Tragically Hip guitarist Paul Langlois is set to perform at Rockin' Thunder on Sunday, July 14, at Northlands Racetrack in Edmonton, bringing his new band and songs from his solo career, including the recent album Smooth Rock Falls.
Paul Langlois reflects on life after the Hip
Langlois, a foundational member of the iconic Canadian band, has been navigating the emotional aftermath of the Tragically Hip's final show in Kingston on August 20, 2016. A new triple live album commemorating that era will be released next month, exactly ten years and one day after the band's last performance.
In an interview, Langlois described the process of creating his new album as a mix of last-minute inspiration and collaboration. “I’m not a natural workaholic songwriter, more kind of a last-minute, desperate kind of songwriter,” he said. “The guys in my band are all really quick on their feet. It’s nice to get it out. It’s out there and nothing we can do. We’re playing shows, that’s all we can do.”
New band, new energy
The band Langlois is bringing to Edmonton consists of four musicians from Kingston, Ontario, whom he knew through the local music scene. “They’re just buddies,” he said. “When I was putting the band together I just thought of these four guys. They’re very enthusiastic, they have my back, and they love the gigs, so that really helps me mentally.”
The group formed after Langlois was approached about a performance at the Canada Summer Games in Niagara Falls in August 2022, four years after the Hip's final show. “A guy I know said, ‘There’s this gig in August.’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t have a band,’ and he was, ‘Well, can you pull one together?’ That was our first gig, a fairly big outdoor thing.”
Lyrics and legacy
Langlois also discussed the lyrical content of his new work, including the line “Don’t be a dick, don’t be a prick” from one of the album’s tracks. “That was last minute, desperation,” he explained. “We only had nine songs, I wanted 10. So I just started, as one does, thinking about myself. True story, that guy: morning guy, night guy. And the morning guy’s never pleased but I’m just trying to shepherd over them both.”
The guitarist acknowledged the bittersweet nature of performing without his longtime bandmate Gord Downie, who died in 2017. “What a unified nation went through watching Langlois’ high-school best friend and decades-long bandmate endure in a Jaws T-shirt was its own bittersweet collective thing,” the article notes.
Rockin' Thunder lineup
Rockin' Thunder, which takes place at Northlands Racetrack, features headliners Three Days Grace and Creed. Langlois is scheduled to perform at 4 p.m. on Sunday. His set will include songs from his solo career, including tracks from Smooth Rock Falls, as well as some Tragically Hip classics.
“I very much lean towards the big summer festivals,” Langlois said. “I don’t like playing shows under Paul Langlois and looking at tickets. ‘Oh my god, we’re only at 450 and it holds 850!’”
