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Canadian Idol contestant realized it was important to move forward with his career
Posted By LORI LITTLETON, STANDARD STAFF
November 13 2008
It's one of those warm days in November and Jacob Hoggard, lead singer of Canadian rock band Hedley, is sitting by a pond in Windsor in his bare feet.
As he speaks about his success in the music business, he talks about planned, concentrated efforts that have resulted in his popularity and ability to play the kind of music he and the band (bassist Tom MacDonald, guitarist Dave Rosin and drummer Chris Crippin) want to.
Hoggard first caught national attention when he finished third on the hit television show Canadian Idol in 2005. He was the punk singer on the competition, complete with tattoos and lip piercing.
Hoggard said that while on Canadian Idol, he realized the value of the show, as well as his responsibility not to exploit his good fortune, but certainly to be punctual and prudent with the attention he garnered.
"(It was important) not to establish myself as Jacob from Canadian Idol. That was important because 365 days later, there is a new top three and the previous year gets washed away," he said.
One way of setting himself apart from the long list of Idol rejects was to cultivate his well-known and loved personality -- and to channel that in a band.
Hoggard said he knew his bandmates prior to landing on Idol, but didn't immediately begin playing with them after he got the boot. He was playing with another band, but it "wasn't great."
Hoggard said he could either stay with that band and forever play the Abbotsford, B. C., bar circuit, or he could "equip myself with people who wanted to compete at the international level."
He chose the latter. Hedley's debut, self-titled disc, which was released in 2005, has sold nearly 200,000 copies.
Their second disc, Famous Last Words, was released in the fall of 2007, and contains the hits She's So Sorry, Never Too Late and Old School.
Since the album's release, the foursome have been steadily on the road. They opened for Bon Jovi last winter, and then ventured out on a headlining tour for the remainder of the cool months, before earning a short spring break.
They spent the summer on the festival circuit, which included a stop in Port Colborne for Canal Days.
Being on the road so often can start to wear on you if you don't take care of yourself, Hoggard said.
"The show is pretty labour-intensive and it pays off at the end of the day," he said. "It's always worth it in the end."
Despite the difficulties of touring, Hedley doesn't have the infighting and ego problems other bands seem to endure. That has a lot to do with their ability to survive.
"Fifty per cent of bands break up because they don't get along. We have accepted how lucky we are to do what we are doing," he said. "We get along and we survive.... There's no point having a sh---y time on tour."
Though the band has racked up six Juno Award nominations, sometimes their antics -- for example, Hoggard drinking milk from the teat of a cow during the Calgary Stampede -- overshadow the musical accomplishments.
Hoggard agreed things have gone well for the band, but admitted there have been some downs as well. The 24-year-old is reportedly married and sports a band on his ring finger, but will only cryptically say it's an "urban legend" when asked.
"We work hard to make the best decisions for the future," he said. "All the songs have been doing really well for us... Old School is starting to make it off the ground. It's nice to see the fruits of your labour equate into something."
And though songs from Famous Last Words continue to pepper popular Toronto radio stations, the band is beginning to look towards its next album. To date, Hoggard has already penned 20 songs for that disc, though he'd like to have another 20 ready before they begin the selection process.
"It's difficult (to write) on tour. It doesn't happen very often on tour. When I'm off tour, I get in the zone and devote all my time to it," he explained.
The band's songs cover the gamut, from ballads to rock tunes, and even to the reggae infused Never Too Late.
"That's the exciting thing about how we do it. We don't like to restrict ourselves to any type of song or brand. It's important in the writing," Hoggard said. "We have the opportunity to write what comes out. Creatively, it's an exciting process to explore what you're thinking or feeling."