Press

Playing on his own terms
Nanaimo native David Gogo keeps his musical edge by going on tour

Mike Devlin
Victoria Times Colonist - October 7, 2004

IN CONCERT

Downchild Blues Band with David Gogo
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Where: McPherson Playhouse
Tickets: $43
Phone: (ph. 386-6121)

David Gogo can write, play and sing with the best blues performers in the country. But he is, above everything else, a musician who's most at-home on a concert stage.

During the mid-'90s, when he was briefly signed to a contract with EMI Records, the hard-working musician was essentially robbed of his ability to perform live. Gogo was inexplicably asked by the label not to tour, as EMI wanted him primarily to be a songwriter.

He left EMI on his own terms in 1995, shortly after the release of his self-titled debut for the label. Though the album helped earn Gogo a Juno Award nomination for best new solo artist, he'd had enough by that point. The career he had fought hard to establish on both coasts had all but dissolved once he gave up touring.

Now, mere days before the release Vibe, his seventh album and first of strictly original material, the 35-year-old Nanaimo native is being rewarded for his perseverance.

"From Victoria and Lloydminster to Ottawa and Fredericton, people are getting interested in playing our music again," Gogo says. "That's an accomplishment for anyone, let alone an indie blues artist. Radio is a pretty narrow scope right now in what they "

When Gogo made the decision to return to music on his own terms in 2000, his first step was to make touring a priority. Gogo has since turned his road philosophy into his stock-in-trade. Now a fixture of festivals across Canada, he's a popular concert attraction with two live albums to his credit.

"I think my skill as a player is better, my skill as a singer is better and my skill as a songwriter is better. That comes from working all the time, and continually doing it. No more of these lulls. It's like anything else. If you're an athlete, you can't sit on your ass "

In support of Vibe, which hits stores Tuesday, Gogo is once again hitting the touring circuit, including a number of dates opening for the re-formed Downchild Blues Band.

The national tour, the longest of Gogo's career, runs non-stop until Nov. 26. To combat the rising costs of touring with a full band, Gogo has devised a plan which enables him to further his name across the country at a fraction of the normal expense. He hires separate backing bands for shows on either coast.

"It was hit-and-miss the first couple of times," he says.

"But now I've got a really good band in Ottawa, and I've got a really good band out here. For the last two years I've been flying "

Amidst all the travelling and playing, Gogo developed friendships with a number of notable Canadians, many who showed up during the recording of Vibe.

With guitarist Jeff Healey, Tom Wilson of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, Craig Northey of The Odds and John Capek -- who's written hits for Rod Stewart, among dozens of others -- on board guests, the album

Gogo says he's not worried about the harder-edged recording alienating his audience. He remains faithful to the blues, no matter the interpretation. "It's a fine line to straddle that fence. I don't want to necessarily piss-off the blues (fans) because it's been nice to be invited back to play at a lot of these festivals. That being said, I don't like to be a "

© 2004 Times Colonist