He’s most at home onstage
Dallas Green, better known as City and Colour, finds comfort in his craft
The legend of Dallas Green, known acoustically as City and Colour, is about as recognized as any in contemporary Canadian music. Initially seen as a side project to his main gig as the rhythm guitarist and singer of the wickedly popular post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, Green’s brand of vulnerable, ornate folk has taken on a life of its own.
Despite all of his success, Green has always managed to stay out of the spotlight, remaining unobtrusive and decidedly humble six records into his solo career. When speaking about his love of performing, he states emphatically that singing is the best thing in his life. Well, there is one thing that comes close.
“There’s nothing I have found in my life that can top it,” Green said of writing and performing music. “I mean, the Raptors winning the championship was pretty close.”
Letting out a hearty chuckle after reminiscing about the Raptors’ legendary championship run in 2019, he dives right back into discussing the ins and outs of touring the globe. As he tells tales of growing up as a touring musician and casually runs through his iTunes library, one thing is made incredibly clear: for him, it really is all about the music.
“If you come to see me play,” Green said, “you know that I’m going to try and sing as best as I’ve ever sang that night.”
Now 40 years old, the St. Catharines native no longer needs to gig relentlessly to establish himself like he did with Alexisonfire in his 20s. But that doesn’t mean he wants to stop playing shows. In fact, his first post-pandemic tour includes five shows at the newly renovated Massey Hall, four of which completely sold out in June.
Not only that, but he’ll be playing those shows as a solo performer with only an accompanist by his side. That means no band, no fancy light show and no giant screen projecting his presence to thousands of fans. Just him, a guitar, a microphone, a supporting musician and 2,700 of his closest friends on that given night. It’s a necessary change of pace for him,
especially after over a year of standing still.
“I want to go back out and see what version of myself I can find,” Green said.
Having lived in Toronto since 2007, Green admits to the city initially not feeling like home; on his 2013 track “Harder Than Stone,” he wrote that he strives to “(leave) behind Toronto’s incessant hum.” While rarely home, his relationship with Toronto is a complicated one. It’s not that he doesn’t like the city, it’s just that he didn’t find it peaceful at a time in his life when he craved tranquility.
“This was the place I was calling home, but it never felt like it,” Green recalled of his first years in Toronto. “Looking back, nowhere felt like home.”
Because of that, it’s somewhat surprising that, of all the possible venues in and around Toronto, Green is choosing a homecoming that’s as vulnerable as it is volatile, almost alone on a stage at one of the city’s most storied concert venues.
On one hand, he admits to not wanting to embark on a massive, rock-style tour because of the tragic death of his close friend and producer Karl Bareham in 2019, without whom touring feels different. On the other hand, Massey Hall is a special venue with some magical properties, making it the perfect place for the longest consecutive run of shows in the same venue of his career.
“I realized that you start singing and the venue does all the work for you,” Green remembered of the first time he played it over a decade ago.
“I realized that you start singing and the venue does all the work for you.” DALLAS GREEN
CITY AND COLOUR
For all the mystery of his solo performances, there’s one individual who’ll get to see the whole thing up close: Matt Kelly, Green’s longtime accompanying multi-instrumentalist. Living in Vancouver since the pandemic started, the laid-back Kelly is understandably excited to get back on the road.
“When you have someone who can sing like that, he makes it easy to feel like you’re sounding good,” Kelly laughed. “He’s carrying all the weight.”
Having played alongside Green since 2013, Kelly quietly feeds off his emotion and veracity while remaining musically fluid, a trait that becomes even more crucial when it’s just the two of them onstage.
“Neither of us are aiming to do exactly the same thing every night,” said Kelly, who primarily played pedal steel guitar on the last tour. “The room to explore the songs each night differently is pretty great.”
Sonically speaking, Green (and Kelly) will be using the 2018 live record “Guide Me Back Home” as a foundation upon which to build the set list; the stunning acoustic performances on the album spanned Green’s entire career, making it a natural starting point. He won’t disclose exactly what he’ll be playing, but Green hints at stripped down versions of tracks off 2019’s “A Pill for Loneliness” being included, as difficult as arranging those songs may be.
Massey Hall can, for some, be a lonely and cavernously intimidating place. Among those who have graced its hardwood stage are Charlie Parker, George Gershwin, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and even Winston Churchill. In other words, it’s no place for a beginner.
But, for Green, it will just be another show because, for him, the stage is never a place to feel lonely. In fact, it’s a place of great comfort.
“I don’t feel vulnerable onstage. I feel protected because these people found something in this personal story that I was writing about that they could connect to.”