Rock on
photo courtesy Gordon Ball
Priestess stops in Ottawa on nationwide tour
MONTREAL HARD-ROCK BAND Priestess sent their audience into a frenzy of vigorous moshing and head-banging when they hit the stage in Ottawa earlier this month. After releasing their second album, Prior to the Fire, on Oct. 20, the band has been touring non-stop throughout Canada and the United States. On Nov. 20, the boys of Priestess made a stop at Mavericks to give their Ottawa fans something to scream about.
“We have always prided ourselves on being a live band and putting on the best possible show,” said guitarist and backup vocalist Dan Watchorn.
While the songs on their debut 2006 album, Hello Master, were put together individually with most of the songs written by lead singer and guitarist Mikey Heppner, Prior to the Fire was a team effort—the band wrote each track on their latest release together. Watchorn explained that the open creativity positively contributed to developing the music, and made the songwriting process simpler and more interesting for the band.
“We went in fresh and the ideas just blossomed out of the jam space,” said Watchorn. “[Prior to the Fire] is more of a mature record—[it’s] a little more complex.”
Despite the band’s more constructive approach to the songwriting process, this latest album has truly been a project years in the making. In 2006, the band signed on with the American record label RCA—an opportunity they were excited about. Unfortunately, the label was looking for money-making singles that would sell albums, whereas Priestess was in it for the music.
“With the state of the record industry right now, not many people are selling CDs,” Watchorn said. “A record company, especially one as big as RCA, is forced to get their roster down to only the things that are going to sell.”
The band and record label officially parted ways this past year—but, contrary to rumour and popular belief, Watchorn explained that Priestess still remains on friendly terms with the company.
“It was a good split,” he said. “They let us go pretty free.”
Priestess is now working with smaller labels, with whom Watchorn said the band is more comfortable. Currently the band is signed to Indica, a Montreal-based label, and are newly associated with Tee-Pee Records, who are currently working on obtaining American and European release dates for Prior to the Fire in early 2010.
Although Priestess is typically described as a heavy metal band, they themselves try not to think of their music in such a limited sense. With 70s rock as their primary source of influence, Watchorn explains that they tend to eschew the classification.
“[We have] always tried to stay away from the metal label because it backs you up into a corner,” he said. “We see ourselves more as a hard rock band.”
Currently, Priestess has no concrete plans to start work on another new album. Watchorn explains that for the time being, the band is content with touring and having the opportunity to connect with their fans.
“We just want to keep touring,” he said. “Who knows what record three is going to sound like, but we are very happy with record two and we are on the right path.”
For more information about Priestess, or to order their latest album, check out indicarecords.com.
