Rah Rah, Regina’s hometown indie rockers, have (deservedly) received plenty of fawning praise and press for their new album, The Poet’s Dead. But that doesn’t necessarily translate into big bucks — or even a living wage.
The sprawling six-sometimes-seven-piece band has been poised to break through Canada’s indie glass ceiling since their 2008 debut, Going Steady. But even after earning rave reviews for their live shows opening for a host of indie rock peers (Stars, Wintersleep), Rah Rah has continuously struggled to get to the next level.
Co-founder and co-singer-songwriter Erin Passmore is cautiously optimistic that this fall's The Poet’s Dead is actually the game changer everyone says it is.
“As soon as we were done this record, I was so happy with it I couldn’t stop listening to it,” Passmore says, a few days before Rah Rah is set to head out on tour for a series of headlining gigs, as well as a show opening for Plants and Animals at the Commodore in Vancouver on Nov. 1 (coincidentally, Passmore’s birthday). “I’m just glad that others are thinking the same thing, because it means I’m not crazy.”
Passmore laughs, but the kudos is an encouraging step in the right direction. Though, she’s been doing this long enough to be pragmatic.
“It kind of makes me feel like we’re onto something,” she says. “But, we’re still obviously plugging away and not making any money. It keeps you humble and keeps you focused on what’s important, what’s gonna motivate you the best. There’s always a downside to that type of thing. You feel like a bum most of the time. At least on tour you feel like you’re doing something. When you’re home, it’s kind of a different story.”
For Passmore, touring is actually less stressful than the alternative.
“When I get home is when I freak out, like, 'Gahhh! What am I doing with my life?'” she says, laughing. It's easy to understand why. The band’s touring life is a structured existence thanks to securing a couple of booking agents, and they’re making enough to break even and they have small per diems.
“But you can’t pay your bills from it,” Passmore says. “That’s where the struggle comes. But, maybe that’s where we become inspired to maybe write, because I have [a] hard time writing when I’m really happy. Maybe a little bit of misery is not such a bad thing.”
In fact, Passmore uses her misery as a kind of currency. She says that while bandmates Marshall Burns and Kristina Hedlund write more objectively, her songs are mostly autobiographical.
“I’m all about ‘a boy broke my heart and I’m sad,’” Passmore says, mocking herself playfully in a sing-song voice. “It’s a real catharsis for me. I’d be even crazier if I didn’t put all that out there. In the past, I know a couple of my exes have felt a little bit strange about telling the world about our situations, but at the same time it’s like, ‘Well, you knew who I was when I got into this and you were an asshole, so this is what happens.’” She laughs. “This guy I’m in a relationship with now, he knows what’s up, and I’ve been really clear because there have been a couple songs, even on this record, that sort of mention stuff we’ve been through and he doesn’t seem freaked out, so that’s a good sign.”
The soaring lead single, “Prairie Girl,” is a perfect example of the refreshing urgency of Passmore’s scorched earth songwriting, but the entire record is comprised of moments equally delightful.
“20s” celebrates youthful vitality and “Art and a Wife” is a catchy, twang-tinged rock number. There are at least four more that could garner mainstream attention — or at least carve a new space for Rah Rah, moving the band up the indie elite chain. But even if it doesn’t pan out, Passmore says she'll still be satisfied. She’s unabashed in her enthusiasm and love for The Poet’s Dead.
“The type of love, it’s like, even if nobody else loved it I still would,” Passmore says. “That to me is my own form of success. Even if nothing else comes of it, at least we made this really amazing record.”
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Rah Rah’s breakout projects for Marshall Burns and Erin Passmore