Photo credit: Adam Hefferman
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
Historically, we would rent the mighty Dodge Caravan but in preparation for post-Covid touring, we purchased a white Honda Odyssey. We were torn between two names: Rhonda (the Honda) and Vanna White. Our manager Louis broke the tie with a vote for Vanna. The van was bought lovingly used and has 80k KMs. No major repairs yet but we’ve got a hitch going on there so we can tow a trailer. Can’t wait to fill it with the sweet smells of leftover rider and musicians!
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Since Covid began, Andrew has been on a substantial lifestyle change; clean eating, sobriety and a regular gym routine. Consistency has been key to bringing that continued success on tour so one thing that will never change on at home or away is great coffee and a healthy breakfast. We’ve got a collapsible silicone kettle, cups, bowls, cutlery and an AeroPress. We got tired of hotel coffee so now we make our own. We also do pumpkin seeds, banana, mixed berries and peanut butter steel-cut oats every morning. This way we know we’re getting a good, healthy breakfast wherever we are. Some semblance of consistency and routine is so important on the road.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
*knocks on wood* Thankfully, Catherine has yet to break a string on either her accordion or Nord so we’ve been really fortunate there. Andrew, on the other hand, was infamous for breaking strings for years. There was a show about 10 years ago before the Fortunate Ones days where he broke 5 strings on 3 separate guitars. It was an outdoor festival and it got so tangly that Catherine’s dad had to run home to get another guitar so the show could continue. Since then, we’ve adopted in-ear monitors. It’s amazing how your playing improves when you can hear yourself!
Where do you rehearse?
We rehearse in our garage. It serves as a rehearsal space and local merch facility. Earlier this year we were getting our house assessed to get heat pumps installed in an effort to lessen our utility bills. There was a government green home grant where you could get 50% of the cost if you got three pumps. We only needed two pumps but the grant amount went down by ½ if you got two pumps instead of three. In order to get a third pump covered for the garage we had to prove that it was a living space. When the assessor came for inspection, Andrew moved our cars out of the garage, set up a full rehearsal with speakers, monitors, keyboards, guitars, amps, mics, lighting, a lounge with pictures on the wall, furniture… A *living* space. We got approved for the full amount of the grant and as soon as the assessor left, Andrew took down the entire setup and moved the cars back into place. ????
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
Andrew *cringes*
Does he know your name?
Does he feel your pain?
Does he call you on the phone
When you’re alone?
Can’t recall the title offhand. It’s probably for the best.
Describe your first gig.
In the fall of 2009, Catherine’s brother Mark was rehearsing with Andrew for a showcase at the Music Newfoundland and a Labrador Association’s annual conference and had a plan to go downtown to check out some music when practice wrapped. On this night Catherine came along as well. This was the first time Andrew had seen her since being blown away by her singing at a summer festival that August. During a break in the rehearsal, Catherine and her brother started singing together and Andrew was reminded of what a beautiful singer Cath was. Andrew was opening for their friend Sherman Downey the following night and mentioned to Cath that if she could learn the set of songs, she wouldn’t have to pay cover to get into the show! She was a student at Memorial University at the time so maybe it was the prospect of saving a few bucks or the excitement of playing the famous Ship Pub but she said yes. That was 13 years ago and the pair have been playing together ever since.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
Cath’s last job was working for Canada Revenue – Canada’s equivalent to the IRS. She left that job in 2012 and has been doing music full time since then. Previous to CRA she was a flight attendant with Provincial Airlines and an interpreter at Beaumont Hamel – a World War 1 memorial site where a generation of Newfoundlanders lost their lives in July of 1916.
In the summer of 2019, Andrew had a benign tumour removed from a finger on his left hand. The surgery left him unable to play for a couple months so he took a job as a receptionist at The Inn by Mallard Cottage in the historic fishing village of Quidi Vidi in St. John’s. The relaxed atmosphere and quiet mornings were the perfect atmosphere to dream up, write and craft many of the songs that became That Was You and Me.
How has your music-related income changed over the past 5-10 years? What do you expect it to look like 5-10 years from now?
It has increased. We expect the trend to continue.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
There really is no substitute for time and experience. For a long time it felt that we always had to be hustling, going through some kind of duress to create the most meaningful art – a no pressure, no diamond approach.
The pandemic was the great equalizer, a forced slow-down and a *hopefully* once in a lifetime opportunity to step back and take stock of what was really important. Giving back to each other, being kinder to our hearts, minds and bodies and investing in ourselves as whole people outside of our career.
For so long our identities were wrapped up in our work, we felt defined as people by who we were in relation to it. When we were younger it would have been great to know that life is not all about work. There is so much more going on. Ironically, once we started to put less pressure on ourselves artistically, the music became clearer, more self-assured and fully realized. When we stepped back from the business of music, it came calling in a bigger, more profound way. Trust in ourselves, patience and time – all things that grow and evolve with age and experience.