#132 Petric
Brother Jason Petric from the Canadian band Petric has a chat with Rae Leigh from Australia talking about songwriting, their journey, and what they are up to given the change in ability to work as a musician during covid.
With millions of online streams, multiple hit songs, and just as many awards and nominations to their name, Petric, the brother duo, made up of Jason and Tom Petric, have taken their music from small stages of Transcona bars to the most prestigious festivals and venues across Canada. The duo is set to release their sophomore album "18 Ends" in the fall of 2017 under Dallas Smith's record label, Steelhead Music.
Connect with Petric:
Transcript
Rae Leigh: Welcome to a songwriter Tryst with Jason, from Petric hey, done.
Jason Petric: I'm doing good. Thank you. How are you doing
Rae Leigh: Good. All the way from Canada. I love chats with people from Canada. It's fun.
Jason Petric: well? What's great about Canada right now is there is no snow. We had One of the most beautiful days of the year. It's so, yes, middle of July. Canada does not have snow. This is our one month. of the year.
Rae Leigh: One month. Okay.
Well, I mean, I like the snow, but then I live in one of the hottest places of the year country, world, probably. And we've been getting pretty cold actually, but we don't get snow at all, ever. So
Jason Petric: Do
Rae Leigh: my kids have never seen snow at all the
Jason Petric: crazy. Do you truly desire winter? See here in Canada, when we get these treacherous winters, I think most of us look at each chair and say, Oh, I see. I could live in Australia or Hawaii and honestly be good with never seen snow again. And I wonder, is it the same thing for Australians where they say, you know what, we'll get this heat all the time.
It would be nice to just see winter.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. There's like that desire for like a log fire and I mean, we've got a fire. At the front of our house that we use sometimes, but it's only a couple of weeks of the year that you can really use it. So you kind of have to go away to get that, that feeling. My, my husband's British. So we have spent a winter.
Cornwall in the UK and there's still no snow there because it's close to the beach, but there's like, there's just a whole nother feel about it. You know, you got to dress up and dress down and here we just don't want to wait close at all. Cause it's just too hot most of the time. Sorry.
Jason Petric: I get that. And that's, and that's the thing. Winter does have its magical moments, you know, when you, there's something about, you know, there's times where there's, you got a foot of snow, so everything has got this nice glistened look, and then there's frost on the trees. And then, you know what. It's not quite too cold, wear a good jacket and you can actually enjoy the outdoors and it is truly wonderful.
But again, then we get these, these awful days where, you know, your cars won't start. And if you're outside for more than five minutes, you're actually like in danger and it's it's something else. So, you know, and I,
Rae Leigh: get over there and experienced that,
Jason Petric: Yeah. And I'm the same. I have to get over there and experience Australia. So
Rae Leigh: that that type of weather where you just don't want to get dressed. All right. Well, this is a podcast about songwriting. So why don't we start with you telling us a little bit about yourself? Who are you? And we've talked about where you come from, but where specifically are you coming from?
Jason Petric: Absolutely. Well, like you kind of introed me. My name is Jason Patrick. I'm in the band, Petra we're Canadian country, rock pop group. There's three of us in our little front man group there. My brother, Tom, he's the lead singer and one of our best friends and the longtime band members Jordan Day, he kind of rounds off the tree. And we, yeah, I love songwriting and you know, it's great that I'm the one that got to be involved in this interview today. Cause I do the majority of the songs for the band. It's
Rae Leigh: Will they be okay with you saying that?
Jason Petric: Oh, yeah, no, look, they'll come by it pretty honestly and again, I think what's great about our group is my brother is a fantastic singer.
He can, he can sing in ways that I never could.
And then Jordan, he's a fantastic musician that really just kind of, I think, forces us creatively to expand our musical talents. And then I do the song writing. So the three of us really. You know, combined to, to be what we need to be as a band. And it's PR it's pretty cool.
We've been doing it since 20 14, 20 15 ish. And we've got to do a lot of great things in Canada and this last album we released in January you know, has, Yeah. Thank you. Yeah. it's really opened us up to other parts of the world. So it's a great time for our band and really excited about the music we're getting.
Rae Leigh: It's become a kind of, a bit of a level playing field with this COVID and the lockdown, everything. I don't know if you've noticed it over there, but over here, a lot of bands have split up. Like it just was too much pressure or they weren't enjoying it or something like they've stopped and all of a sudden they're like, yeah, we don't want to do this anymore.
Has it, have you noticed that in the industry.
Jason Petric: absolutely. There's a huge Canadian band. That's been They've been making a wave in the U S which is, I think the. I, I don't know if it's the same in Australia, but in Canada, everyone kind of always looks at the United States and the CMA and the ACM aids as the as the holy grail of the country music industry.
So there is. So there's a band here in Canada that was really, really doing fantastic and they broke up I think what the lead singer brother is going to continue on, but we all know it's not going to be the same.
So it's weird if this there's pandemics really, I think put people into a different lane to drive in and creatively for us to, you know, We're so fortunate we had our album and it was 90% recorded and done. I, if we hadn't had that, oh man, I don't know. I don't know what we do cause we've actually been able to keep really busy.
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Jason Petric: I'll be honest. I mean, this is, this is a song or this thing. So I think songwriting is all about songwriters. Being a songwriter is about being honest. That's
Rae Leigh: absolutely. Yeah.
Jason Petric: and and I'll be honest.
It's been tough to write songs in the pandemic.
It's just not been more. My mindset has been throughout these couple of months. Yeah. I have written with some people, we have worked on some stuff, but
On any other year it's really go, go, go. And there's a lot more time set aside and maybe even travel trips that.
are planned and executed with specific mindset. Songwriting. And that's just not been there for us and for me, but that's the pandemic it's really, it's shaken people up and you're right. Some bands have just said, you know what? No, it's not for me anymore.
Rae Leigh: Hmm. So w where have your, where has your head been? What's been going on for you? How's it impacted you?
Jason Petric: you? know what it's been insane. And again, I say that, and it's a bit of a bummer, so you know what, I'm not writing as much.
But we're, we're, we're being creative in so many different, other ways. We're, we're writing music videos. We've expanded way more into the creative process of our visual content that we're putting out.
And that was kind of our game plan with with this album. And then again with this pandemic we. wanted to make sure that K we're going to maximize this album. We can't get out and play a bunch of shows of, Hey, we're not going to be able to get in a studio and bring our team together. Whether that be for recording songs or writing songs, we want to make sure the songs that
we have, we want to we want to put out as much as we possibly can for that. So we've done a meet, we've done a music video for every track. Album, we've put together some pretty specific virtual concert content. Again, you know, and not to say that these are things like, Yeah. we can play, you know, if we, if we. If we can jump in a theater and do a little bit of this, we can do songwriting as well.
So it's not that we've, you know, saying we can't do songwriting, but we, we want to give our fans something like, you know, I think, I think about playing music and being an abandoned. It's all about it is all about connecting with fans
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Jason Petric: that's The nature of the beast, whether, whether you have a hundred fans or a hundred thousand fans, you write the songs and you record them to share with people.
So we wanted to make sure that we were sharing as much as we possibly could throughout this pandemic. And those are some of our goals and, and we have one more music video to shoot and we're shooting it in two weeks.
Rae Leigh: that's exciting. And then that'll be, I think that's a great thing that you've been doing that.
Jason Petric: Yeah.
It's just, you know what, it's. It's what we wanted to do. And, and I, you know, again, I shouldn't say that I'm not I'm not writing I'm, I'm kind of, honestly, I'm still writing all the time. Then
I'm doing what I do, where I put notes in my phone and I grabbed my guitar and I'm, and I'm, and I'm making, I'm starting little things, but.
I'm just not finishing them the way. And that could be simply because you know what, I'm not getting out to Nashville where I do a lot of my hard, deep song writings.
My mind is focused on these other creative projects. Maybe we're also just in the back of my mind. It's. I'm thinking that we're not necessarily needing to go and record these songs are there, or we can't go into the studio and dig in.
So for me, songwriting has always been a, a mental space and, and I'm just not in it. And
I accept that.
And I. It is, it is super healthy And I think for me songwriting is the most healthy thing I do in life. And I, and I've said that a bunch of times where if I've had to if I had to pick a one thing about this business to do and the university, do you know.
Be an artist. You can be a singer or a manager or whatever, you know, you
can, or a record producer or a songwriter. You can have one of these things and you're going to be successful, but you won't get to do anything else.
I picked songwriting. I feel like I would sock. I would sacrifice the stage and the studio to do songwriting just because it cleanses my soul.
Like nothing Like nothing else. And it's so much fun.
Rae Leigh: Yep. It's such a high after you finish a song,
Jason Petric: all. Is it ever? It is.
Is it ever, and you know, not even, I mean, we all like out of town, 10 songs, if you write one good one or one great one. I think you do him pretty good.
They're not all. Grammy award winning songs, but just the process of you know, sitting there with your guitar or your computer and forcing your mind to, to, to open up and to relate to the song and the character in the song, or the moment in the song. For me personally, it really has been a healthy experience in my life. And I truly love it. Again right now is just anytime I have to put myself in that space, like go into the gym, you know, when you're working out your muscles, great. You know what? You, it's great. You, you get those exercises going, but if you're showing up there, you know, After, you know, a 12 hour day at work and you're a little hung over from the night before.
If you're not in the right zone for it, it's
just Not going to be well, it's not going to be a successful and an enjoyable experience at the gym. And you want it to be enjoyable. If you have too many times, you go to this gym and it's just, it's not a good vibe and it's not a good experience. You're not going back. So I've learned that over the years where, you know, just, just. It'll come when it comes. And and you know, it hasn't happened as much as I wish it would've been the pandemic, but I'm kind of okay with that.
Rae Leigh: I think that's fine. And I think that's beautiful that you're aware of it. And you're accepting of just what your body is telling you, where you need to be focusing your time at the moment. And you can't turn off the bug of songwriting. Like you are going to get little things that you put in your phone and you can come back to it anytime.
And it's just one of those phases. And I think everyone goes through those phases. But some people, some people will beat themselves up about it, you know, and, and I think we all do at some point on some level.
Jason Petric: I've been there. I remember about 10, 10 years ago now. I I felt like I hadn't written a song in a long time and, and, you know, it was, I was a young, young, very young adult that was kind of. Trying to figure life out and, and definitely wasn't in like my best phase of life, but I also wasn't writing songs.
And I remember I was very, very worried. Like I hope I haven't lost it. And then eventually it came back And.
Really having this might've been like the, the longest it's been since that time that, you know, I kinda feel like I'm on a drought, but.
Rae Leigh: Yeah,
Jason Petric: But you know what, I, I, I just accepted at that time. I was, I was way worried, or a lot more worried about all, you know, am my, am I not a songwriter anymore? Like, it just, I don't got, I don't got these ideas and that's not the case right now. I feel like I'm just very busy with other things.
Rae Leigh: it comes flooding into the right time. I'm a big believer in divine timing happens when it happens and it's always perfect.
Jason Petric: Yeah,
Rae Leigh: I'm in one. So tell me about when, like you've always been in somewhere. Just tell me about when you remember the, the moment that music and songwriting became a thing for you specifically.
Jason Petric: man. I think there's always different moments where, or at least for me, where I've looked at and just sitting, you know, that was a moment that really lit a fire in me.
Well, one of the first few moments here you know, I remember going into my first concert and I just, you know, I had a guitar at the time I was playing a few songs.
It was, it was Metallica. And again, I think, Oh, Yeah. that's a great first concert to go to without your parents at 13, 14 years old. And that whole experience, you know, Okay. I can believe that my parents let me go. But at the same time, I'm like, wow, like I'm a pretty lucky kid. My parents at 14 years old, let me go to a Metallica concert with three of my other buddies.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Did they know what they were doing?
Jason Petric: I don't know, I think my parents might've, they might've already been on the verge of just writing me off a little bit. So they're like whatever. We'll we'll which, which is no, it's it's a good thing. My parents are absolutely wonderful, but they just, I think I made them earn their parents stripes a bit.
So again, you know, you
go to
Rae Leigh: as a kid.
Jason Petric: Exactly. So that was, that was an amazing experience. And, and again, I've been learning a few of these songs and just watching that band and this was a concert was what it was, but I remember watching the band. Walk out from like the tunnel where the Zamboni would be it,
To their center stage.
And they're walking through the crowd and the electricity in there. That was a moment that I'm like in an energy. I'll never forget. And I know right then and there, I remember saying like, I have to do. I have to play for, I have to play for people and I don't remember much of the other concert. It wasn't like a standout moment in that concert, except for that first moment where I saw them walking to the stage and they had a little bit of a strobe light effect going, and the crowd was just like, at that moment, it was like a flick of the switch.
The crowd was so engaged. With music and the connection that those four guys had through the songs that they've written, it's just, I'm getting goosebumps. I'm getting goosebumps even talking about it because it's that real Another little throwback or a little shout out to the Australian world there.
But, my mom took me and my brother to see Keith Urban when we were about 14, 15 years old and he wasn't even playing arenas yet. He was playing a little clubs to put a 2000 seat theater and Winnipeg.
And That was another moment where I just thought. I think I know what I want to do. Like I
want to write songs and I want to find a way to connect with people through music.
And I just felt that that was my journey in life, was to, you know, write songs. And I think if I, if I trusted my guitar and, and, and my passion for music, it was going to take me on the road. I was supposed to Go down and, and it absolutely.
Rae Leigh: Yep. And Kaitlin has inspired so many people just like Metallica and so many other artists. And now, you know, it's a lot of cycle you'll, you're the one that is out there and inspiring people and, and doing it. And we need people to, to show us what we can do. You know, we need other people to say, this is possible.
Jason Petric: You know, I've never, I don't know if I've had a, I don't know if we've inspired people. I hope so. Like, it really is one of those moments where like, it was so life changing, like, and I'm, again, I'm sure Keith urban has done for thousands of people, but like that moment in that concert absolutely changed my life. And like, I'm telling you. I wouldn't be anywhere I am today without music, my family. And what
we've got is, is a lot of it is because of music, our relationships, because of music.
I met my wife at a show and I moved to her town where we played this show afterwards. And now, I mean, we've got a wonderful family.
Like I wouldn't have any of this without music.
So. It's just the connection that a song can, can hold for people is just, it's unbelievable. And I don't think people really realize how important music is to the world. And I think that's been another struggle this year with the pandemic has, you know, music is important and it kinda got shuffled to the side and I get it.
I understand the sacrifices made for this pandemic. I really do. And I support a lot of the sacrifices, but you know, music is so important and and songwriting and, and just creativity is so important.
Rae Leigh: It's such a safe space for us as human beings to bring us back into the world and songwriting, it's like, it's an invisible art form, you know, and it's so powerful because it can pull us out of our heads and out of our bodies into the real world and into a space. That's. It is connected. Like we need to connect with each other, otherwise what's living for, you know, and I think it's beautiful that you can associate music being responsible for so many things that you're grateful for.
And I think that's absolutely amazing and I felt the same way. Like music saved my life and yeah, it pulls us back out. It doesn't it, you know, it's good.
Jason Petric: Absolutely.
But I think it's the same time too. Like, you're S kind of said takes you out of your takes out of your space. You know, you, you only can, the more you can give to the music, I think the more it gets back to you, like, I am so rudely honest when I go into a room for songwriting. And the first thing I tell people is like, It's your job to tell me what I have a bad idea.
Like I'm going to throw everything on the table and they could all be really bad ideas. And if you think they are That's okay, but I'm not going to hold back here. I'm going to really try and give you everything I have.
And a lot of times, you know, I'll be sitting there and I'll sit, like if we're stumped, I'll put myself in that, that the song I'll put myself in there and well, what would this person say?
What would they be doing? What are they feeling for me? You know, for me, I'd be feeling this. I'd be feeling that. So it's almost like being an actor you get to like, you know, and I think a lot of times when I'm watching movies, like you watch somebody just truly embrace a role in how. Aye, how inspired you are and how captivated you are by, you know, that character and then the actor behind it.
And I really, I do the same thing in these songs. Not all the time, sometimes it just, whatever something comes out and you got a good couple of lines and it makes sense, but you know, when you're stuck and you, and you're really trying to. Take that line or that, that course, or that, that lyric to the next level.
I really try to sink into that role and, and I get, you know, I think every song ends up being different, but that's why for me, it is so liberating and inspiring and refreshing because I really do get to just flush out. And, and escape, you know, where I'm at at the moment. And the more honesty I give these songs, I'm finding that the more the music is giving back to me in my own personal life, which is just amazing.
Rae Leigh: That's awesome. And honesty is absolutely a hundred percent care wrecking. And sometimes we're more honest in songs than we realize. I don't know if you've ever felt that, but you know, sometimes we can be more honest in a song than we realize we're being and more vulnerable than we realize we're being.
And it's so beautiful.
Jason Petric: I know. Oh, I know. Well, you know what, and this is a little, a little off topic here, but I you know, I you know, I had a little bit of a substance abuse problem about 10 years ago. And I and you know, I went through programs that really helped me you know, just, just open up my, my mind and my soul to like, just life and that itself, really, again, I think just helped.
Opened me up to songwriting. Cause again, you can't live life inside your own head. You have to let yourself go. And I think that was one of my,
Rae Leigh: Lost.
Jason Petric: and that was actually kind of kicked back to what. What earlier that was one of the pier or songwriting by a little bit of a soft side and growing up and stuff and, and, you know, experiencing life. I, I have found that you know, the, the key is just honesty and, you know, just give it to what you have and if it's not enough for something, then that's okay.
As long as it Yeah.
Rae Leigh: Sorry. I think I'm losing you Joshua. Oh, sorry.
Jason Petric: and and, you know what I, and I really am I back, am I back?
Rae Leigh: yeah, yeah, yeah. There you are. Sorry. I just went all crackly and it ticked out on
Jason Petric: what I realized? Yeah, I it's, it's the internet that I walked away from. My router love that
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah, it definitely felt like, the, the internet was dropping out on me. So I missed a bit there, but I heard that you were talking about being honest and about the substance abuse and getting like opening up your mind, not living in your head.
Jason Petric: Yeah. Yeah, no. And I, and like I said, just, just going through that and, and just learning that the more you can just open yourself up when I take that same attitude into writing songs and I really like co-writing I find it. It works. I can, I can be honest. I can put myself in the song and the more I give into it, I think the better the song it's okay.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I love that too. And I think I like co-writing with someone who is a songwriter. I feel like I just need to be able to trust them that they understand songwriting and they understand that they, you know, that it can make me stay accountable to making sense, but also being creative. But I've tried it like riding with yeah.
Jason Petric: Yeah.
and for me, that's why I instantly tell someone when I go into a room, it's your job to tell me when I have bad ideas, because I know I'm full of them and that's me just, you know, I want to be humble and say, you know, I'm, I think I'm good at what I do.
Rae Leigh: Yep.
Jason Petric: Keep me accountable and let's, let's have some fun here and you can definitely tell me if something is lame and, and, you know, again, I think that's just breaking the ice.
I remember when I was early, like very early songwriting
and I don't think this feeling lasted too long because I'm very ambitious and I'm not afraid to kind of speak my mind at times, but, I w I was afraid. I'm like, I don't wanna, I don't wanna tell someone their ideas suck if I don't want to, I don't want to hurt someone's feelings.
Like, you know, if this is the best that they can do, then, you know, I kind of want to encourage them and be Okay. with that.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Jason Petric: But I also want to have the best song possible.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I, I, for me, I feel like song writing is not the place to be polite, but you do have to know who you're working with. And if like I've been to feedback nights, I don't know if you guys have those where people get up and sing songs. And you're supposed to give feedback and you kind of also have to make judgment in those types of environments of are they 16 and never perform in public.
And this is just a really big deal for them. And I just need encouragement or are they at the stage where they want to get better and they want genuine feedback so that they can better their craft and become better as songwriters and performers. And that can be really hard because sometimes they will get up and say, yep, I want to be better.
Give me a hard stuff. I dunno if you've done this, but I've given feedback and quickly realized that actually they just wanted a pat on the back.
Jason Petric: Yeah. Like I think everyone gets up on stage wanting the pat on the back. Like,
let's be honest, no one, no one gets up there to have tomatoes thrown at them. And you know, and honestly those, those feedback nights are, I remember doing them now and I, I remember doing them at the time too. They're they're usually the easiest opportunity we got to perform and, oh man, it's, it's just crazy.
Now. I'm just having this conversation. I'm thinking back to those early days where I took any chance I could to sing a song in front of people and, and I
was desperate to get in front of that mic.
And, And, you know, we've come such a far, like it's really come a long way for us in our band and our, our last show we had about a thousand people, one of the biggest theaters in Winnepeg.
And, and, just this speed, dumb thinking of a feedback night.
Oh, it was a bar called. I think it was called Dylan O'Connor's. It was on Portage Portage avenue in Winnipeg, you know, one of our big streets and a little little hole in the wall bar.
There's maybe five people there. One of them was my body all he did was in the car.
I said, Hey, I'll buy you a beer. Come watch me. And. Two of the other people that were there, they wanted to sing as well. And then there's one guy working the sound soundboard. He's going to tell you what he thinks about that
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Jason Petric: And you know, at the
Rae Leigh: That's an open mind.
Jason Petric: oh Yeah. Know that, that's what it is. And you know what? I I'm so grateful that experience, but I've also learned that. Yeah. this song's on the radio right now that I think are garbage, but that's just my opinion. And I've learned so much more now and I think more now than ever, and especially with country music, that music, everyone's got a different opinion and that's, what's so great about it is you can do anything these days and There's a chance that someone's gonna like it.
Rae Leigh: There's always an audience.
Jason Petric: Oh, is there, there is. And country music. You know, I don't. Kind of want to watch how I say this, but like, I think country, music's almost the worst right now in so many ways where it's become it's wide open it's it's pop music. It's like pop radio with a banjo on it, and you can have a little bit of a Southern draw, but there's no structure to country music and.
Rae Leigh: Hmm.
Jason Petric: You know, and that's not a bad thing. I think in so many ways, that's great. And we want to see diversity in the world and we're all, I mean, in Canada here, we're going through a bunch of stuff, but I see people pushing acceptance, and it's the same thing with music and I, and then it goes back to the same thing with songwriting.
That just because one person doesn't like it doesn't mean you're not going to connect with someone else on that side.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Like a goal would be to connect with lots of people because that's how we can actually. Make a living from this business and to be able to continue to do it as a job, but it has to have some sort of honesty in there and vulnerability still to make it, you, you know, I think, cause if you're not doing that, hear me.
Jason Petric: Yeah. no, absolutely. I, I, sorry. I completely agree.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. If you're not doing that I think the audience can hear like you and I, we, when we hear a song, you can hear if it's honest, Or if it's placed, I don't, I dunno if you can feel it, but like when I hear a song and I'm like, is this person honestly feeling this way and genuinely want this? Or do I feel like they were riding in there performing this to get something from the audience?
Jason Petric: So I'd say, I don't know how long you've been doing music and.
Rae Leigh: Hmm.
Jason Petric: Invested, but for me, it's, I would say about 20 years now, I really like just, you know, sunk in and admire the industry and, and all sorts of bands and all sorts of genres.
And I noticed that what, every three to five years. There's a song that comes out and just takes over the world.
And the why, and I guess my question to that is why doesn't that happen more often? It's the same bands with the same producers and the same radio teams and the same stations, but every now and then, like every few years, a song will connect on a whole new level.
Absolutely unexplainable.
And again, I think it's just because the songwriting was more honest, there was something that was just, you said words and you said it in a way that no, Yeah. there was a truth to it. There was, and again, you know, it doesn't mean it's the most lyrically complex song. It's just,
Rae Leigh: Hmm.
Jason Petric: something out there that people.
Listened to and they liked, and, and, and it's, those songs usually will capture people from all genres.
Uh, I mean, you know, I think a lot of times there'll be, you know, pop songs, but you know, country people will sing rock and roll people, singing EV everybody will know those songs
because it connects on a different level.
Rae Leigh: Well, deli pardons had a few of those songs. Hasn't she?
Jason Petric: Absolutely she?
has. And I mean, every now and then, like I said, there's a country song that just, you know it, it, it's interesting how it happens, but you'll hear it on pop stations. You'll hear it ever. You'll hear whatever it'll be in movies and it'll be played, you know, every hour on the hour on EV on every station out there.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Jason Petric: But not like theirs, a thousand songs released in a year. And maybe you only one song every 2, 3, 4, 5 years. Connexis way again, I think there's a lot of ungenuine songs that get out there as well, just because, you know, people got to got to pay the bills and we've got to hit our quotas with radio and all that sort of stuff.
I think that just emphasizes songwriting
and the connection that a song can truly have when, when it's that next level.
Rae Leigh: I don't think that's what we truly want with a song as well. Is we want the emotion. We just want someone to be honest with us and give us a break from the fakeness of the world. At least at least that's what I'm after just,
Jason Petric: I think so too. I mean, I want, you know, when I'm writing. A lot of times lately. I mean, it's, I'm writing for my band and there's always an artist in mind, either my band or if I'm writing with another artists, which is great and fun and inspiring,
but it's also tough.
You know, sometimes you get an artist who isn't as much of a songwriter and they're getting placed to try and, you know, get something, it's, I don't know.
I haven't had the best of success with that, but it hasn't been a failure, but I always have a band that I'm trying to play for them, for our band, or, sorry, I should say, trying to write for,
and when it's our band, you know, we we play to. Thousands of people when we go up on stage, you know, it might not always be thousands, but it could be a thousand.
It could be 10,000, depending on the size of the feeder or the festival.
So we're writing songs, thinking how's this energy going to portray with our fans because we want to connect with them.
Rae Leigh: Fun.
Jason Petric: absolutely. Yeah.
Ghanim when we're writing a song you know, No in a room around, you know, a couple of Mac books and maybe a little drum machine and some acoustic guitars.
Yeah. that, that is still how we're thinking. Like, how is this going to sound when the
finished product is right up on that stage? And we take that same process right from that moment or right away.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Jason Petric: till the end of the studio. And I think songwriting goes right through till the end of the studio until you're basically sending it off for mixing.
It's just, that's part of the process and I think that's the fun part is it? It can evolve and it can change. And that's again, that's why it's so liberating because it's just, it's just wonderful. Outlet that I wish everybody could experience because it really is something else.
Rae Leigh: I love that. That's beautiful. Tell me now that you know, you've been in the industry for over 20 years and you've got all this insight and you're obviously a very curious, I can tell you're very aware and you're watching. The industry and what people are doing and what's going on. What would you say the best advice is that you could give when it comes to somebody?
Jason Petric: I don't know if I, if I know it, I'd give it to myself so I could write the next big one. You know, again, I think I've set up, but just being honest and trying to find a level of comfort with yourself, I
feel like people lie to themselves so much in life. Like, and if you're lying to yourself on your everyday basis, there's no way you're going to be able to be vulnerable enough in a room and write these things down. That that's
Rae Leigh: technique. People don't know that they're doing it. It's just so like, it's a natural thing that people
Jason Petric: It's survival. You just, you put on that smile and you know, and for me, I am pretty aware. I think a lot of people in my life, or maybe not all the time, but it's. Tough to sometimes be in the same room with me because I'm honest if I don't like something, I say it. And I say with brew, if I say with brutal honesty, and again, you're always going to get the absolute raw Jason, Patrick,
and
Rae Leigh: I love that.
Jason Petric: And, you know, I think a lot of people, they love me for that.
They also just like pull their hair out on, on Friday afternoons if it's one of those weeks. So,
I, I, again, it's just how I've I found a way to live my life and, you know, I, I try, I try to make sure I'm not a grumpy sob all the time, but, and I don't think I am, but it's just, you know, that's, that's kinda the attitude I try to take into songwriting and it works. Another piece of advice is surround yourself with good people and that's not always, that's not always easy. When I first started going to Nashville, like I was writing. People that I was appropriate to write with. And
and I've watched how my career has grown. Like I've got to write with a Grammy award-winning songwriters guys who have had numerous.
Our, our, and sorry, let me, let me really rephrase this. I've written with numerous writers who have had multiple number one hits and CCMA awards and all those accolades to go to their names. So from where I've started to where I've grown as simply because I was willing and honest enough to go into those rooms in the beginning and give it everything I could.
And The journey has been absolutely amazing and beautiful, and I hope I hope there's still many great opportunities ahead of me with regards to all of that.
Rae Leigh: I'm sure they will be. You've got the right attitude. And I think honesty is the best policy and I completely agree with you and Yeah. It's not your, it's not your reflection on you when people don't take your honesty very well, but it does make it hard because a lot of people tiptoe around and songwriting is not the place for that.
Jason Petric: No, it's not. And you know, and Yeah.
I think too, you're right. Like a lot of people do tip toe around. You can't do that in a writer's room. Like,
it's just, you gotta be there. And if you're not there. And then, you know, it is what it is. The only, the only thing that hurts is the song. You know, if you, if
you can be right in that room in that moment, man, you can do some pretty spectacular things.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. And your common goal is the song. Everyone in the room should want a great song. And so, yeah. And like conflict only happens when you have a common goal, so they can be a little conflict in a song. Right. But Some, if you just focus and remember that, that's what it is. You, you want, you just want to have a good song and that's why people can get a
Jason Petric: I don't know if I've ever had a major dispute over like, like where we're mad because you at common goal, everyone always wants the best song. I think
that's pretty, that's a pretty easy one. You don't even have to say it, but not everybody
can tell. Criticism,
not everyone can be honest and, and open themselves up to a song.
And, and it takes a while to sometimes find those people that you can be. You
know, I've found a few people in Nashville that, you know, I, and I'm already thinking my next trip, like my next trip down there. To do a run. I usually go for a week or two at most. And, and I, and I know who I want to write with.
Cause again, I know I can step into the room with these people. They know who I am, they know how I talk. They know. They can trust me.
And again, these are people that have written with before and we've cut the songs that we've written, the songs that we've written have charted very well at Canadian radio and and Yeah.
like it's, you know, there's that, just that respect. And I think that mutual achievement that you guys just, you know, You've guys got that and let's go for it again. And there's no egos.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. You've got that comfort that, you know yeah. You can go in there and say it how it is and not worry about it. Whereas the first time, if you're in a room and you don't necessarily lock something, well, you think it can be better. That can, that's always the hottest, I reckon, in a first co-write getting to know someone and then telling them that you think they lyrics are shit.
Jason Petric: Yeah, I know.
And you
Rae Leigh: are you going to say that?
Jason Petric: I I've, I've told people, I didn't think they've written good stuff, you know, and I've, I've written stuff that. Deserved and was told that it wasn't good. So, you know, that's just part of the process, you
know, like you're not always going to be perfect, but if you go out there and it's honest, what comes out, I don't think there's anything wrong with that?
So,
Rae Leigh: It's humbling. It's good.
Jason Petric: oh
Yeah.
And it's
fun and it's great. Like, you know, it leads to leads. So that next line, that's what I always kind of try to remind myself five throat, a stupid idea, but you know what? It sparks something in my co-writer that. Is a great line or it
sparks something in them that now sparked something in me.
That's just part of the process and you have to go through it.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Well, my advice would be don't write with your spouse because I've had some pretty big arguments with my husband about my songs.
Jason Petric: You know what the other, I, Yeah.
I say I'm not writing as much here, but I was co-writing with an artist over a zoom. I'm going to say six, six weeks ago. And. We're we're, we're making noise or going through the lyrics and I don't know, or I'm playing. And a lot of times I'm, I'm strumming the guitar.
I'm mumbling. and I cut and I go back to that same line, that's empty or whatever it is.
And, my wife just dropped the perfect line and I could see the girl on the screen and I kind of looked at my wife and I'm like, shit, that's good. All right. I think I got to cut her in on this one. It was a big line. It was, in the course too. And I'm just like, oh man. Okay. Yeah. Like we're going to use that.
Rae Leigh: That's funny. I actually I have this rule with my husband. I said, because he technically owns 50% of what? I mean, he owns everything I own, you know, we're one person as like he gets a cut in every song that I have. So if he has an idea, it just gets included in my cut. And if it's a co-write, it just gets.
Jason Petric: Yeah, because you own his ideas, right?
Rae Leigh: Well, yeah, and he owns my ideas and you know, all of my he's my manager, he's my husband manager anyways. So I like my money's your money. It doesn't really make a difference, but yeah,
Jason Petric: Yeah. I've
Rae Leigh: I haven't made them an upper account.
Jason Petric: It's been, it's not often that I think anyone ever like debates a split on a song, we've had
some scenarios and now I'm just at the point in my life to where I just, I care, but I don't care. Like I love the music. I embraced the business side of things. I run the business side of things for our band, but I pick and choose which battles are are really worth. Or we ha we have had some issues in the past where like, you know, a guy wanted a bigger Cod and a bigger split and, and you know, you go through it, you figure it out. It's just life. But at the end of the day, I see you, like, you gotta do what's best for the song. It's all about the song. And, and, you know, if you do that, Then you're going to put the song in the best position.
And then this song is going to get another life. It's going to get another life to go into the studio. And then you get to just start all over again with even more ideas. And I got into music because I loved being creative. And, and That's basically, my goal was just to find every opportunity to continue to flush out this creative soul that I was born with.
So
Rae Leigh: You creative, you own it. You're living it. And it's healthy for you. And you're inspiring other people, which is amazing. I want to ask you, if you could write with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Jason Petric: Chad Kruger, Nickelback hands down. He's he's I think one of the most brilliant songwriters of, you know, my era of music I think, oh, and I know there's just the people at the bait desk, but he has to be one of the greatest Canadian songwriters of all time. You look at what Nickelback has done worldwide, and they're one of those.
How you remind me all of a sudden, just connected with the world on a whole new level that none of the, I don't know if they've ever had another song that has done that.
It's just, it's, it's weird how a certain song can just connect with the world on a whole new level. If there was people on Mars, that song would have connected on other planets too.
It just, it was that type of song where the sky was the limit.
And it all started again, you know, those things starting with an acoustic guitar and a piece of paper and pen.
I think what he's done as a songwriter is absolutely fantastic. I'm a huge fan of the band. I'm a huge fan of him as an artist.
And that would absolutely be the one guy I'd love to write with
Rae Leigh: that'd be amazing. I'd like to hear that, that collaboration, that would be really cool.
Jason Petric: maybe one day. You never know,
Rae Leigh: when you know, you never know it could be listening.
Jason Petric: you never know.
Rae Leigh: All right. So what have you guys got going on this year? You're doing another music video, but what what's coming out, I'm going to put all of your links and socials and Spotify so people can follow you and immerse themselves into your music.
But what, what else can we be expecting this year?
Jason Petric: Well, we, and actually I just got the vocal tracks today. I'm not going to say too too much about it, but we have an amazing collaboration with an amazing female country artist.
And we're going to be putting out a song. I think it's going to end up being more of a January release, but for the remainder of the year, you know, we're putting together some new music.
Start the new year off with an absolute bang of a song with a, with a country artist out of Australia.
And, you know, we're just going to keep doing what we're doing there. We really are ambitious to get back out on the road, but we're also realistic and understanding that I think any show that's going on right now, at least in Canada is an absolute crap shoot.
If it's going to go off or not. So. You know, I got a brand new baby boy at home Jordan in our band, he's got a brand new baby boy at home,
so we're just, you know, we're ready to go. Lots Of babies.and we're ready to go whenever we can. But until then, we're just gonna make sure that we go out at the right time.And whenever that happens, we'll, we'll be there. And Australia is Absolutely. at the top of our list for coming up.
Rae Leigh: Absolutely. I mean, if you're you're working with an Australian artists, you have to
Jason Petric: Oh, I've worked.
Rae Leigh: who are you allowed to say? Who it is or.
Jason Petric: I'm in wait, I don't like, not that I don't wanna jinx it, but I'll keep that a little bit of surprise for later.
Rae Leigh: Okay. We'll have to just go and watch your socials and wait for the
Jason Petric: There There you go. Perfect.
Rae Leigh: Amazing. Well, thank you so much for all of your words of wisdom and inspiration today and sharing your perspective on songwriting and the songwriting world. And yeah, looking forward to sharing this.
Jason Petric: Oh, thank you very much. It was a pleasure talking to you and maybe one day we can, co-write a saw,
Rae Leigh: Absolutely. I'll be there when you're over in Australia. I'll make sure I get there.
Jason Petric: All right. have a great night or morning or whatever you are
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Morning. Yeah, you too. Okay. Take care.
