The Healing Power of Music: Colin and John Angus of The Trews Share Personal Stories of Resilience and Connection-Encore Episode

This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. If you work in university maintenance, Granger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Granger is your trusted partner, offering the products you need all in one place from HVAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more, and all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock. So your team always gets the win. Call 1-800-GRANGER, visit Granger.com or just out by. Granger for the ones who get it done. I'm Clayton Eckerd. In 2022, I was the lead of ABC's The Bachelor. But here's the thing, Bachelor fans hated him. If I could press a button and rewind it, all I would. That's when his life took a disturbing turn. A one night stand would end in a courtroom. The media is here. This case has gone viral. The dating contract. Agree to date me, but I'm also suing you. This is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'm Stephanie Young. Listen to Love Trapped on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, it's so interesting. Host of the Spirit Daughter podcast, where we talk about astrology, natal charts and how to step into your most vibrant life. And today I'm talking with my dear friend, Christa Williams. It can change you in the best way possible. Dance with the change, dance with the breakdowns. The embodiment of Pisces intuition with Capricorn power moves. Just so I'm like delusionally proud of my chart. Listen to the Spirit Daughter podcast starting on February 24th on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Good people. What's up? What's up? It's Questlove. So recently I had the incredible opportunity to have a real conversation with actors and producer, Jamie Lee Curtis, from routines to recovery, true lies, and a certain Jermaine Jackson music video. Jamie's real and raw and something I really admire about her. I am so happy that I'm the head in charge at 67, that I have the perspective that I have at my age to really be able to put all of this into context. Listen to the Questlove show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Music saved me. We just sing about what we're going through and how we're feeling and and it resonates with people. And I mean, it's incredible. It's it's it's I feel like a humble by it. I guess. Welcome to Music Saved Me. I'm Lynn Hoffman and today I'm so excited we are joined by two members of one of Canada's biggest, most electrifying rock bands, The Truves. For over two decades, they've been delivering powerful songs and unforgettable performances. They've shared the stage globally with the likes of Springsteen and Aerosmith and the Stones and Kiss and Guns and Roses to name a few. They've won multiple awards and reached platinum status. Congratulations. And their music has been streamed. This just blew me away over 100 million streams around the world. When have you ever heard of that? That's incredible. On this episode, we will dive deep into the moments when music became more than just a soundtrack for The Truves, when it became a lifeline. We'll hear about the songs that help them through tough times and how creating and sharing music has shaped their journey and the ways their art has touched the lives of fans around the world. So whether you're a longtime fan of The Truves or just discovering their awesome and uplifting, inspiring sound, get ready for an honest, inspiring conversation about the power of music to lift us up, bring us together. And sometimes, even dare I say, save us. Colin McDonald and John Angus, welcome to the Music Save Me podcast. So great to have you guys here. Oh, it's great to be here. Thanks for having us. First of all, I want to say congratulations because I just found out you've released a couple of singles off of soon to be released album called The Bloody Light. But currently, the breakdown is number one on rock radio all across Canada. I know that's still going to be a huge feeling for you, even after being rocking for 20 plus years. It still must be an exciting feeling to reach those heights again with your fans. It almost feels even better now because it feels like, you know, people still care after all these years and that's always really great. And we still put a lot into it. Like the first few times we had some major success at radio was all such a it was also new and it was exciting. And Maria, but but now it almost feels a little bit better because it's like, oh, it's still resonating. That's that's really great. Yeah, you still have it. And it's a testament, certainly, not only to the skills and talents of and the perseverance of you as a band, but also your legions of fans. I mean, they're still there and they're still strong and they love you so much. That's truly the humbling part when you're a young man, you take so much for granted. And like when you get to the top of the mountain for the first time, you just think, hey, this is just the way it is. And then you realize through all the trials and tribulations of a long career, just how incredibly rare success actually is. And to get back there, it speaks to a couple of things, the support of our fans and the support of the industry and then the fact that we've kept up a, you know, if I may say so, like a fairly high level of albums, too. So all that takes so much work and it takes a team and it takes, you know, a good loyal fan base to maintain it. That's for sure. And speaking of your fan base, it's obvious that connecting with your fans is important to you. And because I know time is of the essence with you guys, I want to get right into the meat of the conversation right up front. Can each of you remember a moment, whether it was during a personal struggle or a tough tour or a pivotal moment in your personal life, that music truly saved you? Colin, you want to go first? Yeah, like almost way too many times to count. I think that's what led me to want to do this for a living and do it. I'm so excited. It has brought me back from the break, whether it was a teenage heartbreak or if it was, you know, major shifts in life as I got older, you know, there's been many songs that have helped me along the way. You know, one that comes to mind is listening to Clay Pigeons, you know, a bunch of years ago, going through a bit of a rough time and just in that those lyrics and both versions, the Blaze Foley and the John Prine version were both very, they were everything to me. It was like those songs that are written that like these, it's like songs that see you, you know, in those moments of vulnerability and when you're kind of just floating and they kind of bring it back down to earth and remember and remind you that, you know, you're not alone in this in this sadness, you know, and that's definitely always been one of my main focuses when when working on a song. I'd like to provide that kind of comfort for people, whether it's just when they want to rock out and have fun or when they need something a little bit more, you know, emotional, like to help them through a rough patch, you know, and so that's just one of the moments of many where a song has saved me and I'll just listen to it like 55 times a day, you know, until I feel better and I always do, you know, so I think music is quite powerful like that. I'll go back to like my teenage years calling and I are brothers, then we were raised a little bit like military brats, even though our dad was, he was like an intellectual, worked for the universities, but that kept him moving around from campus to campus and taking all five of his kids with him. And we ended up down in Jamaica in 1993 and I was like 13 years old and wrenched out of my social life and put in like a sort of foreign country, certainly felt foreign to me coming from the East Coast. And all I had was like a Sony Walkman and four cassettes. There were three Beatles cassettes, so the stuff that the Beatles and RMS automatic for the people. And every day I'd get home from school and play all four cassettes and my headphones front to back and it just kept me connected to like my old life or to, you know, just brought me incredible comfort when I was pretty lonely and out of sorts. And those records, like to this day, they still, they're like my comfort food, you know, like if all else, you know, I love exploring and listening to other things and discovering things, but if I can come back to these certain records and they feel like home base, you know, it really is medicinal in nature for sure. I'll tell you what, I was just going through a really rough patch the other day, just a little depressed over something personal in my life, a friend of mine who's not well. And I am so fortunate to get these. I got to hear your whole album before anyone else because you're not releasing it until October. And I'll tell you what song did it for me was manifest. So wait until that one comes out and hits. That was, I don't even know what it was truly about. But for me, when you look back in hindsight and you see what you've manifested and you didn't realize you were doing it at the time, it really happens. You can bring about what you want. If you put your mind to it. Well, I'm, I'm, I'm glad to hear that you like that one. And yeah, yeah, it's like nice to hear that. And I hope it helped you out a little bit. It certainly did. It really did. You know, just something just clicks in your mind. And depending on how many times you want to play it is how many, like I would say if you were going in a medicine cabinet and how many Advil do you need for your pain? Exactly. The dosage is how many times you got to put it on repeat. Yes. We should have instead of drug commercials, we should have music drug commercials. We would be so much better. Probably safer in the long run too. Right. That's going to, not as many weird side effects. No, only happiness. Your state is going to call for seven. Everybody hurts. Good luck. I could listen to this seven times. And the side effects will be like you will develop more empathy. Like all they'll be good side effects, you know, yeah, may cause, may cause crying, may cause spontaneous laughter and happiness. Yeah. Yeah. May cause healthy expressions of emotional baggage. I love it. Hey, after this, we should do that. We should do a commercial for it. Yes, I love it. That would be so fun. Band dynamics. I have to know. You guys have been together a long time. In what ways has being a part of the truths helped you navigate life's challenges? A lot of times, you know, you can being in a band, it's like a marriage, you know, you're together more than you are with your families. It's very true. It's, it's, um, it's kind of our entire lives and a lot of the, the way our lives shaped up, cause we've been doing this for a very long time. They kind of all came together through the band, you know, like, John Angus met his wife and now mother of his three children at a true show in like 2005, you know, and, and I mean, all of our lives are kind of, they kind of revolve around our career because it does take so much time. And we have that very patient partners and wives and stuff. And so yeah, the band's definitely shaped us a lot and, um, and pretty much every way. So, oh, there's a, Hey, there's one now. Hi. And now they won't leave me alone while I'm doing interviews. I love it. Family is welcome. Yeah. Okay. If you guys don't mind, I just pretty much to echo everything they call and said, it's like, um, you learn a lot about yourself. But the really challenging thing about being in a band is you start it when you're in, well, at least in our case, you start it as a teenager, you know, you start it like with an undeveloped frontal lobe, you know, like you're not, you're not quite a man. And, uh, you have to become men together. And a lot of people don't survive that transition because it's really tricky. Like it's not a, you're wholesale different people by the time you reach 30, you know, so, uh, and then again, by the time you reach 40, so it's like just navigating those waters. I guess we're lucky that we, um, don't take things too personally. I've been through a lot together and we still managed to come together over the music and the love of what we do. And, uh, so that's, that's good fortune. We've lost some members along the way because it's really hard to keep everybody together. You know, just really is like, um, life is demanding and life demands different things of different people at different times. So, um, we're just, I guess we have some good fortune going our way too, that we were able still to pull it together and do it. That's for sure. I mean, has there ever been a time where the band sort of served as a support system for each other? Oh yeah. Like so many times for me, just going through times in my life where, you know, things haven't felt very stable and I've, I've always sought comfort in, in writing and, and working with the guys. Uh, the music has carried me through a lot of times. So I always remember that when things are kind of going really well, how much I've, I have leaned on this, uh, to get through a lot of things. And unfortunately, because the music has always been something that's driven me and something that's inspired me, I, um, it's kept me sane. Actually, it's, it's kind of funny to think that a rock and roll band can keep you sane because it's kind of an insane profession. But, um, but I, but I, but I do, uh, I do, I am very grateful for those times where the band has kind of carried me through, uh, you know, ups and downs. It's amazing to me, you were just talking about the band and how members have come and gone and you two are brothers. I mean, you grew up together. You're together all the time. I mean, that can't be easy in general as a dynamic. Well, it's, we're not quite as, um, I mean, we know some other brother bands that are a little bit more tumultuous than we are. But, um, the other thing about brothers in the band is like, you know, we've been fighting and making up since we were two and zero. Do you know what I mean? So, uh, and, um, and I think sometimes if it's not too much of a rift and it hasn't been yet, like we can have our, our ups and downs with, you know, when your family, you kind of have to make up or like, you know, there's the ramifications, you know, can be pretty dire, like when families become like alienated from one another. So, um, you know, we've been pretty good like that. And then Jack, who's been with us since we were, we started as well. And when he was a kid, my mom used to babysit him. Like, so we were like Jack's brother as well. And we just been, you know, I'll knock on wood because, you know, so far so good, but, but we've been able to get, get through some of the, the, the rougher stuff. I'll say so far so good. Now songwriting and performing two are probably, I'm going to guess your most favorite things to do. Would you find that they're therapeutic for you as well? I mean, 1000%. Like for me, the, the making of new music and writing and recording is, is the, my, my absolute favorite thing. And I love playing live. I mean, we have a great live show and we have great crowds and stuff. And, but my favorite part is that excitement around writing and discovering new stuff. Like that's always kind of been my, my, the guiding force for me ever since I started, just, just the idea that, you know, something's not there this morning and you make it there this afternoon. And if it's any good, that can resonate with people and become something so beautiful and, and it can connect with people. And that to me is, is the closest thing I've ever experienced to magic in, in life. It's very magical. Do you, can you give an example, maybe of a song that was specifically, you know, cathartic to write and, and also what, what's the hierarchy of the writing? I mean, who does most of the writing? You should talk about the end and once upon a time, which is coming up off of our next record. Cause I think I wasn't involved in that one too much, but I think you said it was the first one you wrote when you started writing during the lockdowns. Yeah. Well, um, I, in terms of the writing situation in the band, like I, we all, we collaborate, Janagas, Jack and myself, and then sometimes we'll, we'll collaborate with whoever's producing and we're very, we're very open. We always switch up producers between every record because we're always looking for ways to shake things up. And, um, uh, I think for me, I write every day almost out of, uh, it's like, it is like a therapy to me, just to create, like, I just believe everybody should create every day. I, I, I even if it's not a great song, when I go listen back, I still get something out of it. And then sometimes even within those songs that you work on, that might not be anything special. You bring that to, I bring it to Janagas or I bring it to Jack or I bring it to one of our producers we're working with, and that can become this little, you know, acorn that becomes this beautiful oak tree, you know, in the, in the studio. And that's, that's kind of really neat to me to like, you know, it might just be, Oh, the second verse really, something really happened there. And then you just take that little bit and that grows into something. So that's usually the way all of our songs come about in terms of, of just, uh, you know, I write every day and except for when I'm on the road, but I write every day and then I bring it to the guys and we see if we can make something great out of it. I can imagine that process, like I got these lines. I just, you know, you think of things that, Oh my God, I could make a t-shirt out of that. And you make an incredible song out of something which is amazing. Yeah. But, but also like, I think one of the things, um, I think one of the keys to our longevity has been like not to get, we try to keep our, I mean, it sounds kind of cliche, but we try to keep our egos in check and like the idea is, look, it's not when your idea isn't well received, it's not a personal attack on you. It's just we, we kind of let the idea be more important than the three or four guys in the room. So whatever's going to make that better is always what we try to like, okay, that's the, that's the goal and however we can get there. That's so hard. Uh, number one, but number two, what an incredible exercise in life overall, just how to deal with people. It's been a long, that was the thing we had to learn. That was the kind of the hardest thing to learn. Yeah. But, um, everybody's a bit, every, I think it's, it's natural to be a bit protective and precious of your idea, um, off the, off the head, but I think we've all created long enough. Thanks for that. Yeah, yeah. We've all created long enough to, um, to see the results improved, to see the idea go from being this little thing to this flourishing thing that now 2000 people are singing back to you. Um, and that, that we've all seen the magic work that we trust in that process. And, uh, if it can get better than it should get better and it shouldn't stay the same just because you like it a lot, you know what I mean? Yeah. And that's, that's, and that's the nature of being in a band. And if you didn't want that, then you have to be a solo artist, you know what I mean? Like otherwise, if you're in a band, you kind of got to go all for one and one for all and let's, let's do it together kind of thing. Yeah. And there's nothing better than working with a creative team of people that can do that. I mean, that truly would be the penultimate way to be in any group of creatives. I think when you have people that, uh, have that incentive as the, like you can feel it, you know, like when you're, when you're working on the idea, everybody, you're getting chills. Like it's, it's not, it's not even a thinking thing. Eventually it's just a feeling and everybody's like, oh, we're all smiling. We're happy. Time is going by quickly. And like if you have that, you have to like, that's the most precious thing in the world. Now, if you're lucky enough to be Bob Dylan and you just wake up in the morning and that happens before coffee, but like, but in a band dynamic, um, you can, you know, we know it and like some nights, some days it doesn't work. But then when it is working, we're like, this is the, this is, it's right. You're, you've got chills. You're smiling. It's, it's, um, enthusiastic. So that's what we're kind of chasing. We'll be right back with more of the music safety podcast. This episode is brought to you by Spreaker, the platform responsible for a rapidly spreading condition known as podcast brain. Symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives and saying things like, sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere. People listen, Apple podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps. Your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones. Start your show today at Spreaker.com. Spreaker, because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it. Hi, this is Joe Wintersteen, host of the Spirit Daughter podcast, where we talk about astrology, natal charts, and how to step into your most vibrant life. And I just sat down with a mini driver. The Irish traveler said when I was 16, you're going to have a terrible time with men. Actor, storyteller, and unapologetic, Aquarian visionary. Aquarius is all about freedom, loving and different perspectives. And I find a lot of people with strong placements in Aquarius like are misunderstood. A son and Venus in Aquarius in her seventh house, spark her unconventional approach to partnership. He really has taught me to embrace people sleeping in different rooms, on different houses, in different places, but just an embracing of the is-ness of it all. If you're navigating your own transformation or just want to chart side view into how a leading artist integrates astrology, creativity, and real life, this episode is a must listen. Listen to the Spirit Daughter podcast starting on February 24th on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your podcast. I'm Clayton Eckerd. And in 2022, I was the lead of ABC's The Bachelor. Unfortunately, it didn't go according to plan. He became the first bachelor to ever have his final rose rejected. The internet turned on him. If I could press a button and rewind it, all I would. But what happened to Clayton after the show made even bigger headlines. It began as a one night stand and ended in a courtroom with Clayton at the center of a very strange paternity scandal. The media is here. This case has gone viral. The dating contract. Agree to date me, but I'm also suing you. Please search more. This is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trapped. This season, an epic battle of he said, she said, and the search for accountability in a sea of lies. I have done nothing to get rid of the Bachelor. Listen to Love Trapped on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Good people. What's up? What's up? It's Questlove. So recently I had the incredible opportunity to have a real conversation with actors and producer Jamie Lee Curtis ahead of the release of her new thriller series, Scarpetta. I can honestly say I've never done an interview like that before. You know, at one point I shut my laptop down and we just started chatting as old friends, recent Oscar recipient. So we have some commonality there. I predicted that, by the way. And you said these words to me, dust off your mantle. Yes. And I looked at you and I said, what? And you said dust off your mantle. And then I left and that was it. And then when all of that happened, I remember the next morning, I think I wanted to like write you and go, how did you know? Listen to the Questlove show on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I went and sat on the little ottoman in front of him. Hi, dad. And just when I said that, my mom comes out of the kitchen and she says, I have some cookies and milk. This is badass convict. Right. Just finished five years. I'm going to have cookies and milk at mom. Yeah. On the Cine Show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor, cultural icon, Danny Trail, talk about addiction, transformation and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to bench, featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Addish, Johnny Knoxville and more. I'm an alcoholic. And without this truth, I'm gonna die. Open your free iHeart Radio app. Search the Cine Show and listen now. Welcome back to the Music Saved Me podcast. Hindsight's always 20-20, kind of like we discussed earlier, but are there lyrics specifically in your back catalog that stand out to you as meaning, like new meaning to you today than even when you wrote it originally? Oh, yeah. All the time. Like there's songs where even I'm on stage the night we have a new song called Don't Get Lost in the Dark. We played it at a show the other night and I while I was playing it, I'm like, oh, I think I think this song might be about this thing. And it was just it was just something that had happened on the East Coast years ago. And I was like and I just got chills. I was like, oh, I didn't even I didn't have any intention of this. It's just it just caught fire in my imagination. And it made the song so meaningful to me. And I was just so impressed with that. Like not impressed by me or the song. But like, I was like, oh, this is cool. Like I feel like I'm getting something out of this that I never thought I'd ever get. And it was a nice moment. You know, it's like those moments that people say to you cliche lines or, you know, time flies when you're having fun or just anything that comes to mind. And then you're going through life and something happens to you. You're like, wait a minute, that's why that person said that to me. Or that's what that song meant or those lyrics meant. I please you for a reason. That's because they have. Yes, yes. Yeah. Um, I'm just curious how you take care of your mental health, both of you individually, when you're on the road, when you're in the studio. I mean, what type of are there any rituals or habits that sort of keep you grounded when you're out playing for thousands of screaming fans and living that life that almost seems like you're in a dream or it's, you know. Yeah, do you want to go on this one first, Sergei? No, you go. OK, well, yeah, I I had to like, I've had to do a lot for that. Like I've been sober for four and a half years. Congratulations. That's a big deal. Yeah. For after many years, not quite four and a half, four and a couple months. And I I've had to do a lot. I have quite a few things to do on the on the road to stay grounded and stay, you know, I, you know, meditate and I try to exercise. You know, I I do a lot of reading and writing just to stay grounded because I find especially when you're like performing for people and like there's there's so much like pressure and then there's there's ego and there's anxiety and you're just trying to stay grounded by that. I don't always win the win the fight, but I have to do a lot to keep to keep regulated, I guess you could say when I'm out there because I can get kind of swept away in it for better or for worse. I bet. I bet. Yeah. I mean, beyond like I try to go for a run every now and then. But, you know, I keep myself very busy. You could say that's like just a big old distraction or or, you know, maybe I'm putting things off, but I do like to keep myself busy. I like to have a lot of projects on the go. You know, I'm producing this or I'm hosting this radio show. I'm raising three kids and dealing with a lot of the bands affairs. And so, yeah, I'll probably have a breakdown at some point in the future. No, no, don't say that. We don't want that. No, but it's it's really good. That was a joke. That was a joke. No, of course. It didn't laugh me. Because it wasn't a good joke. No, but I mean, you have to laugh because, you know, life is just it's so it's so hard in general and then you pile on it success and, you know, and then issues that you may have along the way. And it's just it's a lot to navigate, even for those of us who aren't in a major rock band touring the world, in which case I would love to know your advice that you might have for someone who might be struggling and needs to turn to music for solace. Do you have any advice for them? The only thing I'll add is you said even if you're not in a rock band, but I think that the sort of inverse of that is like we get to have that outlet. And like people always say like life is so hard anyway, then you add the stresses of performance, but at the same time, the flip of that is like we get to wear our emotions on our sleeves and sing them at the top of our lungs for five to ten thousand to like up to like 60, whatever the biggest crowd we've ever played for. And they're just our emotions. They're just our feelings at the moment. I can might have had a bad day. I can go guitar solo for an hour. You know what I mean? Like it's not this is like an unappreciated part of what it is to express yourself in art. And I think that my advice would be if you really are having a hard time chronically, then try to find that outlet. You know, it's it might be writing. It might be writing a book or painting. It might be artisanal work. Maybe you maybe your woodworker. It could be like, but try to find some method of creative expression. And I'm sure that will go a long way. That's at least taking your mind to at least taking your mind off of it. That's for sure. Good advice. And like there's a book called The Artist's Way. And I always thought was really great. And it's like for anybody who wants to be an artist. And I think everybody is an artist. I just think that, you know, it's not all meant to be released to the public. And there's this great book about just these things you can do to feel a little bit more. I mean, artistic in your life, you know, journal in the morning. There's things to do that are creative, that are powerful outlets. And that book's a good one. So check out The Artist's Way. I just wrote it down. I'm curious. I would like to read that. That's I want so much more time with you. I need to know just a quick yes or no. Did you have mentors when you were growing up that people sort of reaffirmed to you that you were on the right track or that you did have these skills? Yes, we did have. We had many like, but they're unexpected. Like I think of our old friend Ian McDonald, Ian Charles McDonald, who we've lost a bit of touch with, but we grew up with him. And he really informed our playing style and our teams because he had such a deep knowledge of what we were going for. We had a kind of a surface like we do our records, but he had like a library of records that he was sort of hipping us to. And he really informed. There was a guy named Blair Seaboyer who believed in our band and let us jam at his house. He did our sound for next to nothing. And then eventually we ran into like our business mentor was a guy named Larry Wannagest, who saw what we were doing. He was managing Katie Lang for 15 years and he managed Big Sugar, another big Canadian act. And he became our business mentor. He managed our band for 15 years and he introduced us to our first producer, Gordy Johnson, who again was a tough love mentor. He saw what we were going for and thought, I can, I can improve this. You know, this is what it harness it. Yeah. And he was rough on us, you know, as a producer. He was right though. And sometimes you need that. Sometimes you need a kick and sometimes you need to care it, but he was the kicking kind, but it helped us as a band for sure. Well, a lot of times that's all somebody needs to make a big change and an impact on them is just to hear it from somebody who's doing it or has done it. And and then you're off to the races. And he took us on tour and he didn't have to do that and gave us a lot of national exposure. So and then that list goes on. We really, really have always looked up to the tragically hip. Do you know the tragically hip? Oh, yeah. Come on. Yeah. Okay. I don't know. I don't know. When I'm talking to an American, I never know. But you never know. They're so big in Canada. They loom as large as like our most famous prime ministers do. Yeah. And we always looked up to them as fans. And then they took us under their wing and treated us kind of like little brothers. And we eventually made music at their studio and collaborated with their bass player, Gordon Clair, who became a mentor on like how to be an adult in in this music business. You know, how to really navigate yourself and compose yourself. And that band we just idolized and looked up to and they became mentors in a way too. So it never really ends really in that way. You know, so. Do you ever really want to be an adult? Really? I mean, come on. None of us want to grow up. Join a rock band and then at least to keep one foot and be in a teenager still. It's just I wish that I could be. I know that like just in the minor sense, the feeling it is to be on that stage. And like you were talking earlier about getting all of that out. You're giving it to the audience too. And they're giving it back to you. So it's like this huge, you know, cathartic session of inspiration. And and it's it's pretty amazing. Pretty powerful, very powerful. Has a fan ever told you a story? Either one of you that how your music specifically has helped them through a hard time? I was just talking to a gentleman at our gig at a place called the Keta Baller last Friday, maybe it's up in like it's like a cottage country, Ontario gig. And he said he just got over about with cancer and he said he just listened to our song, The Breakdown over and over again. It really, really helped him. And I was like, wow, that's I didn't even know how to respond. I just kind of gave him a hug and a handshake and I said, I'm so happy to hear that the cancer is gone. And I'm sure the medicine had a lot more to do with it than the song. But I think the song kind of helped in a weird way for him. And he was like, he really wanted me to know that. And I was just kind of it was just like one of those we were having to meet and greet with our fans and and he just kind of sprung this on me. Like I was in the middle of like, you know, people ask me what songs are playing on night and signing stuff. And he said, like, you know, I just got over cancer and I listened to The Breakdown every day for months. And I was like, oh, my God, that's so incredibly heavy. And amazing in every way. You know, and so yeah, I've had a few people tell me some very, very similar stories and it's always it's almost too much to take in. Like at the time, you're kind of like that's incredible. And in my first thought is I hope you're OK. I hope you continue to be OK. And I'm glad that our our music is helping in some way, shape or form. But yeah, I've had quite a few of those moments over the years. That's pretty incredible. Yeah, John, you. And you remember. Yeah, there is there's a lot of them. You know, we have a song called Highway of Heroes, which is a tribute to a woman we knew that went to fight in Afghanistan and was tragically killed. But it's resonated much beyond her story. And we've had people show up to our shows with like their siblings tags who are deceased from conflict and like hand them to us on stage and said, we want you guys to have these or something like that. It's just like the power of those moments. It's like a little bit overwhelming because it's enormous. But you know, you don't you don't know these people the way they do. You know, the tragedy is not the same for you as it is for them. But they've connected your song to it and then they've connected us to it because of the song. And it's it's it's just proof of how powerful music can be in truly. Yes, especially in moments like that. Did you expect that when you first got together as a band, those types of stories coming at you? No, not at all. And and it's like, you know, we like music is our is our profession. And we put everything into it and we like to write songs that are meaningful to us initially. And you never think in a million years that like, oh, I'm I'm going to write a song that a guy got through cancer because of like that. That would be a weird thing to think, you know, for the for the creator of a song. But but I've, you know, I don't know what it is. I just we just sing about what we're going through and how we're feeling. And and it resonates with people. And I mean, it's incredible. It's it's I feel like humbled by it, I guess. And I don't want to think like too much beyond that because I just I songs are songs and I love them and they've gotten me through hard times too. But yeah, I don't know what else to say. Now, I I understand because it's not why you why you do it. But then it becomes sort of self fulfilling. Yeah. And it's amazing that there's more. This is something that I always say, we're all more alike than we are different. So chances are, when you're making this incredible music and writing these words, that they're going to stick with a lot of people. And that's it's like, I think with us, it's always like, how do we what's the best song? Like, we're always thinking what is the best song? And the best song is something that's got there's many elements of, you know, memorable is probably the first one. And then, you know, a little bit of lyrical depths without being pretentious. And then, you know, and then a good groove and a rhythm. And we kind of almost approach it like that. And in some of those creations end up really resonating with people. And that's amazing. It sure is. And I got a couple of quick questions before I let you go. Looking forward, the Bloody Light is your album coming out in October. There's themes of hope and resilience and healing in all of it throughout. Again, lucky me, I got to hear it before anyone else. And is there is there anything particular within the album that you hope listeners really connect with? Is there a message that you're trying to put out there that you want them to know? I think that's kind of it. You know, I think it's like it hasn't been. The easiest five or six years between anywhere in North America, you know, between everything that everybody's kind of gone through. And I think the message we have is, yep, it's not easy. We're not going to pretend like it is, but we're still going to try to make music and move forward and move through it together. I think it's awesome. I mean, just the fact that you are still doing it again, hitting number one after all these years is is enough for me alone. Just to hear that story about you not even hearing your music. It's it's really incredible feat. Yeah, much less your sobriety, which is another really big deal. I don't care what anyone says. I really congratulate you on it. And I hope they continue forward down that path. And you're certainly helping a lot of people more than you know. My last question to you, John and Colin, is if you could go back and play one song for your younger self during a tough time in your life, what would it be? And why? Of any song of any song. It's really that's a very good question. I think the songs that really help me, our songs, I might have already known then. I, you know, I don't I'm going to go with one of our songs just because it's easier because those weren't invented when we were young. But like between the end and once upon a time, certainly has and that's coming up on our next record. It certainly has like a there's like a totality to it. And I feel like if you could have played that for our band when we were first starting out and been like, you're going to write this song in like 25 years. How long it was? I'd be like, oh, that's a reason to keep going, because it's not exactly the style we were working in for a long time, but it has like a depth of emotion and like a large scope to it. And I really like it a lot. So I'm just going to go with that. And nobody can even hear it yet. It's coming out in October, but I can't hear it. You can come back. OK, it's funny because it's such an emotional question, but my analytical brain kicked in, so I'm just going to go with that. And so I've been listening kind of religiously to the anthology of American folk music this whole year. And it's about it's a playlist on Spotify. I don't know how long the original album is, but it's about 65 songs long on the playlist and I've been studying it. I've been listening to it. I've been learning it. I went online and wrote because it's hard to get the recordings or some of the first recordings in American music. So it's really hard to decipher the lyrics. So Spotify doesn't even have the lyrics because they can't pick them up. You know, so I had to go to the internet. I've written them all in my voice notes on my phone. So when I'm warming up for a gig, I'll go and listen to the anthology and just sing the songs. And I wish I could go back to me starting in a band and go like, you need to listen to this phrasing because by the time you're 21, you'll be the coolest fucking guy in the world. And I instead I was listening to like what everybody was listening to, you know, alternative and grunge and blah, blah, blah and whatever. But no, you should be listening to this right now. And you will kick so much ass. But but I but I would that's like there's my ambition is if I could go back to seventeen, sixteen year old me like throw out the grunge records. Those are great. We love them. Go listen to only this record for four years and copy it and then start your band. That's what I would do. I love it. I love talking with you too. And I also wrote that down by the way. See, I love learning new things from people in discussions. There's there's nothing better than that. And you certainly both have taught me a lot and hopefully our listeners a lot as well. Colin McDonald, John Angus McDonald, the trues. Thank you for being on Music Save Me and good luck with everything in the future. And please come back and see us maybe when you're traveling through America. What 100 percent? Thank you for having us.