The Trews is out there

by Joshua Maloni
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, November 13, 2004

You have to wonder about Clark Kent.

By day, he was the guy next door, a mild-mannered newspaper reporter. By night, he was Superman, but nobody knew. Everyday he went to work, or the supermarket, or did any other menial task, no one ever suspected he was a super hero because a super hero couldn’t possibly live in Smallville. That notion must have annoyed him to no end.

It’s sort of the same thing with The Trews. By day, they’re a bunch of guys that live in small-town St. Catherine’s, Ontario. But by night, the band is opening for major musical players like Nickelback, Evanescence and Sam Roberts; making MuchMusic hit videos; and garnering Juno Award nominations.

But just as no one took Clark Kent seriously because he was goofy and wore glasses, some people may not consider The Trews a top tier band because of where the band resides.

But these Antigonish, Nova Scotia natives are indeed super, and living among us (believe it or not). By day the band may be under the radar, but by night its success is freeing area musicians of vile notions that success is based on where you work, not how you work.

“We like the place,” lead guitarist John Angus Mac Donald said of Niagara Falls during a phone interview last week.

To him, a band’s location doesn’t determine its success. “I don’t think that matters,” he said. “I think you might have to get out there, like out on tour, or mailing your stuff around, or through the Internet. You have to get out to people in other cities to get noticed, but I think you can be from anywhere.

“I don’t think (success) has to do with where you’re from; I think it’s how hard you work, and how bad you want to get out there.”

Like Superman, The Trews travel the world almost daily. The band played more than 200 gigs last year across Canada and the U.S.

“It’s extremely important,” Mac Donald said of touring. “I think it’s the true test of a band, that they can get out on stage and really entertain people; be good live – that’ s way more important than anything else.”

Mild mannered by day, The Trews are super on stage when heroics count most.

The Trews play Park West, 840 Center St., Lewiston, Nov. 27, at 8 p.m.

Trews bring ‘House of Ill Fame’ to Lewiston

The Trews are touring in support of “House of Ill Fame,” the band’s major label debut. The album features radio staples “Not Ready To Go,” a No. 1 hit on the Canadian rock radio charts, and “Tired of Waiting,” a top 15 song.

The album is reminiscent of band’s like Jet, Ambulance, Ltd., and By Divine Right. Yet, the album has more of a rock feel to it, and lead singer Colin Mac Donald’s pipes are better than those of his peers.