Tupelo Honey: A Band in Motion Stays in Motion

Adopting their name from the classic Van Morrison song, Edmonton rockers Tupelo Honey have been making a mark on the Canadian music scene since 2003. The indie band beat out State of Shock in the Vancouver Xtreme Bandslam competition in 2005, won a music video award at the Leos in 2008 and have just released their latest full-length album. With former lead singer Matthew Landry recently leaving the band, guitarist Dan Davidson has stepped up and taken over, keeping the band’s momentum going. I caught up with Dan over the phone to talk about everything from the band’s new album to their love for Alberta beef.

YT: Each member of Tupelo Honey brings a very diverse musical background to the group. How would you describe the sound of your own music?
DD: Oh, that’s a tough one! Um, well, what I always thought was cool was that our band has every little type of music. Like Steve knows a lot of jazz and it really makes his bass hard to top. Greg, he loves the ’80s and pop music and he loves the great drummers. Tyler kind of grew up loving metal and he’s a huge country fan too and I, well, I just listen to a lot of rock songs, especially from the late ’90s and early 2000s. But we all have a love for pop music and music that makes people want to sing. We love guitar, heavy riffs and stuff, but we just want to get a great melody that people can sing to and remember.

YT: How was the process of recording your new album?
DD: It was really choppy this time because we recorded most of it before we parted ways with Matt. So it was pretty much all done and then we had to find a new singer for it, so we were auditioning people and going back and forth. I was out in Toronto working on Shiloh’s new record and I convinced my producer to throw me in the studio to do one. We brought it back to the guys and they liked it so I went to finish the album.

YT: What makes your new album unique or better than your previous albums?
DD: I think it’ll just sound like Tupelo Honey still, just with me singing. It’s all the same, just a different voice. We’ve kind of done the same thing we’ve always done, you know, just trying to sound like Tupelo Honey... try not to pigeonhole ourselves with just metal songs or just ballads. We’re trying to cover our ground, so we get the maximum variety for our music.

YT: What do you hope to accomplish with the new album?
DD: Well, we want to go out and get support and see all our fans out in Toronto and the prairies and Nova Scotia. We just want to do some showcasing, maybe go to L.A. and just go out to all those places in the fall. And later we want to even try and break into Europe. We just want to gain support and show our new stuff to everyone. We want to do more shows and such.

YT: What defines a Tupelo Honey song?
DD: We’re a very guitar-driven band. But a good hook and a soaring melody is what we believe in. We love just getting to play together and getting into that groove we all manage to lock into. We like guitar riffs and a big climax in the song, so people know when you get to the big part where it matters. It’s all about congruency, I guess. We love a big guitar, a big melody and a great hook – that’s what we go for.

YT: What’s your favourite thing about performing?
DD: Just getting out in front of people. It’s just so fun to get up on a stage and play rock music with your friends. It’s awesome... it’s addicting! When we’re up there and all eyes are on us, the feeling is just great.

YT: You’ve opened for many big artists, including Bon Jovi, Bif Naked and Billy Talent. How do you think these artists influenced your band’s music?
DD: Well, it’s not really the music, more how we can connect with them... They’re so lovable, you know? We learn from the way they conduct themselves. Like when we played for Bon Jovi, there was something about stepping up to the plate and playing for 72,000 people that makes you go, “Hmm, this is kind of awesome. I kinda want to do this some more.” We watch what they do and we find what makes people love them so much and try to figure that out. They’re not so much a direct influence on our music, but definitely a big influence on our drive and how we conduct ourselves professionally.

YT: If you had to describe Tupelo Honey in three words, what would they be?
DD: Hmm... Nintendo, meat and rock! We’re kind of nerds. We’re always playing video games when we’re out on the road. We’re definitely Alberta guys. When we settle down to celebrate, we always get steak and hamburgers... we love Alberta food.

For Tupelo Honey’s upcoming tour dates, visit tupelohoney.ca.