Local gig a homecoming for Sask.-raised Shauf
Andy Shauf is returning to
Regina for a gig with his band, Foxwarren.
You might know Shauf for his expressive voice, versatile musicianship, story-songs and accolades — his last solo record, The Party, was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize and garnered three Juno award nominations in 2017.
The band released a new record in November, its first since 2011. Shauf, bassist Darryl Kissick, guitarist Dallas Bryson and drummer Avery Kissick are set to tour starting next week.
The Toronto-based Shauf, who grew up in Estevan, Bienfait and Caronport, took time out of his East Asian solo tour last week to answer a few questions via email.
Q So you’re playing The Exchange on May 29. How are you feeling about that show? Is it like a homecoming?
A Yeah it is for sure, and I did work at The Exchange as the janitor and I bartended there for a while, too. It’s always nice to come back to The Exchange. It’s one of the first places that I ever played when I moved to Regina after high school (in 2005).
Q There was a four-year span between recording and releasing the Foxwarren album. How are you feeling about the album?
A I mean, every time an album is finished and goes off to be pressed, you think of some things you might have done differently or changed. At some point, you just have to let go and be OK with it. We’re generally pretty happy with how it turned out, though.
Q Darryl Kissick said the Foxwarren music, versus your solo music, has “no stories, no big statements.” Would you say Foxwarren’s sound and style is different from your solo music?
A Foxwarren is the collaboration of four people and we try to make sure everybody is happy with the decisions we’re making. When I’m working solo, I only answer to myself. I think there’s always a bit of compromise when you’re working with a group of people, but it’s also nice to not have the weight of everything on your shoulders, and be able to approach songwriting from different perspectives, and come up with something that’s different than what you’d do on your own.
Q When you recorded The Party, it was after trying to collaborate with three other musicians over several weeks, right? You ended up recording almost every part yourself. But with Foxwarren, you’ve got three bandmates and, by the sounds of it, it was quite a collaborative process. What’s different when it comes to Foxwarren?
A I think the songs on The Party were recorded too early in the process, and weren’t ready when we tried to record them with a band. With Foxwarren, we all worked on it together when we could over time, and the writing process was collaborative, so it worked. The Foxwarren guys are also some of my best friends,
There’s always a bit of compromise when you’re working with a group of people, but it’s also nice to not have the weight of everything on your shoulders.
so it’s pretty easy to agree and disagree and figure things out together.
Q How are you feeling about the upcoming Foxwarren tour?
A I’ll be stressed until we get rehearsing. The tour should be fun but we have work to do. You know, we haven’t really played that many shows. I think our last show was probably at The Club. ... I’ve toured with Avery before, but Dallas and Darryl haven’t toured a ton, so we’ll see how they like life on the road.
Q You’ve spent a lot of time on the road in recent months — in Asia right now, gone for two weeks in February, five weeks last fall, and you have seven straight weeks coming up with Foxwarren. All that to ask: Do you like touring? Or is it a nec essary burden?
A There are parts of it I like, but I’m also trying to finish a record right now, so I’m mostly thinking about that. Hopefully it’s done before this tour starts. It’s fun to play shows in different places and see the impact that a record has had or where people are listening, but the show part of touring is only a small component, and there are a lot of less fun parts to the rest of each day.
Q I’ve spoken with a few musicians lately who prefer short tours, or plan breaks and schedule days off as a way of self-care. What’s your tour vibe/ approach? A: Days off are cool. Days off can also be frustrating. Sometimes you need a day where you just watch bad movies in your hotel room.
Q What’s the most memorable place you’ve been/experience you’ve had while on tour?
A This recent trip has been pretty cool, going to places like Seoul and Tokyo and seeing people come out and know the songs. Someone in Osaka had a printed copy of the first Foxwarren album Has Been Defeated — which we never pressed — that they got me to sign.
Q For The Bearer of Bad News, you told Leader-post reporter Kelly-anne Riess in 2012 that you chose 11 songs, from about 90 you’d written. Do you still write that much?
A I wrote about 50 for the current album. Yeah, I try to write and throw out a lot of songs to get to the good ones.
Q How often do you get back to Regina/saskatchewan?
A Not a lot. I usually try to get there for New Year’s but didn’t make it last year.