Q&A With Veteran Canadian Rocker Earl Pereira Ahead of May 12 and 30 Beijing Gigs

In Canada's barren, flatly sprawling prairies, Earl Pereira is a longstanding, towering rock and roll fixture. Next, Chinese concertgoers will get to witness Pereira's talent first hand on May 12 at Barn Bar and then May 30 at Modernsky Lab with his band The Steadies.

In the late 1990s, the Filipino descendent Pereira and his bandmates in Wide Mouth Mason broke away from their middling, locally rooted peers in the western province of Saskatchewan and gained national prominence, releasing two gold-selling records and going on to be nominated for three JUNO awards (Canada's answer to the Grammys). What really solidified their status at home, however, was their work abroad, playing nearly 3,000 shows as openers for major acts like The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, The Guess Who, Alanis Morissette, Van Morrison, The Roots, Ziggy Marley, and fellow Canadian star Nelly Furtado.

But that success was coupled with corporate drudgery, prompting Pereira to leave Widemouth and recruit his own band, The Steadies, so that he could take charge of his music. In the mid-2000s he signed with Warner Music China and toured much of the mainland, playing sold out gigs and appearing on widely watched CCTV music programs. Now he and The Steadies are on their way back. Below, Pereira tells us more about his rock and roll odyssey.

Tell us about your family, their cultural heritage and fondness for music, and how all that informed your career.
My family is from the Philippines. I was born in Canada soon after my parents migrated there. It's always been a very musical family. My dad had a great record collection, and all of my older siblings can sing and play an instrument. So it was no surprise I turned out the way I did. My family has been my biggest supporters through the highs and the lows.

What was the music scene like in Saskatchewan when you were growing up? Were there a lot of limitations compared to bigger cities with more active scenes, and did those limitations make you unique and resilient?
Saskatchewan has always had a strong music scene. It gets so cold that there's nothing else to do except practice and write [laughs].

I think being in a smaller market is good in that a lot fads just pass by you, but you also don't get spoiled with so many big shows that seem to always be an option in cities like Montreal and Toronto.

Tell me about performing with The Steadies versus Wide Mouth Mason, and how each group has fulfilled you in different ways.
Well, with Wide Mouth, I had all of my first professional musical experiences. It was amazing to achieve all of the successes like touring with the Rolling Stones, and being on Warner Bros. But it eventually became too business oriented and out of my control.

With The Steadies, it's like my baby so I'm much more passionate about it. I get to be the visionary, leader, songwriter, singer, and producer which is very fulfilling. Now I just get to have fun and enjoy making music and traveling with my good friends.

Are you working on any new music? If so, what's inspiring it?
I've actually been inspired to write just haven't had the time yet to really finish new songs. But I went through the hardest year of my life last year, going through a separation from a 10-year-long marriage. On the bright side, break ups can inspire great songs!

What's next for you and The Steadies? What short terms goals or aspirations do you have?
We are making a new video with our newest member, drummer Kurtis Schultz. He's been a good friend for 10 years, so it's exciting to have him in the band and we are all ecstatic about coming to tour China! Summer is going to be fairly busy touring in Canada but we plan to keep working on the next album, which I can't wait to spend time on. All three band members are experienced producers and engineers, so I think the next album will be our best one yet.

Earl and The Steadies will perform at Barn Bar on Friday, May 12, 9pm (RMB 80 presale, RMB 100 at the door, though students can get in for RMB 60 and get one free beer). They'll also perform at Modernsky Lab on May 30, 9pm (RMB 80 presale, RMB 100 at the door). A link for presale tickets will be available soon, we'll update this blog accordingly then.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
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Photos: The Star Phoenix, MusicDish