IN CONCERT
What: The Sadies with Tremblers of Sevens
When: Sunday, 7 p.m.
Where: Upstairs Cabaret, 15 Bastion Sq.
Tickets: $25 at Lyle’s Place and Ticketzone.com
Toronto roots rockers The Sadies have 10 albums bearing their name, but their discography expands to nearly double that number when you factor in myriad collaborations with other artists.
Adaptability has been the band’s calling card since the mid-’90s, when the group fronted by brothers Dallas and Travis Good wormed its way into the mainstream with a revitalized country sound that was equal parts Nashville and noir.
“Sometimes it starts out as talk and nothing ever happens with it,” drummer Mike Belitsky said of the band’s philosophy when it comes to projects with other musicians.
“But sometimes you end up making a record and going on tour for a year, like we did with John Doe [of X], [soul singer] Andre Williams and [Tragically Hip frontman] Gord Downie. Some of those collaborations have turned into deep relationships that are both creative and personal.”
Belitsky has worked outside the group on occasion, most notably on tours with The Pernice Brothers. Those projects are rare, however. The skill level of The Sadies — the Good brothers are exceptional guitarists — has made the members in-demand session players, for recordings with everyone from Neko Case to Jon Langford of The Mekons. But extensive forays outside The Sadies have never been a priority. “We tend to play music together, probably 98 per cent of the time,” Belitsky said.
“The other two per cent are things that aren’t going to interfere, time-wise, with anything The Sadies are doing.”
The quartet, which also features bassist Sean Dean, is touring Canada for the umpteenth time, with a show in Victoria Sunday as part of the trek to promote its critically acclaimed new album, Northern Passages.
The record (which Mojo magazine ranked “up there with the best” in their vast catalogue) was recorded in the basement of the Good family home in Newmarket. Ont., where Dallas and Travis grew up and learned to play guitar.
Parents Margaret and Bruce Good (he of the Canadian country group The Good Brothers) were in and out of the house for the recording of Northern Passages, which gave a laid-back feel to the proceedings, Belitsky said. The band brought in its own gear for the sessions, and with Dallas at the helm as producer, spent several weeks making good use of the basement’s natural acoustics.
“It wasn’t a super-elaborate mobile recording unit, but it was enough to take advantage of the raw materials that were there,” Belitsky said. “We caught lightning in a jar. It sounded really good in there.”
Success for the group has been modest but steady over the years. Thanks to relationships with some of the best musicians Canada has to offer, from Downie and The Tragically Hip (who have taken the band on the road as an opening act) to Blue Rodeo, with whom they have collaborated extensively, The Sadies have enjoyed a certain amount of shine. Their hard-touring ways have also added to their profile, with a string of Canadian tours on their résumé.
Belitsky likes to look at his career from a practical perspective. “We always try to do something. You have to — other people don’t work for 12 days and take two months off. It’s a job. It’s work. We’re not a band that ever had a No. 1 hit and is basking in the glory of that. If you’re going to call yourself a band, then you have to go to work.”
The Sadies spent the early part of the year on tour out East with Blue Rodeo, but have been on the road as headliners in the months since.
The quartet’s Canadian run kicked off Sept. 13 in Winnipeg, and comes to a close in Victoria at the Upstairs Cabaret. From there, the band regroups before heading overseas for dates in England, Australia and Europe.
Tour life is a more comfortable existence than it was during the early part of their career, Belitsky said with a laugh. “When The Sadies finally had enough juice to not have to stay at people’s houses, we could afford a one-room hotel room between the four of us.
“It used to wear me down, but I had a revelation. Say we’re on an eight-hour flight, what does that mean? I’m going to watch two movies and read a book. There’s nothing to complain about. It’s not like I’m digging a ditch for eight hours.”
Members of The Sadies have been making their living playing music for a good portion of their careers, which is rare — only a small percentage of musicians in Canada don’t have day jobs. Though they work hard, Belitsky said, part of the band’s longevity can be attributed to members’ collective mindset.
“[Travelling] can’t be the thing that makes or breaks staying together,” he said. “And that takes a lot of patience on everybody’s part. Some bands break up too soon, because they go to the wall on something they should have backed away from.”