kingston article
from The Kingston Whig Standard
If there are two sides to every story, Hedley's are soft and rockin'. There's the band's radio side with their passionate ballads, such as Old School,their biggest hit to date, For The Nights I Can't Remember, and the cheery, reggae-laced Never Too Late.
And then there's the snarling, blaring tunes such as She's So Sorry and Hand Grenade.
It's all part of the evolution of the band, according to Hedley front-man Jacob Hoggard, who is doing some personal evolving himself these days.
The above-mentioned songs are all from the band's second album Famous Last Words, which was released last year. The album's songs are radically different than the tunes from the band's self-titled 2005 album, which was uniformly hard rock with Hoggard's screeching vocals leading the way.
"At the beginning of making Famous Last Words, we were trying hard to make it a certain way. At the same time, we didn't want to be the kind of band who regurgitated the same kind of thing," says Hoggard, who first came to fame when he finished third in the 2004 Canadian Idol competition. The story goes that he asked his fans not to vote for him because he didn't want to win and have the responsibilities of being Canadian Idol.
The band - bassist Tom Mac- Donald, guitarist Dave Rosin, drummer Chris Crippin and Hoggard - tried some softer sounds for their sophomore album, which brought it most of its commercial recognition. Hoggard isn't buying the idea that some of the group's earlier fans may feel that these aren't true Hedley songs.
"Of course they are," he says. "We're Hedley and we wrote it so they have to be. And I always write what I feel."
Hoggard says the song Old School is probably the song closest to him because it describes the changes he's gone through.
The song is a wistful, yearning tune for the days of youth, which seems a bit strange coming from someone who's all of 24. One verse talks about burning fires and tires. On another verse, Hoggard sings:
Over and over and over again
We sat down for a minute, grew up into men
Now we're putting out fires and changing car tires
Man, how in the hell did we get here?
"I've definitely learned a lot about myself," Hoggard says. "I've learned I have to be accountable to myself.
"I've accrued quite a bit of responsibility in the last few years and I've had to grow up exponentially fast.
"I don't have the ability anymore to light Dumpsters on fire. We're the adult now and not the child."
The responsibilities he talks about don't include children, however.
"I plan on having kids some day, but I'm only 24," he says. "I'm talking about my career. I work for a lot of people and I don't have the luxury of abusing myself anymore."
Since the release of the first album, Hedley has been touring almost non-stop. Even though the band lives on the road, Hoggard has tried to live a healthier lifestyle.
"Being on the road is hard for your diet," he says.
"I'll mostly have a Subway sandwich and green garden salad ... Subway is at least the safest of all fast foods.
"As for exercising, I get one hour and 45 minutes of sheer cardiovascular workout every time we hit the stage. And if we're home, I'll go cycling three times a week and maybe do some running."
As for Canadian Idol, Hoggard is glad he didn't win - he entered the contest on a dare from some former bandmates - but he's also glad he entered.
"I'd do it exactly the same way if I had to do it over again," he says, noting whether he got kicked off because he asked people to stop voting or the public stopped voting on their own volition, it doesn't matter now. He's where he wants to be.
Hoggard says if he hadn't been on Canadian Idol, he'd likely still be working with his hands. He was in the third year of an apprenticeship as a carpenter and had almost become a journeyman.
"People can say what they want [about Idol] but who feels it knows it. I was there and it was great for me."
Earlier in the year, Hedley opened for Bon Jovi on a Canadian tour, which raised the band's profile.
But Hoggard says Hedley lives not for the fame, but for the live show.
"It's an experience," he says. "If you come to see it, you'll laugh and you'll cry."