Reunited Bachman & Turner hit the summer circuit - by Graeme McRanor
Jul 10, 2010
This just in: Bachman & Turner are back. And we’re not talking about a corny movie sequel starring Tom Hanks and a drooling dog.
Yes, fans of 1970s-inspired rifftastic rock rejoiced the world over when news broke of a reunion between creative tandem Randy Bachman and Fred Turner, former frontmen of iconic Canuck rock legends Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
The pair, considered Canadian rock royalty in some circles, had come together in the past for short-lived live reunions, but hadn’t released any new studio albums since 1983’s Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
But while Bachman says that he always hoped they’d reunite, the real push to get back together came, not surprisingly, from fans. So Bachman, who in 2006 went on a cross-Canada tour with Burton Cummings, former bandmate from his other big-name musical alma mater, the Guess Who, sent a single track he’d been working on to Turner, who’d been retired from music for years.
That track, Rock ‘n’ Roll Is the Only Way Out, features lead vocals by Turner and is available for free on the pair’s website, http://www.bachmanandturner.com, and has already been downloaded more than 100,000 times.
“What?” says an astonished Bachman when he hears the figure, sounding genuinely surprised over the line from his Toronto hotel room. “You’re kidding.”
Humility aside, he really shouldn’t be shocked: the single has that instantly recognizable, blue-collar BTO feel that echoes heady days with its tried-and-true rock ‘n’ roll rallying cry.
“It was just great,” he says of the writing and recording process. “I’ve had this magic happen twice in my life, once with [Burton] Cummings and now once with [Turner]. I’m just thrilled.”
More on the album closer to its fall release date. For now, though, the duo — backed by the veteran trio of Brent Howard, Marc LaFrance and Mick Dalla-Vee — are slated to play a handful of summer festivals, including the Nakusp Music Fest here in B.C on July 17.
“I’d played Nakusp about four or five years ago on my own,” Bachman says. “I think I played there in its first or second year. It was really great and became very successful. I guess they heard that I was back together with Fred Turner and they called and said, ‘You have to come and play.’ I told my manager that it would be a really great kick in the pants for us because right from there we go home for a day, then fly to London and play the High Voltage Festival, which is 70,000 people.”
Just don’t expect too many songs from the forthcoming album. Bachman knows fans who flock to these festivals — regardless of where it’s taking place — are there for the classics.
“We’ll play the same set in Nakusp that we will in London,” he says. “It’ll get us all revved up. And it’s in B.C. We want to play B.C. Nakusp is an absolutely perfect place. It’s in the middle of nowhere and it’s like a Woodstock: everybody comes to this thing. It’s a beautiful town. Across from the stores there’s this sandy white beach. It’s just amazing.
“So we’re going there a day early to hang and mellow out.”
The duo will still be on-site taking care of business, of course. Asked if the lineup of a festival sways the decision to play it, Bachman insists that it does, and anyone who says otherwise is lying.
“Big names mean big money and it means big organization. It means a bigger stage, better security, better transportation and it means you’re going to get paid at the end of the night. You know, a bunch of no-names and a no-name promoter, it rings bells because we’ve all been burned hundreds of times.”
Bachman owns homes in London and Santa Monica, Calif. but spends about half the year at his place on Saltspring Island.
“B.C. in our early days, you know, we would drive from Winnipeg to Vancouver, and on the way we would play Osoyoos, Kelowna, Vernon, Cranbrook. We played community halls, churches, outdoor apple and cherry festivals. … So B.C. became our adopted home. So it’s nice to play for B.C. audiences. But a festival like Nakusp in the summer, people come from all over. It’s really international.
“At Sweden Rock festival [in June] we were on after Aerosmith and before Guns and Roses. So, yeah, Bachman & Turner are back. And no one’s mentioning Overdrive at all. We’ve got a new name, new music and we’re absolutely thrilled.”
By Graeme McRanor, Special to The Sun
July 9, 2010
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