BY DAVID DeROCCO

The things that define us as Canadians are not always easily identified given the diversity of our people and the awe-inspiring breadth of our natural landscapes. However, it’s obvious one of our intrinsic core values is our appreciation for things that are pure and natural, like our waterways, our forests, our maple syrup, our beer and artists like Royal Wood.

From the 2003 release of his first EP The Milkweed, singer/songwriter/musician Royal Wood has consistently created music of such pure and natural design that he couldn’t be of anything but Canadian origin. Despite comparisons to the likes of Randy Newman, Jeff Buckley and Tom Waits, Royal Wood has – through his string of critically acclaimed albums, hit singles and award nominations – carved  out his own unique space on the Canadian music scene. Whether it’s on piano, on guitar or simply through the richness of his voice and sincerity of his lyrics, Royal Wood has connected with adult audiences across the country with his highly personal songs and music. With the 2016 release of GHOST LIGHT, Royal has delivered his most pure-of-heart collection of songs, a magnum opus that explores the rich tapestry of emotion woven into a life undergoing the personal transformation that comes with immense change.

In anticipation of his return to Jackson-Triggs amphitheatre August 20^th, Royal took time to talk with GOBE WEEKLY about the new album, his eternal optimism, The Tragically Hip and his live show.

GOBE: You’ve drawn all kinds of comparisons to other artists since day one, but let’s ignore labels and descriptions. How do you describe yourself as an artist or, more aptly, have you self-analyzed enough to know who you are as a person?

ROYAL: The two definitely co-exist; how I am as a person is reflected in who I am as an artist and what I create and how I govern my life. I try to be at this point in my life open to everything and attached to nothing and follow that balanced philosophy of just allowing life to happen and being open to new ideas. With each record and each song I write and each musician I work with and each tour I have I try to experience something new and progress as a human. We just get one kick at the can so I’m just trying to squeeze every last bit of passion out of it and enjoy it for all it’s worth.

GOBE: The 13 songs on your new album GHOST LIGHT seem like a wonderful snapshot of life as it exists after you’ve survived the chaos of your 20s. There’s the hopefulness in “I’m Going to Marry You” and the trance-like domestication in “Dear Anna” for example. What images do those songs evoke to you when you listen to them now.

ROYAL: It’s interesting that you would say images because I feel that that’s what music does to us. It evokes those emotions that are attached to some sort of visual. It’s almost like you have this little home movie in your mind. Sometimes you’re writing it like you’re someone else and sometimes it’s coming literally from your own day’s filming. What I feel and what I see when I perform those songs or I hear them played back on the radio or something is, I feel everything I felt when I wrote it. It always returns to that. It is interesting. Certain songs that I wrote 10 years ago have evolved and the patchwork is definitely a little more complicated and intricate, because say I wrote a love song 10 years ago, I might be feeling that about someone else these days. So that has a way of expanding and evolving. What I feel with GHOST LIGHT is that it’s just such an honest portrayal of everything that was going on with my life. Just both the hopeful attitude and a lot of the letting go of the past and certainly experiencing new things every day. Every moment I was writing and recording this album there was something going on in my life, some pretty heavy changes with family and health. My parents are getting older. All my nieces and nephews where born in the last three years, there are five of them now. Just huge paradigm shifts are part of this record for sure.

GOBE: Where do you find your greatest comfort zone when creating new music – on the piano, on the guitar, or with a pen simply songwriting lyrics?

ROYAL: Well to be honest there’s no set rule. I haven’t had one. I’ve written songs on bass, with ukulele and banjo, I’ve written songs in the shower. I think what you need to do as an artist and as a human for all things and every idea and creative moment is you have to just be still and be quiet and hear it. There is that quiet still voice within that’s in all of us. I think that’s our intuition, our little moment of Zen. And if you can get there you can really allow for something new to be born. But if you fill your life with way too many distractions and noise and way too many to-do lists – not that I don’t have them, because I’m a goal oriented person – but I still carve out time for me. Whether that’s going for a run every morning, or taking time to just be still in my studio or take time to read a book at the end of the day, I still take a moment that’s just mine. I find once I allowed more of that in my life I found my creative output was much larger.

GOBE: When do you experience your biggest anxieties as an artist? During the process of writing and recording an album like GHOST LIGHT,  or later during the process of promoting and finding an audience for the work?

ROYAL. That’s an interesting question. I would say that there are fears and anxieties to all life. To think that you can live life without a problem – I think the only people that don’t have problems are in a graveyard. Problems are just part of life, and the more you take on the more problems you are going to have. Those problems just have to be solved. That’s a necessary part of life. So when it comes time to even think about an album, I tend to keep my head out of it. I remember reading an interview with (playwright) Arthur Miller who was 90 at the time. They asked if he would be writing another play and he said ‘I don’t know but I probably am.’ And I try to govern my life of creation in the same way. I don’t need specific plans that I must write these songs and I must make this record on a specific timeline. I try to just allow time each day to create and then step back and say, maybe I’m really doing something here. The rest happenshow it happens. I have an amazing team I work with. The anxieties come truly scheduling life and finding balance. I love creation. I love making an album. I love going out on tour. I love putting together a new band and coming up with a new show and trying new things in performance. Going to new territories and new cities and new venues. That’s the exciting part of my life. The anxieties come with trying to balance that with having a personal life. Being there with my family, watching my little nieces and nephews growing up, being there for my folks as they’re getting older. That’s the true anxiety in life, carving out time in life for the things that matter.

GOBE: That’s the part of the career most fans don’t see or consider when it comes to the sacrifices artists make.

ROYAL: Yes, to be honest, it is THE THING that weighs on an artist and all my peers would say the same. We’re all human beings. Whether you’re an artist on stage or working in a factory or writing for a magazine we all have the exact same story. And the story is you’re born you live you love you die. And that’s it. That’s everyone’s journey. The main thing in life is to just be present and realize the meaning that you can actually soak out every single day. But to have that meaning you have to allow time for it. So I especially these last three to four years have taken real time to see my family and friends. It’s hard and difficult juggling that in this industry, it’s a chaotic schedule that changes every moment. Every minute my phone goes off with some new slight tweak or change or offer. It’s a huge juggling act on a daily basis. That’s the true anxiety.

GOBE: Given the benefits of hindsight, what then has been the biggest benefit of pursing your career as a musician given the challenges inherent in that choice?

ROYAL:  When I was a kid I started playing music when I was just four. I was that kid that just sat at a piano or just picked up a guitar because that was my bliss. It was like (American writer) Joseph Campbell’s idea of ‘follow your bliss.’ You just follow your bliss. I did that. It never steered me wrong, even when things have been challenging or difficult. Those things are necessary. If you’re not having challenges you’re not really sculpting who you could possibly be. If  you’re just taking the path of least resistance then you’re going to lead a very ordinary life. If you go for it you’re going to take on a lot. And it’s worth it. I dream huge so music has given me the greatest moments of my life, literally the greatest moments. That has included sitting around a kitchen table playing music with my dad and my sisters and my brothers; has include included performing at my brother’s wedding or singing songs with my niece. Music is the fabric I live by, so its brought me everything.

GOBE: Speaking about the industry, the country’s abuzz as the final Hip tour winds down. One of the legacy’s most attributed to Gord and the boys is the fact they showed just how viable a career in Canada can be. Do you feel that way? How do you measure your success? Is there always the hope for an international audience.

ROYAL: As human beings we long for more. And I guarantee you knowing the Hip they wanted more international success. Of course you do. They have an ego. The main thing is to keep it in check and remember that your success as a human being should never be measured against someone else. Because as successful as you can be there’s always someone on a different path that you are. And you’ll always be more successful than someone else. So your true measure of success is you have to be better today than you were yesterday and that means in every facet of your life. I look at a band like The Hip I think they are a jewel in the crown of Canada. They’re an iconic band and there’s so few that you can actually say that about. They are the substance that musicians in this country will hold themselves against and want to be like because they were such a true, genuine Canadian band. And I think that’s one of the reasons that it didn’t translate outside of this country as much – because it’s Canadian. And it’s proudly Canadian. It’s not watered down for the masses. It’s not NutraSweet. It was real. That’s true success to me. The fact that they were a  truly real Canadian artist. That’s more than enough success.

GOBE: You’ve toured the country with some pretty iconic Canadian female artists too. What perspective has that brought to your songwriting seeing those artists from such a unique vantage point?

ROYAL: Well, that’s a large question. In terms of starting from base level of touring with another  artist male or female, as artists constantly we’re sponges. We’re moved by something, we’re inspired by something. But to have the yin and yang of the female energy in your life and feel that dynamic and feel that power in their art and to see where it comes from, it’s a necessary colour to add to the palate. I don’t think male artists ever to the same place. I think we’re different. I think when I was a kid and my dad said men and women are different I got upset. I didn’t realise just how naïve I was. Now I get it, I definitely get it. I’ve had some incredible opportunities to tour with some of this country’s talent and I’ve learned a lot from them

GOBE: Give the intimate nature of the Jackson-Triggs amphitheatre setting and your music, what can people expect from your show.

ROYAL: If you haven’t seen me perform live, it’s me; it’s a creature in its natural habitat you know. I love being on stage with my musicians. I excitedly get on stage. I’ve toured with this band for years and we are the best of friends and that translates musically. I don’t try to follow a script. I try to have it be a spontaneous moment. There’s a set list but things can be dropped and things can be added. The most joyous part of this particular show is that I get to be at Jackson-Triggs. I love that venue so much. I’ve played there a few year ago. I remember the stars, and the string section I had and the people just wanting to be as much a part of the show as I wanted the show to be for them. So I think it will be a musical, emotional, genuine, spontaneous evening.