Chad Bowar: As Addicted! is being released, looking back are you satisfied with the response Ki got?
Devin Townsend: Yes. It’s a peculiar process that I engage in when making music. The reviews I’ve always got my fingers crossed the people are going to glean from it the same things that I put into it. However, there are always expectations attached to what I do. I think there is a certain amount of time that needs to pass when each record comes out before their identity becomes more clear. Overall, the people who listened to Ki and understood what it was supposed to be about really enjoyed it. But there are always people who didn’t think it was heavy enough, or complicated enough, or whatever.
Addicted! has more of a metal edge to it.
The idea with the Devin Townsend Project is that it’s four records. I’m trying to demonstrate through this convoluted story that plays out through the four records that there should be no limits to anything you do. None of these records unto themselves represent a pure identity of what I want to represent, it’s more of a cathartic purge. They are four examples of what I’m capable of doing. The sky is the limit past this.
Did you know Anneke before you recruited her to sing on the album?
I was aware of her work. In 1994 both The Gathering and Strapping Young Lad were signed to Century Media. Their record Mandylion I spent a lot of time listening to at that point, but I never met her personally. Some people choose to believe in fate, and some choose to believe in free will. I’m somewhere in the middle. My meeting with Anneke is best described as fate. Up to two weeks before I recorded the vocals for Addicted! I knew I wanted a strong female presence. The concept in some ways explores the dichotomy between male and female, and how addiction in general isn’t gender specific.
To have a female was always in the cards, but nothing seemed to be panning out. Two weeks before starting the vocals I got an email out of the blue from Anneke with a YouTube video of her singing one of my older songs. She said if I was interested in working with her at some point I should get a hold of her. So I sent her an email and told her to come to Canada the next week. I have an album I’d love for you to do. I’m thrilled with her performance. I’ve always loved her voice, and to have that strong female counterpart, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
You also worked with Brian Waddell (bass) and Ryan Van Poederooyen (drums) from the old Devin Townsend Band.
Absolutely. We’ve been rehearsing all week, and I slept on Brian’s couch last night. In the same way each record is an overview of what I want to present musically and production-wise, it also gives me an opportunity to engage in four separate bands in the course of a year. There are some negative aspects to that. Everyone who’s been in a band knows that it’s like being married without the fringe benefits. There are a lot of personalities to manage, and my own personality takes a lot of effort to manage as well. It’s challenging, but at the same time it’s very exciting. I was able to choose musicians that were very specifically vibewise appropriate for each record.
When I finished Ki, there was a sense of trepidation that came with that musical outlet. As a response to it, when I started recording Addicted! I wanted to have some fun, get together with my friends and have it be colorful. The people I assembled for this are congruent with what the record is about. It’ll be the same with the next two. Each record is an entirely different group of characters.
How far along on the third record Deconstruction are you?
I’m pretty deep into it. My plan is to release Deconstruction and the last record at the same time. The last record is essentially a folk record. I got sober three years ago, had a baby, quit the bands and had a lot of growing up to do. As a result of that, my personal creative process was so invested in my routine, whether it be marijuana or alcohol, or whatever I chose to buffer it with. When I got rid of that, for two years I was empty. For years I was able to tap into this emotional spring, but it was so connected to marijuana, that when I stopped doing it, I had nothing. It took two years to figure out that the nature of addiction isn’t necessarily about the drugs and the alcohol, it’s more about being selfish. I felt like my own need to feel good or be some sort of musical martyr was more important than the welfare of my family or friends or social relationships.
When the nature of my past was being deconstructed, this music started welling out. Then when I finally let it out, it was in a way that was very interesting. Usually what I’d do was grab a coffee, take a couple of bong rips and jam out aimlessly until something hit. But now I just wait until a song comes into my head, and then I’m very efficient about it. The focus was also punctuated by not editing myself. For years I was a metal guy, or a guitar player. So when I started writing, I said let’s just go. Don’t censor it. When I first went into the studio I was writing quiet, sort of countryish stuff. Then the next day I would write something more fun. The next day I’d be over that and write metal. The next day because my head was hurting I’d write a happy, acoustic jam. I just kept on that, and over the course of a year wrote 50 or 60 songs that fit distinctly into four stylistic approaches. That process of personal change and growth is documented by these four records.
