By Jim Barber
For greater than 30 years, Canadian different rock band Econoline Crush has pushed and prodded the boundaries of widespread rock music, infusing their ever-evolving sound with progressive components of business, electronica, alongside incendiary vocal performances and compellingly cinematic lyrical depth from frontman/songwriter/founder Trevor Hurst.
Finest recognized for hit songs corresponding to ‘Sparkle and Shine,’ ‘You Don’t Know What It’s Like,’ ‘Depraved,’ ‘Residence,’ and ‘Soiled,’ the band went on hiatus for a couple of years within the early 2000s earlier than reforming to make the Ignite album in 2008. In recent times, even after taking over a really intense, very fulfilling second profession as a psychiatric nurse working in Indigenous communities close to his house in Brandon, Manitoba, music has re-emerged as a critical precedence and highly effective draw as soon as once more for Hurst, as Econoline Crush has launched a brand new single, ‘New Gold Magic,’ lower than two years after issuing their most up-to-date full-length album, When the Satan Drives. The brand new single is the primary of many coming over the following months, with Hurst saying they are going to be main to a different new Econoline Crush album quickly.
‘New Gold Magic’ in addition to a pair different songs presently below development, was co-produced alongside ex-pat Canadian Kane Churko, who’s a part of a household of famous, well-respected, and prolific rock producers, which incorporates his father Kevin and uncle Cory.
“I simply love Kane’s backstory. There’s his father and uncle, they usually’re all from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. And I really like the truth that they’re these prairie boys, they usually can perceive the place I come from, however now they stay in Las Vegas. They’ve a state-of-the-art recording studio. And Kane has been raised on this surroundings his entire life. I’ve been following his profession for some time. I don’t understand how previous he was when he began doing stuff with some fairly massive bands, however he was fairly younger. And I bear in mind he was a engaged on a Papa Roach document, whereas his dad was engaged on 5 Finger Loss of life Punch and Ozzy Osbourne. And I’m like, ‘take a look at these guys go! They’re from Moose Jaw, folks!’ And I simply cherished it. So I knew that he would perceive me,” Hurst stated.
“It was actually wild as a result of we performed Cranbrook, British Columbia, and after the present, signing stuff on the merch desk, I bumped into this girl, Julie. And he or she requested me one thing about whether or not I used to be going to make a brand new document and who I wish to work with? And I stated, ‘oh I might like to work with Kane Churko. I really like the man, he’s progressive and he’s new and he’s an artist. Like, he’s by no means not been an artist in some methods.’ So, she was the one who related me. We talked. It appeared prefer it was going to work, and certain sufficient, it did. And I’ll inform you how dedicated I used to be. I drove to Winnipeg from Brandon. I used to be going to get a Aptitude Airways flight to Las Vegas to document. It was snowing and Aptitude stated they couldn’t fly to Vegas on this snowstorm. I used to be so mad. I drove again to Brandon, after which drove from Brandon to Vegas in, I neglect what number of hours. It wasn’t that many, however I bought there in a day and a half, I feel. I used to be not going to let a stinking snowstorm cease me from recording with Kane. I used to be not going to let the flight cancellation cease me, however I knew it wasn’t going to work out until I simply bought within the automobile and drove. So, I simply powered by means of the snowstorm and bought down there and bought it completed.”
There’s a full album projected on the finish of this course of, though Hurst stated by way of bodily it’s in all probability solely going to be launched on CD in the interim. Likening a full album to a multi-course meal, Hurst stated he’s all the time appeared on LPs, be they on vinyl, CD, cassette and even simply in a digital format, as encapsulating the emotional journey the band or artist was on over the time interval throughout which they have been creating.
“I suppose a single can converse to a small second in time, however I don’t suppose it captures the emotional journey an artist or band was on over that point interval. After we went in to work on our final document, When the Satan Drives [2023], it was an introspective document. It was intentionally considerate. It was intentionally addressing some heartfelt moments as a result of that’s the place we have been as a band. We have been in the midst of a pandemic, and we didn’t know what the world was going to be like on the opposite aspect of it. And I feel that’s necessary to contemplate. I feel that as artists our job, and I don’t know who stated it, however any individual stated it was the job of the artist to carry up a mirror to society and in some methods to ourselves, and analyze what we’re seeing and to offer our voice to it with the intention to, , give the general public, the listeners, a method to perceive, or to simply vent their frustration or no matter it’s that’s happening. The album, for no matter motive, that full size of time, that 45 minutes or no matter, it simply appears the correct quantity of time to utterly cowl an emotional interval in historical past – the artist’s historical past or what’s happening on this planet – the best way they see it and interpret it. I don’t suppose a single can do this. It simply doesn’t fairly cowl it,” Hurst stated, including that the snapshot in time being lined throughout his present inventive outburst, which incorporates ‘New Gold Magic’ was crammed with emotional tumult, deep soul looking, and a renewed sense of himself and his inside rock and curler.
“It’s occurred to me on multiple event the place the method got here at a time once I was actually going by means of one thing. Do you bear in mind when VH1 had that ‘Storytellers’ present? I went to one of many ones with Ray Davies of The Kinks and Ray was speaking in regards to the songs that he had written, and he was saying how he although he was ‘sticking it to his brother [Dave]’ after which he realized years later that he actually wasn’t writing about his brother – he was writing about himself. And I had that second once I went right down to Las Vegas with Kane. I used to be engaged on these songs and there was one thing amiss in my private life, however I couldn’t put my finger on it, and I wasn’t able to even tackle it. However my unconscious was energetic. And in these first two songs, the second goes to be the following single, once I return now and take heed to them, I’m like, oh my gosh, behind my thoughts I knew what was occurring. And it’s a wild factor as an artist the best way that issues work. It boggles my thoughts.
“And I don’t even know find out how to clarify it. It’s simply that, deep down, someplace in there, you simply know that’s one thing’s up, and it’s popping out by means of your inventive course of. Regardless that you don’t need to carry it to the entrance of your thoughts as a result of perhaps it’s too painful to cope with or no matter, it finds methods to squeak into your artwork. A phrase will pop up and also you go, ‘oh, that’s fascinating,’ and also you simply observe that path. You go down that path and then you definitely end the track, and also you suppose, that is fantastic, however what’s all of it about? Effectively, I used to be writing about these emotions I’ve about this and that. However actually, while you dig deeper, you’ll be able to see that, holy crap, this was some unconscious message to myself. And I discovered that actually fascinating when Ray Davies talked about that very same factor when he was speaking about it in that Storytellers present.”
So, what was Hurst’s unconscious making an attempt to say? Was he capable of ultimately determine it out and convey it to the floor for emotional and psychological processing?
“Effectively, sure. I imply I did, truly. I’m going by means of a divorce and a few points associated to that. And it hit me like a plank. And it’s robust, but it surely’s a type of issues the place life goes on and also you’ve bought to select your self up by the bootstraps and stick with it. It was a stunning factor, and it’s been overwhelming, however yeah. And hell, life is all the time a piece in progress,” he stated, including that ‘New Gold Magic’ is what got here immediately out of the method of working by means of the emotions related to such a big life change, and realizing that some inside retooling was wanted.
“I feel, subconsciously, I used to be pushing again on my state of affairs and the folks round me. I feel that I felt like I used to be perhaps making myself small to slot in. And, , you undergo a variety of thoughts video games as an artist. You query sure issues. Why did this work? Why didn’t this one work? What did this transformation? What was it about that sure factor that folks related with? So, once I went into the studio with this track, the best way that the riff was and every part, I truly felt form of lippy and form of, like, cheeky. And I needed to make it like that. After I learn these lyrics, I used to be pondering, it’s so rattling tragic and stuff, and I noticed I used to be form of this overwhelming character to be round. And I additionally realized that, similar to sure vegetation, you’ll be able to’t develop in some locations if you happen to don’t have sufficient gentle, if you happen to don’t have sufficient water, if you happen to don’t have no matter. I used to be simply not in the appropriate spot, and I can see that now, however I couldn’t on the time. However on the similar I used to be form of complaining. I don’t know find out how to clarify it. I wanted that man, that rock and roll man to indicate up and go, ‘dude, come on. What are you doing? Go and let your gentle shine. Go kick some ass. Go rock!’ I wanted that swagger.”
In different phrases, whereas the self evaluation was good, and productive and academic, finally what Hurst’s unconscious was telling him was to get out of his personal head, to reconnect together with his mojo, and get to work being a badass rock and curler.
“It’s bizarre as a result of as you age as a human being and as you age as an artist, you do get this degree of confidence and perhaps a higher understanding of how the world is round you. So, you’d suppose that issues would grow to be simpler and in some methods they’re. However on the similar time, you continue to have that stuff that all the time comes with being an artist and placing music out. You let the infant go, you launch it to the world, and also you hope they’re type to you and also you hope for the very best. I suppose that by no means goes away. Plus, I feel it’s good that that feeling doesn’t go away as a result of it retains us humble and retains us trustworthy and it retains us working exhausting to make the stuff we’re making. If it have been straightforward, all people could be doing it, proper?”
Hurst stated he knew issues have been particular in regards to the course of as a result of there have been instances of actual musical magic when engaged on the brand new songs alongside Churko. It made the entire course of not solely revelatory by way of what he discovered and the way he processed the emotional trauma of earlier months, but in addition in how liberating it was to take the leash off and simply go together with the inventive stream.
“We have been sitting there engaged on the track and I take a look at Kane and we have been like, okay now we’ve come to the bridge of the track, now what? We have been each sitting there pondering after which I began making these faces and making an attempt to make guitar sounds with my voice, and he simply picked up what I used to be form of placing down and he stated, ‘oh, so we’re going to show this into some type of Rob Zombie twisted factor.’ And I’m like, ‘yeah, yeah, yeah!’ It was an alchemic aspect, synthesized for human creativeness and simply saying all these bizarre issues. And he simply saved recording. These are the type of moments of impromptu weirdness the place you don’t know if it’s going to work or not, however who cares. Simply press ‘document’ and let’s simply attempt. And it turned out fantastic. It was enjoyable. And I bear in mind after we completed that day’s recording, he appears at me and says, ‘thanks for that,’” he stated, including that despite the fact that the track is about his personal private journey, what he’s gone by means of, and listening to what the little voice inside his coronary heart is saying, that the sense of empowering swagger of ‘New Gold Magic,’ has the spin-off impact of lifting up listeners who’re enduring their very own challenges.
“I feel it was Eddie Vedder, again within the Nineties, who stated that after you launch the track on the market into the world, then the way it’s interpreted and the way folks embrace it and the elements of the songs they embrace, you’ll be able to’t management. That’s their factor. And what it means to them isn’t any much less vital that what it means to me as the one who wrote it. So, if ‘New Gold Magic’ turns into a struggle track that folks love, the place folks say to whoever, ‘I’m going to offer you all of the ache I really feel’ and throwing it proper again of their face, then, sure, I embrace that absolutely and wish that. Nevertheless it’s additionally one thing that has to occur naturally, prefer it did for these new songs. For me, it’s very troublesome to sit down down and begin with the idea that I’m going to magically write a protest track after which write a protest track. I would like to attend. Within the studio, I’d present up and look ahead to the songs to indicate up. The music will get performed after which hastily you are feeling this obtain of data the place you’re like, ‘okay that is what we’re going to go for,’ and also you simply begin writing. I envy the individuals who can simply sit down and say, ‘oh I feel I’ll write a symphony at this time that invokes the considered fall and crunching leaves on the bottom.’ I simply can’t do it.”
Most followers of Econoline Crush know that the band is a big if not preeminent a part of his life, because it has been now for greater than 30 years. However over a decade in the past, Hurst launched into one other, simultaneous profession path, learning and ultimately incomes his diploma and accreditations as a psychiatric nurse. A lot of his work is finished in high-risk conditions, notably in Indigenous communities close to his house in Brandon, Manitoba. What he has discovered and skilled from the depth of his interactions together with his shoppers, the successes, the tragedies, the visceral ache and depredation and the moments of affection and despair have undoubtedly influences the music he creates – and vice versa. It’s as if one aspect of his life depends on the opposite for inspiration and emotional evolution.
“It is a key level you simply touched on, as a result of music allows me to be a greater psych nurse and a greater counsellor and a greater wellness employee. And it’s due to the truth that music is an outlet for all of that pent-up frustration and vitality, and it offers me a possibility to deal with the issues like suicide, which is an enormous deal in our group – it scares all of us and we don’t need to see any of it. I give a chat each single evening on stage in regards to the significance of checking in in your buddies, about saying trustworthy issues while you’re feeling scared and while you’re feeling like you have got some suicidal ideation. I carry that up each single evening. So, I get a possibility to speak about it by means of a PA to a bunch of individuals and have them cheer about it. And that feels good,” he stated.
“However on the similar time, it additionally feels good to get that PSA on the market, and I can simply beat my physique up the entire time, like simply soar and smash and soar across the stage and get out these frustrations. If I didn’t have music, God forbid, I’d in all probability be in some beer league hockey factor slamming folks up in opposition to the boards and dropping the gloves each 5 months. I take advantage of it as an outlet to get these things out as a result of it’s a lot to course of. And I feel that music helps me do this by means of songwriting and performing particularly.
“I’ve been doing this for 10 years and there’s quite a bit – there’s a variety of emotion. There’s a variety of harsh actuality that I’ve been uncovered to and a variety of stunning moments too. I feel it simply makes me a greater human and that subsequently makes me a greater musician. You realize, it simply informs my life. I’m actually, actually, actually grateful that I’ve labored within the locations that I’ve labored, in Indigenous communities, within the areas the place there’s marginalized folks inside that group and dealing with these folks and making an attempt to assist get folks into a greater spot, into a greater life. There’s nothing extra rewarding than having the ability to assist any individual that’s in a really robust spot to get to a spot that’s protected, that’s snug and that brings them pleasure. I feel that my musical aspect, having completed interviews and having carried out, I do little maneuvers, do issues like dance, soar, no matter it takes to get a giggle, to get all people to loosen up after which to maneuver in direction of the objective which is, how can we repair this? How can we make this higher? Day-after-day, that’s what I do, I’m wondering, ‘how do I make this higher?’ And I really like the people who I work with, the shoppers. And I really like the devoted workers that I work with. I feel it simply makes me a greater human. And by being a greater human, I’ve higher empathy and higher understanding of a bigger swath of individuals. As a substitute of this type of small, myopic form of group, I see folks from the very marginalized to very rich and all factors in between. And I get to listen to tales, good and unhealthy. I’m uncovered to quite a bit, and I feel that it’s nice. I really like the truth that it impacts my world in a means that makes me a stronger and higher human.”
The group wherein Hurst does most of his wellness work is named Sioux Valley, about 40 kilometres from Brandon. There are about 2,700 folks residing there, principally Dakota.
“I used to work at Canupawakpa, which can be Dakota. I used to be higher with the language once I labored there as a result of I used to be working extra with the elders. Now that I’m working with the younger folks, they don’t use the language as a lot, however I’ve discovered a couple of fascinating issues like, as an illustration, me. I’m a wasi’chu. That’s the title for white folks. However while you truly translate it, it means fats stealer. They advised me when Common Custer had all people form of penned up within the States, the military would include a sledge of a aspect of beef and a bunch of potatoes and greens and stuff. They have been so frightened of the Dakota, they might pull the sledge into the center of the group and they’d simply minimize the rope and experience off. The native farmers round, they might come down with weapons and they’d take all the good things off the sledge and go away the Indigenous folks with gristle and rotting greens. In order that they bought skinny, they usually referred to as us the wasi’chu – the fats stealers. And I can’t blame them,” he stated.
“It’s such an enchanting tradition. When my mother died of most cancers and I used to be grieving so exhausting and struggling, a nurse requested me how I used to be dealing with issues. I stated I used to be struggling and I requested her for recommendation and she or he stated she actually bought into their tradition and it modified her. She stated I ought to go together with her to a sweat. I went that evening and it was wonderful. And it modified the best way I felt in regards to the Creator and … properly, let’s simply say I consider in a better energy now, extra so than ever. I felt the presence of the Creator, and I felt her come into that sweat and I felt her presence and I felt the elders and I felt my ancestors and I felt very related to my soul, if that makes any sense. I felt related to my spirit and to different spirits. In that sweat, I might really feel the oneness of all of us, how we’re all related and the way that is all only one factor. It modified my life and I really feel indebted to the Dakota folks. And that’s why I really like working with them, and that’s why I really like the group.”
Econoline Crush launched its first album Affliction in 1995. There have been 4 full-length albums since, together with the aforementioned When the Satan Drives. There have additionally been three EPs and one best hits compilation, and 1000’s of exhibits over the intervening three many years. Even with out the teachings and experiences gleaned from his profession as a wellness employee, there’s all the time going to be a pure evolution of an artist/musician due to expertise, and maturity. Hurst has labored with plenty of top-line producers and inside the confines of many glorious studios. All of this provides as much as an collected degree of knowledge and data that has made him, technically and stylistically, a greater author.
“What’s actually wild is I shall be within the studio and I’ll hear a phrase or a line that some producer previously has stated to me. Whether or not it’s Bob Rock, Bob Ezrin, Sylvia Massey, Ian Alexander Smith, John Wozniak [Marcy Playground] – I hear all of that route, all of that data nonetheless bouncing round inside this skull. And I feel it makes each recording expertise higher, extra environment friendly and fewer tense in a means. I’ll be writing the lyrics and I’ll hear John Wozniak saying, ‘didn’t you simply say that within the line earlier than? Can we transfer ahead? Can we punch that up?’ Or like Ian Alexander Smith encouraging me to decide on a special, extra uncommon melody, and Sylvia saying, ‘sing it such as you imply it.’ Like, I nonetheless hear these voices, proper? I hear them in my head. And it does, it impacts how I do issues now. I can nonetheless see Bob Rock’s smile while you nail it and it feels good to get that approval. It’s bizarre as a result of we’re like performing monkeys and if I could make the producer glad, then I’m glad.”
There’s a sense the music is beginning to achieve a increasingly more traction in Hurst’s life, by way of the period of time and vitality he spends on it, to the purpose the place he’s pondering stepping again from his wellness work, no less than for a season.
“I’ve this sense that music could grow to be extra. And I’m okay with that if that’s the case. As a result of music is like bottling lightning or one thing. Should you get an opportunity and also you catch it, then hold it and go. I can all the time come and work in these communities. I can all the time come and assist. And I’ll all the time be related. Perhaps I shorten my hours, or perhaps I’m doing a special function. However I feel it was necessary for me to go down this path, to spend 5 years in class and be taught. It was a problem to get from the place I used to be and moving into the college mode. I had this nice inside debate. I didn’t suppose I might pull it off. Then once I didn’t actually have a selection, I gave myself this type of ultimatum and stated I had to do that. Overcoming that worry and persevering by means of that problem made me a greater human. And I find it irresistible. I’m so grateful that I went there and I’m so grateful that I caught with it,” including that even when music does grow to be a bigger focus and eats up extra of his emotional sources and time, he gained’t enable it to take over his life prefer it did throughout Econoline Crush’s heyday within the Nineties, when it was a relentless grind of album, tour, album, tour, album tour, with a great deal of promotion in between.
“Once you’re in that mode, which was unlucky for myself, as a result of the draw back is that I’m all the time in search of the following factor. You’re all the time trying down the highway. You get this tour ebook, and it’s thick and it’s bought all of the details about all of the dates and the routing. And also you’re by no means within the second. It’s all the time trying forward. ‘What’s subsequent? Ought to we attempt to hop on this different tour. Is that tour abroad going to occur? What about that massive Lollapalooza factor? It was terrible. Now when the evening ends and if we’re fortunate sufficient to get an encore, and it’s throughout, I take a second and take a look at each face that I can see. And I attempt to memorize them as a result of I bear in mind what it felt like when it stopped. And that was horrific. So now I sit there and I soak that in. I feel that the viewers understands what I’m doing as a result of I’ve talked about it quite a bit. I feel there’s this mutual factor the place they’re trying up at us going, ‘I’m so glad you guys confirmed up. Thanks for coming again and enjoying these songs that give us such pleasure.’ However I’m trying again at them going, ‘thanks for coming and letting me play my songs.’ So there’s this mutual admiration, this mutual connection and understanding. And it’s stunning.”
What can be stunning is the chance for these connective moments with music lovers that Hurst is so obsessed with partaking in. Econoline Crush, which additionally options David Swart on drums, bassist Troy Zak and guitarist Graham Tuson, all of whom have been within the band for a decade or extra, is occurring tour this fall, in assist of ‘New Gold Magic, beginning Oct. 25 in Fort MacMurray, Alberta, with that run ending Nov. 23 in Oshawa, Ontario. Dates for early 2026 are additionally in place, for a slew of Canadian exhibits opening for American alt-rockers Dwell, alongside fellow Canadians Massive Wreck.
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Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and writer primarily based in Napanee, Ontario, Canada, who has been writing about music and musicians for greater than 30 years. In addition to his journalistic endeavors, he works as a communications and advertising specialist and is an avid volunteer in his group. Contact him at bigjim1428@hotmail.com.
