TH E STRU MBELL AS
What’s perhaps most impressive
about Rattlesnake is how seamlessly
it stitches those two sides of the band
together – the radio-ready pop-rock and
scrappy folk fare. Look no further than
album closer “All My Life” for an exam-
ple of the two perfectly intertwined in a
single track.
“It must be the case that other artists
need to worry about selling out or not
sounding like themselves, but I just don’t
think we have that problem – even if we
wanted to,” says Ritter. “We’ll be sitting
in the studio like, ‘Let’s make this the
biggest, poppiest tune, like, let’s get big
drums…’ And then we do it and take it to
110 per cent, and then we listen back and
it sounds like a Strumbellas record. I think
we’ll always be, on some level, a farmer’s
market folk band from the small towns
outside of Toronto.”
That said, there’s a marked sonic
evolution with each subsequent release,
and Ward and Ritter see that more as the
result of getting closer to their collective
vision of what Strumbellas should be than
an overt or intentional shift.
“Our sound is almost the result of
us not quite getting what’s in our heads,”
offers Ritter. “Like, we’re always trying to
get this perfect, biggest, most fun record,
and the reach always exceeds the grasp …
Each album, we’re trying to get there and
never quite do.”
Lyrically, though, Rattlesnake does
mark an obvious and intentional departure
from its predecessors. The album title
references the idea of facing one’s fears,
of shedding old skin and evolving. Ward
admits that death and existentialism have
been pillars of his poetry throughout the
band’s first three releases; this time, he
challenged himself to explore new ground.
“A good chunk of the record is truly
just a message to my wife to hopefully
express to her how she saved my life,”
reveals a candid Ward. “You know, I love
when people are in love, and I know that
sounds cheesy – and I’ve never used the
word ‘love’ in a song because I can’t do it
without being cheesy – but I wish there
was a way I could write her a letter to say,
‘I just want you to know that I lived a life
full of turmoil inside of me and the saving
grace was you.’ That’s what I was trying
36 C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
to get across on this record – and then
throw in some death and existential stuff
on lines three and four [laughs].”
Ward has been relatively open about
his struggles with stress and anxiety
in the past, which makes his relatively
laissez-faire attitude towards the question
mark of how Rattlesnake might be received
somewhat surprising; in reality, it’s more an
indication that making and sharing music
is a form of therapy in itself.
“Even through all the depression and
sadness I’ve experienced in my life, you
know what I truly, truly want to be here
for? I love making songs,” he says. “I’m a
song junkie. It fascinates me how human
beings can create these things that make
my whole heart flutter and make me think
about who I am and see the world in a
different way and feel so sad or happy.
I just love songs and making songs and
sharing songs.”
The Strumbellas will have ample oppor-
tunity to share their music over a slew of
summer festival dates in Canada, the U.S.,
and Europe in the coming months, includ-
ing Milwaukee’s massive SummerFest,
the Canada Day festivities on Parliament
Hill in Ottawa, and a special mini-festival
in early July at Hamilton, ON’s Royal
Botanical Gardens that the band curated
themselves.
“Somehow, we got an offer to play
the Botanical Gardens, and we thought
that was pretty cool – playing a unique
venue and inviting kids and thinking of it
as a big, fun show,” Ward tells Canadian
Musician from Kansas City, MO amidst
final days of the Rattlesnake U.S. tour.
Joining them on the bill are Dan
Mangan, Donovan Woods, and Dizzy, and
their invitations were based on more than
alliteration. “Those are three bands we
think are awesome, that fit our personality
and style and small-town Canadian vibe
that we think people will enjoy.”
Ward’s excitement is palpable, and
ironically, this is one unique scenario
where question marks aren’t welcome –
at least not on their side as festival hosts;
this time, they’re hoping to share the joy
of the unknown and unexpected with their
guests via a fun lineup in a unique setting
with a wide-ranging audience.
“We’re just so excited to put on a
hometown show that’s different from your
typical bar or venue show downtown,” he
enthuses. “It’s something that literally all
of our friends and family are coming to.”
The date will be a hybrid of a Strum-
bellas headlining show and their more
typical festival slots, which often come
with shorter sets and, largely based on
where they’re performing, a varying per-
centage of the crowd being familiar with
their work.
“The festivals are more upbeat,
fun, jumping-around shows, and then
the headlining shows can be a bit more
dynamic,” Ward explains. “When you’re in
a band, and we’ve been playing shows for
10 years, you watch the audience and take
their engagement into account, and get a
good idea of the songs that best resonate
with them.”
It’s an approach that has served them
well in recent years as they’ve performed
festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and
Austin City Limits. Coupled with the wide
appeal of their signature sonic concoc-
tion, the band has watched its audience
swell on the back of such performances
and Ward looks forward to continuing the
trend in the coming months.
“Without question, it’s awesome,” the
singer says about the opportunity to be
part of such diverse bills and subsequent-
ly reach potential fans they otherwise
wouldn’t encounter. “We’re totally cool
with country and electric rock and thrash
folk, so we’ll play with anybody if it’s cool.
I mean, we’ve been called everything un-
der the sun, from funeral pop to indie folk