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Tragedy has a way of bringing out the best in songwriters. That's certainly the case for Dallas Green on The Love Still Held Me Near, his seventh studio album under the moniker City and Colour.
The 12-track set, arguably the most sonically aggressive and stylistically expansive outing in the City and Colour canon, comes from what Green has acknowledged as the most difficult time in his life. Within the span of a year, he lost two crucial figures - his cousin Nicholas Osczcypko, with whom he played in his first band, and longtime friend, City and Colour producer and engineer Karl Bareham, whose drowning death in Australia while on tour was the direct impetus for The Love Still Held Me Near's first single, "Meant to Be". At the time Green was also separated from his wife of (then) 11 years and felt their marriage was "seemingly over."
Green feels those inspirations were vehicles to push The Love Still Held Me Near in its own direction of exploration and discovery.
"It's not specifically about those events," he says of the album, which was co-produced with longtime band member and multi-instrumentalist Matt Kelly. "It's just an overarching theme of loss and the idea of trying to get through it." Though he adds with a small chuckle that "it was like I was having this beautiful, perfect mid-life crisis," the deeper purpose of the album is "asking good questions about life and then framing it in a way that anyone can find themselves in it. I know the experience I'm writing about on this album is not singular at all; it's everything we have to deal with as human beings, trying to live and get through it."
The Love Still Held Me Near certainly takes that trip from the emotional depths through the other side and finding a way to, as the closing track says, "Begin Again". Throughout the album, Green questions the very core of his beliefs, spiritual and otherwise, and in the title track he wonders whether true healing is even possible. He ultimately concludes that it is. Even when he acknowledges that "hope is hanging by a thread" Green sings, "I know the beauty lies in dawn's early light" and that "it ain't enough just to be alive/we gotta lean into the love a little before we die."
This is conveyed amidst a soundscape that dresses up the angst, tribulation and catharsis in sophisticated instrumental textures, ranging from waves of ambience to explosions of guitar-driven noise, with a wide array of touchstones in between.
"It was all about the love of things," Green explains. "I had gone through the most negative, terrible aspect of living, and it was the idea that the positive and the love could still keep me, us, and my friends together. I like to write. It's what I do when I just need to get something off my chest. It makes me feel better."
Hailing from St. Catharines, Ontario, Green started City and Colour in 2005 as a (then) quiet counter to the band he co-founded, hardcore luminaries Alexisonfire, releasing songs via the Internet. They proved so popular with fans that he released City and Colour's first album, Sometimes, later that year which won the JUNO Award for Alternative Album of the Year. He has since released five more albums under the moniker, accompanied by a shifting lineup of musicians, and collected 4 JUNO awards, including two Songwriter of the Year awards, plus 1 Triple Platinum, 2 Double Platinum, 6 Platinum, and 1 Gold certification in Canada, and 1 Gold certification in Australia. In 2022, Green was honored with the SOCAN National Achievement Award in recognition of his philanthropic contributions to music education in Canada.
Beyond the legacy of City and Colour, Green teamed up with global icon Alecia Moore (a.k.a. P!nk) to form the folk duo You+Me. The duo's acclaimed Platinum-certified first record, rose ave., debuted at #4 on the U.S. Top 200 Chart, #1 in Canada, #2 in Australia.
Despite that productivity and work ethic, Green went through a dark and also fallow period before The Love Still Held Me Near got on track.
Already laid low by the deaths and marital impasse (he and his wife reconciled in the wake of Bareham's passing), Green concluded a tour on February 29, 2020 and then was hit hard, like so many of his creative colleagues, by the global pandemic that brought the music industry to an abrupt and frightening halt. "I wasn't really thinking about making music at all," he recalls. "It was such a strange time for all of us, trying to wrap our heads around what was going on. I spent that spring and summer of 2020 just really trying to dig in and figure out what was going on in my life and who I was and why I had spent my whole life doing this thing that might be gone." Green was also turning 40 on September 29 of that year, which led to "a crisis of character and contemplation."
Some consolation came via visits from Kelly at Green's home in Northern Ontario. The two had "a lot of conversations, basically grieving with one another" over Bareham's death and other issues. "It began the process of trying to figure out what had just happened in 2019," Green says, "I really started to find the spark again, and then started writing."
The timing coincided with Green regrouping with Alexisonfire during the early stages of the pandemic shutdown to make their first full-length studio album in 13 years, Otherness. Green found himself going from writing nothing to working on material for two contrasting but fulfilling projects.
"I'd always joked that if I made music as much as I thought about making music I would have twice as much as I already have," Green says. "September 2020 to May 2021 was the most creatively explosive period I've ever had in my life. In seven months, I wrote and recorded two records, comprising of 22 songs. Quite a 'comeback'." During that time, he also recorded and released a two song EP, Low Songs, featuring the tracks "Murderer" and "Sunflower" from one of his longtime favorite bands, Low.
Though intensely personal, recording The Love Still Held Me Near was a collective and collaborative process. Recorded at Jukasa Studios in Caledonia, Ontario, Green and Kelly brought together a band of Canadian session stalwarts that included John Sponarski on guitar, Erik Nielsen on bass and Leon Power on drums. "The dudes who played on this record are a unit and have this hidden language like I have with Alexisonfire," Green notes. "And they've known me a long time. They all understood the pain and what these songs are about. They understood me. They understood the way I work, the way I use music to get myself through whatever was going on in my life at the time. And they knew Karl, too, so we were all sort of supporting each other through it."
Mixed by longtime collaborator, and three-time Grammy-winner Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Norah Jones, Tom Waits, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain and others), the album features Green's voice louder than ever before, supported by arrangements that are at once delicate and nuanced but also enormously powerful. "Meant to Be", for instance, blends acoustic and electric instruments in a sweeping build, while you can hear fingers on strings and necks of guitars during "Fucked it Up". On songs such as "Bow Down to Love", "A Little Mercy", "The Water is Coming", and the title track, you could swear that Neil Young and Crazy Horse somehow snuck into the City and Colour sessions.
With The Love Still Held Me Near, wrapped and ready to come out, Green is, not surprisingly, ready to get this incarnation of City and Colour out on the road to play the songs.
Green affirms, "Something I've figured out after two decades of doing this is I'm invigorated working with new people and coming up with our own versions of the old songs. We had such a great time in the studio making this record, so even though it will be tough to live through the pain (of the songs) again, I can't wait to finally be playing with everyone."
That's the testament of a man who's faced down challenging times the only way he knows how - with guitar in hand, lyrics on the page and musical comrades at his side. Green's conviction has been renewed, and rewarded, on The Love Still Held Me Near, and in doing so he's helped to bolster ours as well.
Set 1: Sometimes
Set 2:
Encore
Encore
The show itself, meaning the performances of Tegan and Sara and City and Colour were phenomenal, but the cameraman who was taking live footage for the video feed was blocking my view of half the stage! Next time put him on a lower platform or do overhead camera work because I feel like I missed out on half the show!
Great show! Tegan and Sara were great - City and Colour was Fantastic!
I wish I could relive last night! It was unbelievably amazing! City and Colour is absolutely amazing live! Dallas Green loves what he does and is very thankful for his fans. He put much passion and warmth in his performance.
Dallas Green was incredible...the sound was amazing live; great interaction with the crowd; Tegan and Sarah were quite impressive also...overall, an awesome show!
City and Colour and Tegan and Sara was amazing!!! I would definitly recommend this concert and would love to see it again :D
Dallas Green gets better every time I see him. This time, he had reworked many of his songs - very successfully - so they were performed with the whole band. His vocal performance was also much better than in the past - a stronger, more confident voice.....still every bit as emotive, but with more power. Sound was poor at times - seemed to be a lot of feedback - and the lights were miscued a couple of times. But overall, a wonderful show. I can't wait for the next time! First time I have seen Tegan and Sara live - lots of energy, a great band. Their songs are really unique. Their voices complement each other which means they can do very interesting things, doubling and passing the vocal lead back and forth. Their stage patter was offputting.....is that style of talking quickly in bursts and sounding anxious trendy in some circles or something? Wintersleep had good energy, but were utterly forgettable. RaRaRiot show promise, but have a ways to go to get their sound together. Excellent vocals and percussion. Not enough interplay between the guitar and the strings. In fact, the guitar was often barely audible - bad mix I guess, the guitarist sounded quite good when you could hear him. Their songs are well written and interesting, and they have great synchronicity, but played at one constant volume - need to figure out how to ease off and build and create moments in their songs.
Dallas Green always blows away any expectations, he is pure talent.
I love Tegan and Sara and when I found out they were coming to Toronto I was thrilled. I had so much fun at the concert, they were excellent. I wish they would come to Toronto more often. I would go every time.
Ive waited five years to see Dallas play City and Colour songs, the wait was really worth it. Vocals were better than ever (Ive seen alexisonfire a hand full of times) and his talent for playing guitar was astounding! wondered on the way to the show if Gord Downie would show, and him walking out for the encore was a great surprise!
Upon purchasing these tickets months ago, the anticipation for the show was almost unbearable. The wait was well worth it though. After waiting about two and a half hours for Dallas to come on stage, the crowd was extremely anxious to see him. He performed better than he does in the recorded versions of his songs and you could feel the passion in his voice. Dallas' band was really good and had great harmonies with him. Best concert experience by far. The overall atmosphere was very relaxed and everyone sang along, which was so nice to hear. As for Tegan and Sara, having not heard much of their music beforehand, I can now say that they are extremely talented. They have tons of charisma on stage and their music is well written and well performed. They have definately earned themselves a spot in my iPod.
The overall experience at the Molson Canadian Amphitheater on August 28 was amazing. Although I had never really listened to Ra Ra Riot and Wintersleep, they performed very well and added to the enjoyment of the concert as a whole. Following the two opening bands were Tegan and Sara, who were (as expected) full of energy- albeit a bit nervous as Tegan mentioned, had a great set list (mixing older and newer songs and a great acoustic version of Feel It In My Bones) and full of very grateful things to say. Likewise, Dallas Green's performance was one of the best I've ever heard from him, with pitch-perfect vocals and an incredible set list (performing 6 songs off of Sometimes, 6 songs off of Bring Me Your Love, Happiness By The Kilowatt and 3 newer songs). Green was also very grateful to his fans for coming to the show, making myself and many others feel very appreciated and happy to see that the connection between the artist and the listener is still alive in an age of technological separations. Overall, the concert was incredible and definitely memorable. I consider it one of my favourite so far.
Last night (August 28th), City and Colour played with Tegan and Sara at the Molson Amphitheater in Toronto to a packed house. Tegan and Sara opened for Dallas Green by playing a selection of their most popular songs and singles, including "Speak Slow", "Alligator", "The Con", and many others. When City and Colour came on stage, the crowd exploded and Dallas played a fairly long set of songs from his two albums, as well as three new unreleased songs, including one about the recent oil spill featuring Tegan and Sara on backup vocals. For the encore, Dallas played a semi-cover of his band Alexisonfire's song "Happiness by the Kilowatt" on the piano, and Gord Downie came on stage to play "Sleeping Sickness" with Dallas which received ear-splitting approval from the audience. It was a spectacular show, and anyone who ever has the chance to see either Tegan and Sara or City and Colour most definitely should.
I had seen City and Colour once before but in a more intimate setting (~150 ppl) but this concert blew it through the roof!! I love the way Dallas changes up the speed of the original songs and gives them a different personality. Gord Downie, from The Tragically Hip, showed up for the encore to perform with Dallas which was by far the best concert experience I have ever had. It was incredible!!!
Ra Ra Riot and Wintersleep opened this event with some great music and Tegan and Sara used their charm and humour to compliment their wide breadth of musical talent. City and Colour finished the show with great bravado and sent everyone home with a smile on their face.
Dallas Green, I didn't know this was possible, but you have made me fall in love with you and your music even more. You are awesome. Wasn't a huge Tegan & Sarah fan before, but I definitely have to put them on my regular ipod rotation now, pretty damn good.
I don't know what else to say - it was a night that makes you proud to be Canadian. When Gord Downie came out at the end to sing Sleeping Sickness it was the perfect ending to a perfect night. One of the top shows I've ever seen - seriously.
This show was incredible!! Ra Ra Riot and Wintersleep did a great job opening... Then up next is Tegan and Sara who have incredible harmony together and played a great set!! But man Dallas took the show!!!! That man is absolutely by far my musical hero... He has an amazing voice!!! The new songs he played I cannot wait to get them on CD. But really... incredible live!!! A show I will never forget!
Sweet tunes, amazing vocals, the encore with Gord Downie was SUPER FANTASTIC!!!
The title says it all. The line up was Ra Ra Riot, Wintersleep, Tegan and Sara, and then City & Colour. Ra Ra Riot was awesome, serving as an excellent opener to an amazing night. Although Wintersleep grew a little tiring to listen to after a while (but of course this is based on my preference of music), they still carried out a good show and by the reaction of the crowd, they had a great set list. Then the lovely Tegan and Sara entered the stage and they ROCKED it! So passionate into their music, they played soulfully and loudly and their humorous remarks in between added to their terrific performance. They did indeed leave the best for last though for the night. Dallas Green, or City and Colour, blew us all away with his just incredible talent. If you like him on cd, then you would absolutely love him in concert. He is just that much better. He played all the right songs, with literally EVERYONE singing along to them. And his encore just topped off what was a truly amazing performance. He performed his old, piano version of Alexisonfire's "Happiness By The Kilowatt". The entire venue of 17,000 people were dead quiet as he played this, and I got chills to say the least. Then he ended the night off with my personal favourite, Sleeping Sickness. This one always sounds so awesome live but to add to it...get ready for it...GORD DOWNIE from the Tragically Hip came on stage to accompany Dallas! I know right, my mind just about exploded too at this point. The two sang together and it was just perfect. Is there anything else to say? I don't think so. Just that this concert was nothing short of incredible.
Words cannot describe how amazing this show was...Tegan & Sara kicked it off and rocked it out...then Dallas just blew it away!
