Sam Roberts is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has released seven albums, including his debut EP The Inhuman Condition, which reached the Canadian charts in 2002. Roberts has been nominated, together with his band, for fifteen Juno Awards, winning six, including Artist of the Year twice (2004 and 2009) and Album of the Year once (2004).
As the world slowly moves towards a new normal, Sam Roberts Band celebrates the return to the live stage with the announcement of fall tour dates. The November and December dates include stops in Winnipeg, Victoria, Vancouver, two hometown shows in Montréal and more. Not wasting any time, they also recently announced their Toronto summer date at Budweiser Stage alongside their pals Matt Mays and K-OS.
Click here for a full list of dates.
The band are excited to finally play their latest album All Of Us live for fans. The JUNO-nominated album has earned critical acclaim across the board and has also produced two Top 10 radio singles with “Ascension” and “Take Me Away”.
You can stream All of Us by clicking here.
But without further ado, here's our interview with the one and only Sam Roberts.
Where in Canada did you grow up and what sort of influence has that had on your music?
I grew up and still live in Montreal. As the old saying goes “there’s no place like home” but in the case of Montreal, it’s true… a French and English speaking cosmopolitan city in North America. As a musician, Montreal’s multi-dimensional cultural and musical scene played a big part in why playing in a band as way of life seemed like a normal and reasonable thing to do! I realize now that might not actually be the case but I’m glad that the city we live in holds the arts in such high regard…
Having toured the world, what do you think makes Canada unique?
It’s hard to know where to draw the comparisons between international and domestic touring. When you’re on the road, whatever town you happen to be in on any given night is “home” or at least your job is to make it feel that way. I think what separates Canadian audiences from the rest for us is the depth of our history together….We have shared more than twenty years of good times and music together. When the audience sings the songs louder than the band, it hits home that they belong to all of us, that they’re part of our collective story. There is no better feeling than that!
In all your travels across Canada, what's been some of your top experiences?
Canada is full of surprises and we are still uncovering its secrets one show at a time. We still talk about the first time we played in St John’s, Newfoundland in 2002. None of us had ever been there before let alone played a show and we were floored by the energy of the place and their insane passion for music. I developed a terrible version of the local accent within twelve hours and was hungover for the better part of a week after the city had its way with me. While there are too many to choose from, another place where I’m grateful to have had the chance to perform is in the North. Summer festivals under the midnight sun in Yellowknife, cold, short days and northern lights in the heart of the Yukon winter, fishing-by-day and rock-n-roll-by-night in Moose Factory, Ontario… places and times we’ll never forget.
If one of your fans wanted to visit your hometown and "trace your footsteps", what would a day look like? (attractions, sights, restaurants, cafes, etc) If Sam Roberts designed a 1-day itinerary (or more) what would it look like?
Back in the day, I lived in the Plateau, which is the spot to go if you’re looking for cafés, restaurants and endless bars and night-owl options…I would have started my day at Cafe Olympico in Mile End with a powerhouse Italian espresso and a pastry, then walked up to Mount Royal to sit in the grass and hopefully catch a glimpse of the epic Medieval role playing battles that dominate the mountain’s eastern flank… from there you can ride your bike downhill all the way to the Old Port for lunch. I still love the narrow alleyways and cobblestone streets. These days I live further west and there are some great resto and bar options: Satay Brothers for dinner, the Burgundy Lion for a pint or two, Melk and Cafe Il Mercanti for coffee, Corona Theatre for a show… don’t miss the Atwater Market either… the Jean Talon market too… ok that’s enough for one day… Bienvenue à Montréal!
