Canadian Musician September / October 2019 | Page 37

Ian Thornley (Guitars/Vocals)
Guitars
• Suhr Ian Thornley Signature Electric (Various)
• Mouradian Flap Jack (Various)
• Danelectro 12-String Electric
Amps
•
•
•
•
•
Suhr Hedgehog
Suhr PT100
Suhr SL67
Suhr Badger
Fortin Amplification 100w
Effects
• Suhr Prototype
• Prescription Electronics Experience
• Dr. No Alain Johannes 11:11
Chuck Keeping
Drums
• Sonor Phonics
Cymbals
• Zildjian A Custom
Drumheads
• Remo Black Dots
Sticks
• Vic Firth HD9s
Dave McMillan
Basses
• Suhr Classic J (x2)
• F Bass VF4-PJ
• Mouradian 8-String
Amps
• Mesa Boogie Subway D-800
• Fender Super Bassman
• Ashdown Cabinets
Effects
• Tech 21 dUg DP-3X Bass Distortion
• Tech 21 VT Bass DI
• MXR Bass Octave Deluxe
all hoping and expect-
ing he’d turn it around,”
Thornley shares. “If there was
anyone that could beat that
shit, it was going to be Brian,
but you just can’t predict
something like that.”
Ultimately, they per-
formed as a three-piece
throughout the summer and
plan to continue doing so
for the foreseeable future,
though Thornley admits it’s
been a challenge being
onstage without his longtime
friend standing to his right.
“It’s hard for me to think
about playing a lot of this
music without him,” he says,
noting that they’d been
friends since their late teens,
attending Boston’s Berklee
College of Music in the
mid-‘90s, where Big Wreck
was first born. “I’ve just been
dealing with it little bits at a
time; that’s the only way I
can figure it out.”
There’ve been several
instances in the last few
months where he’s found
himself wanting to send a
new riff to his friend for some
feedback, or blankly staring
out of a window for long
stretches, “just kind of losing
time,” he says. “It’s been
very strange, and a difficult
thing for me to articulate
where I’m at, because in a
lot of ways, I’m just focused
on the task at hand.”
It helps and means a
lot that said task is taking
this thing that they started
together and carrying it
forward to new and exciting
places they’d have reveled
in together – especially
when that means perform-
ing live.
“It’s kind of like we’re
celebrating him the only
way we know how,” Thorn-
ley says, “and I have a feel-
ing that’s going to continue
for a while.”
While the Big Wreck faithful
had only had a few tastes
of what was to come with
…but for the sun when Ca-
nadian Musician caught up
with Thornley and Ratz, the
fact that the two of them
are so excited about it, es-
pecially at this point in their
respective careers, definitely
says something.
“Truth be told, I have
the vinyl test pressing and
it hasn’t left my turntable in
a few months,” Ratz says.
“I love the record – as I do
with all the records I make –
but this one… I don’t know,
man; I really had a great
time making this record with
him and I’m really glad we
went the route we did. I
honestly don’t know what
can top it – maybe another
Juno [laughs] – but I feel
very proud and hope I get
to do it again.”
Thornley makes it sound
like that could very well be
the case. While things may
be slightly unsettled in the
Big Wreck camp for now,
music is the sure thing – the
one constant coursing
through it all.
“I still love it as much as
I always have, and I’m still
as driven and hungry as I’ve
always been,” he says assur-
edly. “I still haven’t written
my best music; I still haven’t
played or sang my best.
There’s still so much to learn
and so many ways to grow.”
But for the time being,
despite the emotional un-
certainties and as they wait
for the other shoe to drop,
one thing is for sure: Thornley
and Big Wreck have made
one hell of a record that will
do a lot of people – those
passed and maybe those
yet to come – very proud.
Andrew King is the
Editor-in-Chief of
Canadian Musician.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN
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