Challenging The Forces of Physics

OLP's Career Reaches New Heights,
Thanks To 'Gravity.'

>> Raine Maida in the low light of Anaheim's HOB. >>

Though it's been less than a year since Our Lady Peace played Los Angeles, quite a bit has changed for the Canadian rockers.  For starters, they have an amazing new guitarist, Steve Mazur, whom after an intense search replaced the departed Mike Turner.

Secondly, and far more importantly, they have an amazing new record, Gravity [read the review], and their biggest U.S. hit to date, "Somewhere Out There."  Through the radio support for the single, they've been able to tap into a whole new set of fans, while Gravity, on the whole, maintains the sonic quality that brought them notoriety and a passionate fan following in the first place. 

Produced by the legendary Bob Rock, Gravity is by far the most complete and accessible record in OLP's catalogue, and it's filled with potential hits.  Rock's influence on the way singer Raine Maida composed lyrics and on the recording process in general, combined with the addition of Mazur, resulted in the most positive and exciting disc the band has put forth. "Not only do we feel like it's the best record we've ever done," bassist Duncan Coutts told us, "But we feel like a reborn band."  Big changes indeed.

The positive vibe has only made their stunning live show even more exciting.  Playing Anaheim, CA's House of Blues for the first time ever, OLP seemed revitalized and the electricity was palpable.  Mazur's playing solidifies a roll that needed filling in the OLP line up, while the steady brilliance of Coutts and drummer Jeremy Taggert is all the more polished and solid.  Having the instrumental parts complete and energized allows Maida to explore the stage a bit more and engage the crowd to an even greater degree than in the past.  While OLP has always been an amazing live band, Mazur's quality and technical expertise is a welcome addition.

>> Duncan in the HOB mist. >>

Reaching back through their entire five-album catalogue, OLP played everything from "Starseed," the track that first brought them notice back in 1995, through to "Do You Like It," "Story About A Girl" and other crowd-pleasers from Gravity.  They stopped along the way with "Superman's Dead," their first U.S. hit, from 1997's Clumsy, as well as fan anthem "One Man Army" from 1999's Happiness…Is Not A Fish You Can Catch.  The night provided a nice balance of old and new, which allowed older fans to get their fix while not losing the newer OLP converts.

For most, if not all, of the fans in attendance, this was the first opportunity to hear the new tracks and see them performed live.  OLP didn't disappoint, for the most part sticking to the album versions of the new songs.   Considering this is Mazur's first tour as a member of the group, he seemed equally as comfortable on older songs as he did on those he helped create.  This may be in part to the much more open and live feel of Gravity as compared to the other OLP records.

One aspect of an OLP show that never fails to amaze is Raine Maida's vocal quality.  Regardless of how many OLP shows you've witnessed, each new exposure to his uniquely beautiful voice is stunning.  Combined with his intense charisma, it's no wonder Our Lady Peace has such a strong fan following.  One this is certain: that already fervent fan base is only going to grow with the hits that are sure to come from Gravity.

VOX: This seems like a much more positive record than any of the past albums.  Was there some great change?
Duncan Coutts: Umm, yeah, well, I'll tell you, man, there were many things that changed from the last record.  One of them, maybe one of the biggest things, was that Raine was challenged lyrically for the first time.  It's no disrespect to Arnold (Lanni, OLP's producer prior to Gravity), but Arnold really challenged us musically and pushed us there, but he let Raine come up with the lyrical content and didn't question anything there.  Not that Bob (Rock) forced anything, but when Raine would come in, Bob would ask him, "What are you trying to say here?"   Raine would explain it and Bob would tell him he just wasn't getting it, that it wasn't coming across.  I think that forced Raine to open up and for the lyrics to be less veiled. 

>> Raine Maida >>

VOX: Was there something that changed things and made it more positive?
Duncan: I think it's probably - and I'm speculating here - but I think it had a lot to do with where he was in life at the point where the lyrics were written.   I think that personally he was in a good spot, and I know that the band is in a good space.  We were away from the hustle and bustle of city life and away from management and the label.  There we were, five thousand miles away from all those things and totally relaxed.  There was also the personnel change in the band.   It was a lot of different factors, but I think they all contributed to the positive feel of the record.

VOX: Speaking of personnel changes, how has the addition of Steve Mazur changed things within the band?
Duncan: He's exciting!  He's an exciting player.  He goes off in a different direction every night, which is great for us.  We've wanted to change guitar players for some time, so this was a needed change, and it's been great.

VOX: Tell me about the making of the record.
Duncan: It was amazing.  It was the first time we had ever lived together while we were making a record.  That may not seem like such a big deal, but I think it was.  In the past, if someone got mad, they could get up, walk out, drive away, etc.  This time we couldn't do that, so we talked about it.  It ended up being a really good environment for us.

Another thing is that we didn't work long hours.   We were used to putting in twelve-to-sixteen hour days.  With Bob, we started at about 1:00 in the afternoon, worked until dinner, took a break to eat together, then worked for a while longer.  It allowed us to enjoy the process more and it made for a much more healthy process.  It was great to just hang out, surf together when we could, eat together, drink together and not have anyone else around.
VOX: No wives or girlfriends?
Duncan:  No!  Just us and our tour manager.
VOX: I can't imagine he had much to do…
Duncan: Just drive us around, run and get something here or there…it was an easy time for him, too.

VOX: Did you guys come away from the process feeling like this was the best OLP record yet?
Duncan:  Yup.  Yeah, absolutely.  I can say this was the most excited we've ever been about a record.  Not only do we feel like it's the best record we've ever done, but we feel like a reborn band.  This record is everything we wanted it to be.  It's already got us thinking, "What can we do on the next record?"

VOX: Is the next record something you guys are already thinking about seriously?
Duncan: Raine has been writing a lot.  I've written a few things.   We've been doing some noodling together, as a band, which is great for getting the creative juices flowing.  One thing we're most proud of is that we've been able to do three records in three years.  Not too many bands get to do that, but it's something we want to continue.

>> The always emotive Raine Maida >>

VOX: Heading back to the studio, was there a goal for Gravity - something you wanted to get across?
Duncan: No, not really…we knew we wanted to make a change, show an evolution…once the songs started coming together, and we could see and hear the direction we were moving in, we knew we were on the right path.

VOX: Gravity has more potential singles than any of the past OLP records - was there an effort to write stuff that was more radio-friendly?
Duncan: No, we write rather quickly and tend not to labor over stuff.   If you try to write radio hits, specifically, I think two things happen; one, you sacrifice a bit of your soul, which you should be pouring into the song.  The song suffers in that way.  Secondly, you would be greatly disappointed if the song flopped and wasn't a hit.  We don't want to end up in that position.

VOX: Do you think that Bob pushing Raine to be clearer had something to do with the songs being more accessible?
Duncan: I'm sure it does.  If anyone can relate to the lyrics, if Raine opening up and allows more people to appreciate what he has to say, then I'm all for it.

VOX: Do you have a personal favorite track on Gravity?
Duncan: A lot of them…it's hard to pick a favorite, but I will…"Story About A Girl" was done the first day, right after meeting with Bob for the first time…and "Bring Back The Sun" is interesting because it's actually the second take of a demo - we just went back and over-dubbed strings and stuff, but what you're hearing is basically done live, second take.

VOX: Any changes to the live show?
Duncan: We've added a new multi-instrumentalist to the tour.  It had been Jamie Edwards who came out with us, but now we've got Mike Eisenstein, who had been in Letters To Cleo.  He's great.

We don't want to just play songs from Gravity, so we'll keep reaching back and playing stuff from all the records.  We don't want to be a band that just plays the singles.  That's something that isn't going to change.

VOX: What gear are you playing?
Duncan: Sadowsky basses…Ampeg and Aguilar.  Ampeg cabinets and heads and an Aguilar pre-amp.  Also, I'm using a BassPOD for the ultra lows.   Bob taught me that tricks when were in the studio.  I had never used them before, but I love it.