One-on-one with Blue Rodeo
Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo records an over-dub at his band-mate Greg Keelor’s farmhouse in Kendal, Ont., northeast of Toronto. The alt-country troupe recently issued Blue Rodeo: 1987-1993, an eight-disc box set commemorating the group’s 25-year recording career.Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
Keelor, left, and Colin Cripps work on material scheduled for release in late 2013. The band’s previous album was 2009’s sprawling The Things We Left Behind.Fernando Morales
The farm is close enough to Toronto for band members (that’s Michael Boguski, left, with Jim Cuddy) to commute.Fernando Morales
Boguski plays an Acetone organ, a signature element to the Blue Rodeo sound.Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
“It’s a nice little nesting for the band,” says Keelor, on the farm house that was first used to record 1993’s Five Days in July.Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
Bassist Bazil Donovan: “It’s like a second home. I’ve spent so much time here.”Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
Cuddy (with hat) on collaboration : “I don’t think that’s changed much over the years. It’s the way that we end up sounding like ourselves, and not like the diversions on our solo records.”Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail
Blue Rodeo leaves the farmhouse and hits the road in 2013, celebrating with a silver anniversary tour of Canada that begins with two shows in Whitehorse, January 3.Fernando Morales/The Globe and Mail