About to release their 10th CD, Great Big Sea's Sean McCann talks about ambition, the future of Newfoundland, and the effort to keep a successful Canadian band — and its fans — interested and growing

Sean McCann has done all this countless times before. As Great Big Sea — currently a trio of McCann, Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett — marks its 15th year and releases its 10th album, the usual pre-launch press run is part of the routine.

"So, yes, I've slept with Alan Doyle. Next question," McCann throws out by way of getting started.

He gets the laugh he's looking for — but the irony isn't lost, either. Great Big Sea is a notably scandal-free outfit, built on friendship, great energy and clean music with wide appeal.

To be fair, McCann is determined to shake things up. This particular interview was supposed to take place while walking Marley and Tosh, McCann's two beloved beagles, along a nearby trail. But it's raining, so the conversation happens over bottomless cups of coffee indoors, watching and waiting for a break in the weather that doesn't come.

Of course, the desire for change, to keep both band and fans on their toes, goes much deeper then a newspaper story.

"Established is a dangerous word in the music business," says McCann, all seriousness. "Considering yourself 'established,' and having your agent consider yourself established, makes me afraid.

"Our biggest challenge is to keep our management, our booking agencies, our record label, as thinking of Great Big Sea as viable on every level as opposed to just suiting the fans we have."

Last time around — with 2005's The Hard and the Easy — the band went back to basics, releasing a CD of a dozen stripped-down traditional Newfoundland songs they produced entirely themselves. With no radio singles, it was a move the record company warned could have been "career suicide," says McCann. But The Hard and the Easy was a huge success, certified gold in Canada and netting the guys a Juno nomination.

This time, the band is back with Fortune's Favour, a big, full, studio record to be released June 24.

The new release, from upbeat sing-alongs to thoughtful ballads, still contains the familiar Great Big Sea flavours of pop, roots, rock and traditional Newfoundland music. But there’s a distinctly different, fresh edge coursing through the 14 tracks.

And for that, McCann gives kudos to producer Hawksley Workman. At first blush, Workman — a popular, but more alternative, musician and singer from Ontario — might seem an odd fit for the mainstream band from Newfoundland.

In other words, exactly what Great Big Sea was looking for.

"We’ve co-produced records before, but we did not produce this record," say McCann. "This whole record was about not doing the same thing. Every single track we tried to do something else. At the end of it, we did end up with a product that is different and, I think, of a high quality … and the only question now is whether people accept that of us.

"(The music) is kind of skating this way and that — it's Hawksley saying, 'Turn the fiddle upside down and play it this way' … because we did everything. We listened to him and we indulged him and this is my favourite Great Big Sea album since Turn (1999)."

But it wasn't easy.

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For a band that's been playing and travelling together as long as Great Big Sea — and maintaining a close friendship besides — sometimes the most difficult thing to do is let someone else in.

"I know what Alan's going to sing, he knows what I'm going to do, Bob knows what I'm going to say … because you’re like brothers or married people, you get into these habits," says McCann.

"When you have three guys like me, Bob and Alan who have serious, strong opinions and are not meek people, to meet up with and bring in a fourth person who is supposed to trump us all? We had to remind ourselves every day to let him do his job."

They wanted an outside producer to act as both an idea guy and referee.

Workman opened for Great Big Sea during the 2004 George Street Festival, the first time the artists encountered each other.

"Not many acts actually blow us away, but he blew us off the stage here in St. John's, which was particularly embarrassing," laughs McCann. "So I'd been a fan since then …

"It’s not so much his type of song, but his skill set is so impressive. We admire what he can physically do, singing and playing-wise … Great Big Sea, we’re not great players. We have great enthusiasm, but this guy is a great player."

Being a fan is one thing; forging a working relationship required a few bumps and bruises.

"We had about 30 songs and Hawksley used about six. Which was hard for us. We're like, 'What? That's our best stuff!' We were all hurt personally by that.

"So Hawksley comes in, tells us our songs are fine but not for him, and that we're going to write a whole new album and we have a week. And we're like 'Yah, dude.' And I remember walking out and saying 'You know what? No.'"

But McCann cooled off and went back.

"I can’t explain how it happened, but it happened really fast. He took us out of our comfort zone … the energy he brought was great. The guy's crazy, in a good way.

"Fear is a major enemy to good music. And for good reason. Everyone in the music business is a little bit afraid right now, for our careers. Because we really want to keep doing this, and we want to be really big.

"But good music is fearless. Hawksley was, if anything — energetic, talented, skilled, but most of all, he was fearless. And he had no preconceptions."

The 14 tracks do run the gamut through songwriters — the three band members, plus Workman, Jeen O’Brien, Kalem Mahoney, Gordie Sampson, Chris Tapper and Russell Crowe. The Rocks of Merasheen was written in the '70s by Al Pittman and Pat Byrne. Some come directly and obviously from the experience of living in Newfoundland, past or present, others are musings on life, relationships, ambition or just letting loose.



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Of course, Great Big Sea has not established its fan base solely by pressing CDs. They're consistently and relentlessly on the road, criss-crossing North America, flying around the world, winning over crowds and steadily building a devoted audience.

Whether they mean to be or not — and they certainly don't seem to wear the mantle with any self-consciousness — Great Big Sea may be among the best and most genuine ambassadors this province has.

Fiercely loyal, contagiously enthusiastic in performance and in person, the band seems deeply proud of their home and the tradition their music has come from. That commitment to Newfoundland and Labrador does not come without qualification.

McCann has his own thoughts on the matter.

"You know, we spend a lot of time pumping it up, you know, how pristine (the province) is, how great it is, then you find yourself two miles in the woods with your dogs and you run into a case of Blue Star smashed on the rocks, or a car wreck.

"Newfoundlanders are their own worst enemies. When we get rid of all the newfies, we'll be fine.

"There’s a lot of growing that has to be done here yet, but we're on the right track. Younger people are staying, smarter people are staying … I do see the way things are going, this prosperity.

"If we’re going to take oil out of the ground and totally do bad things — oil, nothing good is going to come out of that, our carbon footprint in Newfoundland, from our pristine environment … so we should do something else; we should throw the money at something good.

“If that translates into free education, I think, with time, that will sort itself out."



•••

McCann, Hallett and Doyle all have families now, marking another milestone in the evolution of the band. McCann's youngest son was born less than a month ago; already, McCann is facing the inevitable promotional tour that will take him away for a couple of weeks.

"We’re stay-at-home dads when we're home, I guess, but we keep working. I try to write every day. Alan produces records. Bob is a booking agent … we’re kind of like people who work offshore or commute to Fort Mac.

"We (the band) used to just hang around a lot, even if we didn't have something to do, we'd hang around and have coffee and talk about how we didn’t have anything to do … but now we're so busy, like any young parents. We have to set things up.”

In yet another effort to do things a little differently, the band is about to embark on a series of "secret shows" in the major centres across Canada. They'll perform in small, unusual venues, without tech support and with only a few hours notice for fans.

(St. John’s is not yet on the list. "A secret show in St. John’s? How would we manage that?")

"I've still got the Hawksley buzz, I’m still pushing," says McCann. "I find, if I’ve learned one thing, if you put yourself in an uncomfortable situation, it forces you to really think and respond.”

The big show in the province is scheduled for Aug. 2 in Gander; a national and international tour will follow.

Although McCann hasn't yet reached his dream of "being as massive as U2," the vision and the determination that pushed Great Big Sea to the heights they've achieved are still there.

"We’re still growing, by little bits. We're the band that's never stopped growing, in 15 years. It's been consistent. I want to at least sustain that growth and I want it to be leaps and bounds.

"No matter what happens with the record companies and radio, I think, you know our website is strong, the fans are strong, our band is strong, we have our own studio, we have all the tools we need to deal with the world changes."

stephanie.porter@theindependent.ca