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"I don’t have any illusions that people are coming in there to see me, I just try and keep the people that are there interested in seeing me. My job there is to sell booze, not to sell me."
And that in a nutshell is what it takes to be a professional musician in Calgary. Randy Hutchings should know – he’s been doing just that for years now.
"It all depends on what you want. I don’t drive a car. I don’t own a home…. But I don’t need a whole lot, as long as my bills are paid and I can go out and have a beer with my friends when I want to, then that’s all I care about."
But even before he began performing music for a living, Hutchings had always been working in the music industry in some capacity – whether working at a record store, for Polygram Records, or as Great Big Sea’s booking agent.
"Working in the music business is all I’ve ever done…" explains Hutchings. "I don’t have any aspirations of becoming a rock star or selling a million records…. I just want to have a sustainable career, putting out a record every year or two. That’s all I want."
It’s that sort of realism and down-to-earth charm that has led Hutchings to develop his self-described "pop-Americana" songs to the point that he has earned residencies at busy pubs such as The Tropicana and Molly Malone’s, as well as the privilege of having some heavy Calgary musicians in his live band, such as Ross Watson on bass, Brooker Buckingham on pedal steel and guitar, and Adam Esposito on drums.
Hutchings didn’t settle either when it came time to record his debut album Atlantic Avenue (out on June 20). And as luck would have it, his first choice for a producer (Lorrie Matheson) happened to live in town.
"I had heard Dime at a Time and I went into Hot Wax (where Matheson works) one day with a bunch of demos that I had and I said, ‘Would you listen to these because I want you to produce my CD.’"
Matheson was an obvious choice, sharing Hutchings’ Costello-meets-Jayhawks-like sound in his own music, as well as having proved to be an adventurous engineer/producer on albums such as The Bent Spoon Trio record and Melodies from the Outskirts by Jay Crocker.
Matheson pulled out more of his A-game for Atlantic Avenue from the well- placed, multi-layered arrangements (played almost entirely by Matheson and Hutchings), to the unexpected moments that pop up here and there – for instance – the abrasive sound of an electric guitar being plugged in just before a solo, or the Wilco-influenced keyboards –– which make for the most memorable parts of the album.
"He’s not afraid to try whacking things in a pop context that you would think wouldn’t work," says Hutchings of Matheson’s studio prowess, "(but) when you hear it back later, you say ‘Wow, that was a good idea.’"
Hutchings’ CD release party for Atlantic Avenue is Friday, June 23 at The Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Centre, with guest Zoe Bentley.
- Fast Forward Weekly, Calgary
UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA &
OPENING DAY ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCE
EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, Canada, February 9, 2006
Universal Music Canada is to become the sole distributor of independent record company Opening Day Entertainment Group's diverse catalogue. Boasting over thirty CDs and DVDs, ODEG features renowned artists such as Canadian Brass, R. Murray Schafer, Janina Fialkowska, Mary Lou Fallis, the Elmer Iseler Singers, and highly anticipated releases from Zoe Bentley, X-Quisite, Gary Quinn (GQ), Randy Hutchings and Giles Tomkins.
"The Opening Day Entertainment Group umbrella stretches over a broad definition of music," shared ODEG President Charles Daellenbach. "Our successes range from major AC/CHR radio play, Top 10 videos and crossover artist development to international awards and international concert stage presentations. Partnering with Universal Canada enables us to much more effectively and creatively bring our music to the Canadian audience." "Universal Music looks forward to a long and rewarding relationship with ODEG," commented Thom McKercher, Catalogue Marketing Manager, Universal Classics & Jazz. "Their roster of Canadian artists is a beautiful complement to the Canadian performers that currently are associated with us."
Opening Day Recordings was founded by and for artists in 1993 to showcase the finest of Canadian classical performers and composers. The label became a particular favourite among critics and broadcasters and rapidly earned an enviable reputation for exclusivity and excellence, accumulating five Juno nominations plus a Juno win. In an aggressive restructuring move, founder Stuart Laughton enlisted the enthusiasm and expertise of acclaimed producer Trey Mills and Canadian Brass founder Chuck Daellenbach in ODEG's 2003 incorporation, extending this initiative across a singularly broad musical spectrum. Its three labels and supporting publishing company with Hal Leonard and BMG Publishing affiliations continue to lead the way in rock/urban (OP3), roots/blues/crossover (Opening Night) and classical (Opening Day).
The enterprising spirit and genre-defying versatility particular to ODEG as a company is also taken to heart by its individual artists. Canadian Brass' premiere recording of Bramwell Tovey's "State Street Stomp" turned heads when the group appeared on Bravo!Videos in the Top 3 alongside John Legend and Michael Buble. It's not every day that you'll hear a classical ensemble on AC radio much less in a Top 20 hit but the quintet broke that mold when 'singer/songwriter/sometimes-rocker' Zoe Bentley proposed a collaboration on "Very Merry Christmas" to cue in the holidays and set the stage for forthcoming releases from the young phenomenon.
Since its inception, ODEG has been on the fast track to cumulative success: Grammy-nominated and Juno & Germany Echo winning Canadian Brass is actively touring worldwide and recording more than ever; Top 10 urban/pop vocalist Gary Quinn (GQ) and chart-topping R&B/Soul Recording of the Year Juno nominee X-Quisite were #1 and #2 Independent Artists on Canadian radio; featured ODEG spring releases include Stride from Zoe Bentley, And So It Goes, a sophisticated classical/crossover collection of old and new from baritone virtuoso Giles Tomkins, and from the man known to pack the dancefloor with only his voice and an acoustic guitar, Randy Hutchings' roots/Americana release Atlantic Avenue. - Universal Music Canada
Discography
2000 The Lost Art of Conversation (independent)
2006 Atlantic Avenue (Openingday/Universal) release date June 20, 2006
2008 The Days Before (Openingday/Universal) release date October 2008
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Bio
Reclining in a red velour chair after inhaling a cigarette on a balcony, Randy Hutchings eases into himself. The smoke and a little Jayhawks playing in the background has brought the Newfoundlander cum Calgarian into storytime mode, worthy of a few more cigarettes. A couple of hours in, he's just getting started.
Ten years after finally taking his guitar and music seriously, Hutchings is ready to face the music. His music. Having worked at record labels, music stores and covering the gamut playing solo and in cover bands, the 38 year-old singer/songwriter is looking for cult-worthy success. Big bucks and crowds would be nice but beside the point. Hutchings wants a suitcase of songs and endless destinations to play them at.
Atlantic Avenue should take him there. Hutching's Universal/Opening Day debut features a seamless mix of alt country, pop and atmospheric rock songs. Having lived through an ex-wife and a better wife, depression and a gambling addiction, Hutchings has no lack of material to draw from. That said, Hutchings faces his musical mirror leaving the pity outside its frame.
Produced by fellow singer/songwriter Lorrie Matheson and featuring legendary singer/songwriter Billy Cowsill, Atlantic Avenue is like a movie with an ambiguous ending. The plot and the characters come together but not exactly how you thought they would. Hutchings describes it as a snapshot of the last five years.
I don't wanna put out stuff that's black and white; I hope for an experience that's somewhere in between, he says.
"Leave" is a roots flavoured plea to his former addiction woes to pick up their bags and hit the road. "Waiting for the Girl" and "Too Much" are upbeat, hopeful pop songs that get stuck in your head. "Take Me Down" and "I Walk Alone" are lush emotional tugs-of-war.
Randy Hutchings is the everyman musician who knows how to tell your story, give it a twist and a life of its own. Listening is necessary; cigarettes are optional.
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