Interview by Pedro Tiepolo
Dallas Green is an incredibly talented musician. Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer, he has two major projects in his repertoire, spanning completely different genres. The first, more famous among hardcore fans, is Alexisonfire . The second, City and Colour, caters to lovers of alternative, indie, and more acoustic music.
With Alexisonfire, the musician came to Brazil in 2022 to perform at Lollapalooza and solo at Lolla Party to promote the album Otherness , which was released in June of the same year . With his project City and Colour, Dallas came six years ago and will now satisfy the longing of his Brazilian fans with two shows in the country: June 14th at Vivo Rio, in Rio de Janeiro, and June 16th at Tokio Marine Hall, in São Paulo.
The performances are part of the tour promoting the album The Love Still Held Me Near, released in March 2023. Produced by Green and longtime member and collaborator Matt Kelly, the 12 songs that make up this new album follow a difficult period in Green's life, including the tragic loss of his best friend in 2019.
On the eve of his shows in Brazil, Green spoke exclusively with Wikimetal and talked about his two projects, inspirations, songwriting process, and more. Check out the full interview:
Wikimetal: Hi Dallas! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. City and Colour's last album was released last year, and you've been on the road with this project for over a year now. How has the experience of playing this new material been, and how has the fan reception been?
Dallas Green: It's been incredible. Before the album came out, I had a certain… I don't want to call it worry. But I had a feeling, knowing that what I had written helped me get through a dark time in my life, but I wondered if I would be too vulnerable for people to connect with.
But after it was released and I realized how much the album meant to people who had gone through similar things in recent years, it started to become clear to me that it was like a celebration. Playing the new songs live has been very cathartic for me personally, but I also see the reaction of the people in the audience, and when I talk to them after the show. It's been really beautiful.
WM: You made this album after a tragic period in your personal life. Was it strange for you to go on stage and have to sing these songs?
DG: I remember that in the first shows we started with the first song from the album, to rip the band-aid off once and for all. Initially, it was a little strange to sing, but when I started looking at the audience, I could see someone crying, or someone very emotional. And it reminded me that music is made for that. It's made to connect people and celebrate life.
Over the past year of playing these new songs, the greatest reward has been seeing how connected everyone is. It's allowed me to feel that I'm not singing something sad, I'm singing about finding joy in the darkness.
WM: At the time you were writing this material, did you have any hesitation about releasing these songs, which are so vulnerable and personal? Or did you always know you needed to make this album?
DG: I knew I needed to write about this for myself. I think it took me a while to realize it was going to be so positive for me, because I've always been pretty open about what I'm singing about. But it was a different level of trying to turn those feelings into music.
When you're trying to write about losing someone, you try to do it in the most elegant way possible. You try to honor someone's memory in a song, and in a way that resonates with people who didn't know them. So there were a lot of internal conversations, and with friends. And when the pieces started to fall into place, it became clear that this was going to help me a lot, and if it worked, it would help other people too.
WM: Many people have a perception that artists create their best art when they are suffering, depressed, or going through a tragedy. I don't think that's entirely true, and it might even be a dangerous idea, but I'm curious to know what you think about it.
DG: Yes, I understand that too. I think there were times in my life when I felt that way, that the only way I could create was by going through something difficult. But what I realized is that life is like that, no matter what. You're going to have good days, and bad days. The sun rises and there's light, and at some point it sets and there's darkness.
And over the years I've realized that I prefer to write about the uncomfortable parts of life. It's not like I'm a miserable, tormented person who can only get out of bed if I write a song about being sad, far from it. I just don't want to write about the other side, at least not yet. If I'm having the best night of my life with my friends and family, I have no interest in writing a song about it.
So that's how I see it. I don't think I live a life of suffering, but I am a human being who has to deal with suffering from time to time. And that's simply what I choose to write about.
WM: Your other band, Alexisonfire, is completely different, but at the same time it has that same emotional and cathartic energy. How do you see the two projects and their different influences?
DG: I write in my own way, and I always want to be emotionally connected to the music. I think the difference with Alexisonfire is that we write the songs together, so it ends up being a group effort. We look at the ideas as a group and ask ourselves, how can all five of us connect with this idea?
And City and Colour is like a diary of songs that I write, so it ends up being more personal. But I think the energy is the same. The emotional energy is the same in everything I do, because that's how I am.
WM: And you must have many different influences, I imagine, for each project. What are the songs that have accompanied you throughout your life? And that perhaps have helped you through a difficult time, in the same way that this new City and Colour album can help other people?
DG: There are so many to mention! But I think Alice in Chains ' Dirt … the whole album is one of my favorites, and I can still listen to it backwards and feel deeply connected to the music, you know? And I think it represents well how I like to make music. It's sentimental, it has excellent vocals. Excellent harmonies, but it's super dark and super heavy.
And Grace , by Jeff Buckley . It's an incredible collection of songs for me. And there are so many other albums, after those from when I was younger, that impacted me and still impact me today. I'm very grateful that I can still be moved by music, whether it's old, new, my own… it's something very deep within me.
WM: And do you keep up with new releases? Is there anything that has impacted you recently?
DG: Absolutely! I saw my friend Katie Tupper yesterday, she's an amazing young singer. My friend Ruby Waters also just released an album. You know, there are these badass 25-year-old singers who are killing it. Georgia Harmer also toured with me and she's been working on her second album.
Oh! And the new Knocked Loose . I went to see their show recently. Unbelievable. I'm still in shock, it was incredible. I hadn't seen them before, and they played in this huge place in Toronto. It was amazing to see so many young people at a hardcore show, it warmed my heart.
WM: It's been a while since you've been to Brazil with City and Colour. What are your expectations for this visit?
DG: I'm really excited to go back, it's one of my favorite places. It has some of the most passionate people I've ever met.
Success for me has always been the idea of being able to continue doing something. So to think that it's 2024, and I can go to Brazil to sing, is a very beautiful thing for me. I'm excited to see the audience's reaction. Some of the guys in the band have never been to the country, so it's almost like I can relive it for the first time through their eyes.
SERVICE:
CITY AND COLOUR IN RIO DE JANEIRO
Date: June 14th (Friday)
Venue: Vivo Rio
Address: Avenida Infante Dom Henrique, 85, Rio de Janeiro – Rio de Janeiro
Doors open: 8 PM
Show starts: 10 PM
Age rating: No entry for those under 18 years old. Minors under 18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Online sales: Sympla
CITY AND COLOUR IN SÃO PAULO
Date: June 16th (Sunday)
Venue: Tokio Marine Hall
Address: Rua Bragança Paulista, 1281 – Várzea de Baixo, São Paulo – SP, 04727-002
Doors open: 6 PM
Show starts: 8 PM
Age rating: No entry for those under 16 years old
Online sales: T4F
