lot of bands playing blues music songs that I had heard the original of, and it’s almost never as good as the original. You might as well write your own song, then you will have the best version.
What about performing advice?
CJ: Always dress nice. You gotta look good. All the blues guys learn that looking good is very important on stage. You don’t wanna look like the guy sitting in the audience.
Any tips for touring?
DW: Don’t order the poached eggs. They’re never right or even if they are right, everybody has to sit around and wait for you. Just get eggs.