Brian Greenway still rockin’ with April Wine, loves what he’s doing
Brian Greenway, guitarist/vocalist with Canadian rock legends April Wine, says he still enjoys performing with the band and travelling the world.
“Except the airlines... cancellations, delays, the excuses for all of it. But once I get on the stage, I’m loving it. It’s fun up there and 110 minutes goes by fast,” he said in a recent phone interview.
“It seems like yesterday. I was once the youngest in the band, now I’m the oldest one left on the stage.”
April Wine is playing a pair of dates in the Okanagan -- May 8 at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre and May 12 at the Kelowna Community Theatre.
The band plays mostly a greatest hits show, but there are surprises. Greenway said the set list depends on whether they’re in Canada or the U.S. because some songs were bigger hits than others, depending on the country.
When asked about the band’s longevity, Greenway said it’s simple.
“Not having songs that dated themselves and just being part of people’s lives… they like the memories. They did something to that song, an attachment to their lives. When they hear a song, they go back to that time… nostalgia, a memory. Myles (Goodwyn) wrote some wonderful songs.”
The band’s line-up has changed over the years, most notably with the death of frontman Myles Goodwyn last December.
“Myles had been wanting to retire since 2014 and we were auditioning people to take his place,” Greenway said. “Nobody was good enough. He stuck around for another five or six years. He hated the travelling. He was a reluctant rock star.”
When Goodwyn’s health continued to get worse, he handed the reins over.
“One of the fellas who auditioned back in 2014 was available now. Myles liked what he heard and gave us his blessing. When Myles passed away, it was completely out of the blue. I had no idea he was that sick.”
The new lead singer, Marc Parent from Quebec, previously played with the Canadian band Eight Seconds, best known for their 1986 single Kiss You (When It’s Dangerous).
“Marc has added a lot to the band. He’s a great guitar player and a solid performer… fresh and different.”
The current line-up also includes Roy Nichol on drums and vocals and Richard Lanthier on bass and vocals.
Many fans of April Wine believe the band hasn’t received its due recognition from critics or the industry.
They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2010 Juno Awards presentation. They’ve been nominated for 11 competitive Junos, but have yet to win.
“A lot of people say we haven’t (been recognized),” said Greenway. “I’ve seen articles of bands that should have been bigger. We had a big song, Just Between You and Me and it was going really well. But at the same time another band, REO Speedwagon came out with Keep on Loving You, a similar kind of song that made it to No. 1. Our song got as high as No. 22 (on the U.S. charts), but they were American, we were Canadian.”
April Wine did crack the Billboard Hot 100 several other times with Roller (No. 34), I Like to Rock, Sign of the Gypsy Queen, Enough Is Enough, This Could Be the Right One and a cover of Elton John’s Dark Side of the Moon.
In total the band’s discography includes 16 studio albums.
Tickets for the Sunday, May 12 show at the Kelowna Community Theatre are $59, plus fees, and can be purchased at Kelowna.ca/upcoming-events/April-wine-live-concert
Tickets for the Wednesday, May 8 show at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre are $67.25 plus tax and fees and can be purchased online at: ticketseller.ca.