The question of the side project is whether it might eventually surpass the primary group. With Alexisonfire and City and Colour – Dallas Green’s two groups – that’s never been an issue. Alexisonfire continues to do their thing, while Green uses City and Colour to showcase his acoustic-driven songs and stunningly-pure voice.
I talked with Green before the Sasquatch! Festival about what’s coming up for City and Colour. Check out the conversation after the jump.
Dog Blog: Both your work with City and Colour and Alexisonfire obviously have distinct styles, but they both manage to grow and change since they’ve begun. How do you manage to maintain artistic growth on these separate tracks?
Dallas Green: I listen to a lot of different types of music, and I think that inspires me to write lots of different types of songs. I’m always looking for new records and new bands and stuff like that. I’m always being inspired by new things, which then in turn causes my music to sound different and I move on from that.
What plans do you have for the next City and Colour album? Do you have any recording sessions set up?
Hopefully, later this year. I’ve got 12 or 13 new songs that I’m really into.
How do you feel those songs are different from your last two albums?
I’m not really sure. The thing is, I don’t attempt to write different songs. I don’t sit down and think, “Ok, I want a song to sound like this.” It just sorta happens. However they tend to come out is just how they happen. I wish there was a formula for writing that I could through for you, but I just don’t have one. It’s just all about what happens when I pick up my guitar.
That definitely seems to be a characteristic of City and Colour songs. They all seem to be really earnest. There’s no pretense to them.
Yeah. I guess that’s from the way I write songs. I’ve sat down and tried to write observational songs or story-type songs, with characters and things like that, but it just doesn’t work. I end up writing songs about myself. Maybe that’s selfish, but that’s just the way it works for me.
On the last album, you were working a lot with the guys from Attack in Black, and I was wondering if you have any idea on which collaborators you might bring in on the next disc.
Nope, not as of right now. I’m just working on getting the songs together so far. Once they’re done, I’ll start figuring out who I’ll have on the album.
Do you have any idea about the arrangements? Will you be trying to work with an even fuller band than last time?
With the demos that I’ve been working on, I’ve been playing a lot of piano and more drums and more full-bandy stuff, but there’s still a bunch of stuff that’s just me, guitar, singing about things.
City and Colour latest album, Bring Me Your Love, is available now through Dine Alone Records.