Music N' Other Drugs

When Gord Downie died Oct. 17, 2017, I took a drive. I didn’t know where I was going, but I had reached a crossroads in my professional life and hearing the news of his tragic yet expected passing sent me searching for answers.

While it may sound odd to be that affected by the death of someone you’ve never met, that’s the reality of being a fan of The Tragically Hip. They were always there when I needed them and all I had to do was press play before preparing to conquer whatever issue I was dealing with at that moment in time.

Beyond the music, what defined the relationship between the band and its fans was the organic camaraderie that would arise in a live setting. Whenever The Tragically Hip came to town, Downie, Rob Baker, Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair, and Johnny Fay transcended the space in such a way that I couldn’t help but rue the fact that they never achieved fame on a global scale.

Since The Hip stopped touring in 2016, Buffalo-based group The Strictly Hip have been honoring the legacy and filling that void as well as any diehard fan could hope for. As their bio states, “The Strictly Hip have been evangelists, spreading the good word of The Tragically Hip’s music far and wide” since 1995 and their 30th Anniversary show at Kleinhans Music Hall promises to be one for the ages.

I spoke with guitarist/Niagara Falls Music Hall-of-Famer Bruce Wojick recently about his time in the band and what fans can expect tonight as well as in the months ahead. As vocalist Jeremy Hoyle is known to say, “The Strictly Hip is for the people,” and no degree of adversarial political nonsense between the United States and Canada is going to change that.

MNOD: You guys will be celebrating 30 years of The Strictly Hip on Friday night. What comes to mind as you reflect on the history of the band?

Wojick: Well, I’ve only been in the band for like 16 going on 17 years, so I wasn’t there when the band started. I know if you were talking to Jeremy, he probably would say that he wouldn’t have thought it would last this long. But, you know, with the way that things went with the real band and stuff like that, I mean, nobody expected Gord to go down such an awful road there. But I know Jeremy would say no, he probably didn’t expect it to go this long, but it’s been an honor for us to play this music that people just love. I mean the music is such a part of people’s lives and it is just a pleasure for us to be able to play this music for people.

MNOD: As a diehard fan of The Tragically Hip, I used to see both them and The Strictly Hip live often in the same week depending on how the schedule fell. Because of how things ended for the original band, I feel as if you guys are even more vital now, because these songs deserve to be played live and you’re filling that void in a way. Do you guys feel that way?

Wojick: Absolutely, absolutely. I mean, as time goes on, it’s cultural thing at this point. It’s like a community kind of thing. Again, it’s the people who love it. It’s just so revered this music, you know? It’s just absolutely awesome for us to continue playing these songs for people and I think we know the way to do it. And you’ve seen the way we do it. You know we don’t have somebody trying to dress up like Gord or try to be like him. We just play the music the best we can with integrity and I think people respond to that very much so. I think they enjoy the message we’re sending, so it’s a really special thing.

MNOD: Before you started playing this music, was The Tragically Hip a band that you were into?

Wojick: No, not quite. Of course, I knew a lot of songs and stuff like that, but it wasn’t my thing. I don’t know if that’s negative in a way, but it’s not really negative. You usually expect lifelong fans to be in this kind of band. I’m not saying that I didn’t like it by any means, I’m just saying that it wasn’t what I really listened to. I mean, now I have so much respect for them as songwriters and musicians, and it’s something that I’ve grown to love very, very much.

MNOD: It’s been nine years since their final album was released yet the classic period from 1989-1998 or so tends to be what people want to hear most often. Do you guys ever work on some of the deeper cuts?

Wojick: We have played some of those cuts, but as far as playing albums in their entirety, we tend to focus on ‘Up to Here,’ ‘Day for Night,’ ‘Fully Completely,’ and stuff like that. We’ve done those numerous times and they’re always a treat to do them. Some of the later stuff we haven’t done in their entirety. You know the way it goes in terms of the fans. Those first five or six albums are just so revered by the fans.

MNOD: Some of the arrangements were more complex on the later albums, as well.

Wojick: Yeah, yeah. Again, you know the people love to hear the classics. We were doing ‘Love is a First’ also and we bring that one back every once in a while.

MNOD: I’ve heard you play “The Depression Suite” before, which is an essential track for me.

Wojick: That’ll actually be on the list for the anniversary show. I love that. We started playing that one when we knew we were gonna be doing orchestra shows with the BPO and in St. Catherine’s. We picked that one up and knew that it would be amazing with the orchestra, but we’ve also done it many times without the orchestra. It’s an amazing song.

MNOD: Were the orchestra shows something that you guys sought out or did they come to you?

Wojick: I believe I’m correct in saying that they came to us. When you live in Buffalo, this was The Hip’s biggest American market, so it made sense. I think it was 2019 that they came to us the first time and we were so lucky to play with them. We played our fifth orchestra show this past summer and it’s amazing to get to do that. The music is such a part of Canadian culture, and it’s become that way in Western New York, as well.

MNOD: “It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken” is another song that works really well with the orchestra.

Wojick: Yeah, we do that. We’ll be doing that one at the anniversary show, as well. What a treat it is to be able to play this stuff for people. It’s an honor for us to do it and we’re committed to spreading the message of The Tragically Hip.

MNOD: Do you have special guests planned for the anniversary show?

Wojick: Yeah, we’ve got quite a few. Jamie Holka, my son Vito, Jeremy’s daughter Erin, Frank’s brother Joe, Erik Eimiller, Rick Ruhmel, and Will Holton. It’s gonna be a great show and the venue is amazing. How many people have been lucky enough to play there with the orchestra?

MNOD: How do you and Frank work out who will play which parts?

Wojick: Frank came in shortly after I joined the band. There was really no design. If he knew a part or a particular solo, he did it and vice versa. We have a great relationship as guitar players and friends, so when we learn something new, we’ll always ask ‘What do you think?’

MNOD: Rob Baker’s original solos are easily overlooked by the mainstream. Is there a song that you particularly enjoy playing?

Wojick: Oh yeah. Speaking of ‘The Depression Suite,’ that solo in there is something else. I just always love when we get to that part and I hit that solo. Also, all the slide parts whenever they’re called for like in ‘Blow at High Dough.’ But ‘The Depression Suite’ is just so excellent and melodic and awesome. There’s also a slide part on ‘Fiddler’s Green,’ which is another amazing song.

MNOD: Have you gotten a chance to watch the documentary that Gord’s brother Mike released last year?

Wojick: I did. Absolutely amazing, right? I love the part about the sax player in the first segment where he was trying to guide them in a certain direction. Yeah, it’s amazing. It was just an enlightening experience to watch it.

MNOD: You guys have done residencies at various venues, orchestra shows, and theme nights in which only certain songs or albums are played. What would the next step be in regard to where this project could go?

Wojick: I mean, Jeremy is always thinking about those things and how to make it special or ultra cool for the fans. You know, doing different things is always being discussed. Instead of just going out there and playing all the songs, we try to make it unique each time. He’s got some ideas coming up, but nothing to put out there right now. You have to wait and see on that, because there are always some cool things around the corner.

The Strictly Hip plays Kleinhans Music Hall tonight (3/21) at 8:00 p.m.

See https://www.thestrictlyhip.com/ or Events Archive – Kleinhans Music Hall for details.