Hedley: The Show Must Go ...

Named after the town in BC, Canadian pop/rock/punk band Hedley is back on the scene. The band, which consists of bassist Tom MacDonald, guitarist Dave Rosin, drummer Chris Crippin and lead vocalist Jacob Hoggard, has been on an incessant rise since their debut self-titled album in 2005. It has been over two years since Hedley’s sophomore release, Famous Last Words, and now this multi-platinum selling band has released their third studio album titled, The Show Must Go, with their hit single Cha-Ching receiving some serious radio play. I had the pleasure of sitting down with the always entertaining Jacob Hoggard to chat about music, reality TV and the band’s eternal quest for a Juno.

YT: Your music is generally labelled as pop/punk/rock, but I find evidence of reggae, as well as rap and metal influences, in your music. Where do your influences come from?
JH: Us four have an eclectic sense of taste. Dave listens to pop, electronic and alternative dance. I’m more urban, Motown, old gospel, hip hop and rap. Tom and Chris love metal, particularly bands such as Metallica, the Maiden and AC/DC. We have weird combinations that start to come out after the songs have been written. That’s when we begin putting everyone’s musical touch on the song. Sometimes it just doesn’t work because we can’t connect the styles together and the message that we want to communicate is lost. Most of the time it works though.

YT: You’ve gone platinum with your first two albums. Are you feeling any pressure with your third album?
JH: No, no, not at all (sarcastically). Yeah, OF COURSE! It is crazy and stressful. You put a lot of effort into it and... there is [a lot] of pressure to do well and many things riding on it. Nerve-racking is the word for it.

YT: Are the love songs on “The Show Must Go” based on personal experiences?
JH: Oh yeah! The songs on love are based on personal experiences. Love songs come from romantic interests. My girlfriend is very inspiring. The Sweater Song on our new album is based on a true experience. My favourite songs to write are the slow and sweet ones. I know it is cheesy, but I love writing them. It’s a good emotional outlet. There are not a lot of mediums for guys to express themselves in. I think it’s good to be able to go to the piano and shake it out. Most guys sing about politics and racism. There’s enough of that.

YT: Your first single “Cha-Ching” speaks about reality TV. How do you feel these types of shows affect teens’ perspective on
what reality is?
JH: The other day, I was watching crazy commercials on television about really expensive cars. I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, they’re still making people believe that you too can drive the Lexus 753T with floating technology and an automatic coffee-making machine.” You need fame and fortune to have this awesome stuff. The reason why we can get away with this song is because it takes a piss at reality TV... anyone can do it now. The fame part is just exciting for people.

I did the same thing [Hoggard competed on the first season of Canadian Idol]. Reality TV was exciting for me. Suddenly, it made me famous. I wanted to be a rock band playing at the World Cup. For a lot of people, there are lot of ways to do it. You could be fat or on drugs. Shows like Intervention, The Biggest Loser, they’re very exploitative. Everyone who goes on the show knows that. If you were a very big person and went on The Biggest Loser, you’d probably know that you’d be losing weight and making some money. Then you’d buy a plasma and go to Cuba.

YT: What legacy would you like Hedley to leave in the music industry?
JH: I’d like to win a Juno award one day. Instead of 30 nominations, it’d be nice to win one. It’s not going to feed me or keep me warm or tell me it loves me at night, but it’d be fun.

(Jokingly) I’d like to leave the legacy that we never went to jail for an extended period of time, nothing over five nights.