To paraphrase the great American songstress Sheryl Crow, sometimes a change will truly do you good. For stellar Canadian alt-rock darlings The Balconies, some significant changes and some even more significant time off have done the talented trio a world of good.
The Balconies set the music scene alight with their first two releases, 2012s Kill Count EP and Fast Motions in 2014, touring almost incessantly throughout Canada, as well as making many sojourns in the United States and across the Atlantic to numerous European territories. Like a butterfly bursting forth from a cocoon, after a self-imposed absence in 2015 the band is about to emerge in dazzling and rejuvenated form with dynamic, game-changing new music, a restored and revitalized enthusiasm for their craft and a focused, take-no-prisoners attitude. No doubt the explosive re-awakening will not only energize long-time fans of The Balconies, but will take the Canadian music industry by storm.
“We kind of disappeared for almost a year and a half. We decided after almost five years of touring relentlessly that we wanted to take a step back and figure out what our priorities were, what makes us happiest as artists and as individuals. And we also had to look at how we were going to top ourselves next time out. We really felt the best way to do all that was to get away from the touring world and just focus on purely being songwriters and studio musicians,” said vocalist Jacquie Neville.
“It’s kind of scary but we’re so excited and super proud of what we have created with this new music because it was completely done on our own. We felt with this third record that we really wanted to hone in on what is authentically us and how do we really make that Balconies sound come to the fore. In other words how do we sound as honestly The Balconies as we possibly can.”
She admitted that going ‘off the grid’ did generate some worry and consternation amongst the band’s fan base.
“A lot of people were legitimately concerned. I think we felt it best to just ghost for a little bit and get people talking. It was kind of nice to know that people are thinking about us and sending us notes asking when we are coming back to Germany or to Peterborough and that they miss us,” said Neville.
The break was indeed necessary as Neville (vocals, rhythm guitar), her brother Stephen (bass) and long-time friend/collaborator Liam Jaeger (lead guitar), were poised precariously on the precipice of a potentially destructive burnout.
“What we were doing worked for a while, but we spent too much time on the road. On our last tour I lost my voice and our van kept breaking down and there were all these things that kept happening and I remember thinking that maybe someone or something was showing us these signs and telling us that maybe it’s time to take a little bit of a pause. We were just pushing ourselves way too hard,” she said.
“It’s one thing to work hard, but we took it to the extreme to the point where it had become unhealthy and unproductive. I am all about being a live band, that’s what really drew me to music, being able to tour and perform, but when you reach 305 shows in one calendar year, that’s when you kind of say, ‘okay, how’s my health? Not so good, so let’s re-evaluate.’ I felt it was kind of necessary for us as creative people and as individuals and also as a business entity to kind of say I think it’s time for a reinvention or reincarnation – if you will – of the band.”
The Balconies also spent their down-time restricting the business end of their operation, signing on with a new management group CCS Rights Management, which has added to the reinvigorated feel of the band.
“We’re really thrilled about this new team we have. Everybody is really excited and on board with what we’re doing creatively. And it’s all been very positive. I feel very refreshed and it’s like we’re all 16 year olds again,” said Neville, adding that the band has been around for a decade, and touring for about eight years and that she herself had been playing in bands for a number of years previous to the formation of the Balconies.
The new album, entitled Rhonda, is expected to be released in October, but a video for the first single will be unleashed in early April.
“The first single is called War and we have a video coming out to accompany it. We’re quite excited about both. I am a huge horror film fan and although I wouldn’t say the video is a horror, there are definitely some horrifying images in the video. We really wanted to play with contrasting things – like the yin and yang, the good and the bad. So there will be very whimsical, beautiful, fantastical elements and then all of a sudden you will be pulled back into the dark, creepy reality,” Neville said.
“I do feel the visuals associated with this band, be they onstage, or in videos or photographs are very powerful and I feel like as part of this new chapter of The Balconies we’re going to become much more visual, even more so than before. And because we wrote, recorded and produced the album ourselves. The music definitely still has an edge to it, but I would say that it has more pop sensibility.”
Neville said the band has put a lot of thought, disciplined energy and hard work into what they believe will be a truly landmark album in the band’s already impressive career.
“We took a little over a month off to reconnect with friends and family and our lives but then we had a series of meetings where we would talk about what we wanted to do next. We have toured Europe and the States, but we obviously want to outdo ourselves next time, so what can we do to top what we have done so far. So it was basically a lot of plotting and scheming at first and talking about where we wanted to go stylistically and visually – how we want to evolve with our image and our sound,” she said.
“We weren’t super strict with ourselves early in this process but eventually we would meet every week night for a few hours and writing and working on a lot of details like guitar tones and what pedals we wanted to use what kind of mood we wanted to set with the new music. The last album had a darker tone, which I always love. But at the same time, because of all the wonderful things we have done and the great people we have met through touring, and how we have connected with so many people, I feel this new album is a lot more light-hearted.
“Rhonda is about being a band, being an artist on the road away from your family; all the insecurities of being an artist. It explores the good and the bad that goes along with being an active artist today. It’s definitely still The Balconies, actually I think it’s more Balconies than we’ve ever sounded. It still has that edge, it still has the dark elements but I feel like the subject matter is a little more uplifting. I am always going to be a rock and roll girl so we’re not going away from that, ever.”
The Balconies have always taken all aspects of their career seriously, early on adopting a level of professionalism towards everything from their stage attire, showmanship, how they load in and tear down their gear, how they run the merchandise table to fan interaction – things that set them apart from many bands of the same vintage.
“With the way that the industry has changed so much, your fans are the reason why you exist, so investing in your fans and investing in your live show and treating it as a business is the only way you’re going to have any kind of livelihood and longevity. I am in this because I love it and because I am passionate about music and connecting with people through my music and through visuals and other art media. I think it is really important to take your craft seriously and take your band seriously, obviously not too seriously because it’s also important to know when to let loose and have fun,” Neville said.
“We’ve never been one of those bands that gets sloshed every night after a gig. We do like to party and have a good time, but we also need to make sure that all our ducks are in a row, or else you burn out. Even without all the partying, that’s what happened to me almost two years ago when it was just too many shows and I took it too seriously. It was all about pushing forward without any thought to how it was impacting on people’s health and it got to a point where I had to start to think of myself as human. Right now, we’re very focused on creating something that people really get excited about and to do it in a professional way.”
There is little doubt that the commitment that The Balconies have to excellence in every part of their operation is one of the reasons why they continue to thrill an ever-growing legion of fans, not just across Canada, but throughout North America and Europe. Only half-jokingly, Neville asserts the band’s goals for the foreseeable future, is quite imperialistic.
“We are excited to get back on the road and share these new songs. We may not be doing 305 dates, but we’re going to be doing more than 200 and they’re going to happen all over the world. We want to go to Asia really badly and Australia too. World domination is our goal … and it will happen!”
Connect with The Balconies online: (Website) (Facebook) (Twitter) (YouTube) (Instagram) (Bandcamp)
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
