Along the bumpy road to self-discovery, singer/songwriter Mike McDonald got more than a few bruises. But while his ego may have taken a few hits, it’s just made his music stronger.
“In my 20s and 30s, I was hung up on my own ego,” he says. “That was necessary to do the job I had to do. Now I’m older. It’s more of a spiritual thing. I don’t need a big stage show. I rely on the music to use its power. I take the ego out of the way. It’s not all about me. It’s about the song.”
On Thursday, he is throwing out a few pearls of wisdom and testing some new tunes at the Songwriters’ Acoustic Showcase at LB’s Pub.
The Edmonton-based country/cowpunk rocker rose to local fame as the driving force behind Jr. Gone Wild (1983 to 1995). At one point they were dubbed “the Sex Pistols meets Hank Williams,” and McDonald joked they advanced to a cross between Clash and George Jones.
An army service brat, McDonald lived in Germany and Vancouver before finally settling in Edmonton. Back in 1979 during his high school years, he leaped at the chance to play in a punk rock band called Joey Did and the Necrophiliacs.
“We were awful. But everyone was doing it. If you didn’t know how to sing, you’d call yourself a punk band,” says McDonald with refreshing candour.
After a few gigs Joey Did morphed in the Malibu Kens, a sixties-style pop band with a punk edge.
“It was all morbid sarcasm – anything anti-establishment.”
When the chance to join Jr. Gone Wild came, McDonald jumped at it.
“We were the first mix of country and punk rock. Initially it was received with confusion. People weren’t sure what to call it. Now its called alt country, and we paved the way for singers like Corb Lund.”
Although the line-up was a revolving door of about 30 musicians including St. Albert’s Graham Brown, McDonald remained the one constant.
The band put out five albums, three with Stony Plain Records. In 1995 after a dwindling fan base, slow album sales and the loss of a recording contract they packed it in.
“When it (Jr. Gone Wild) went away, I was directionless. I had to adjust. It was like a relationship ending. Jr. had a system, a way, a groove and I had to adjust to what was missing.”
He’s had a few regrets and a lot of time to reflect. In Don’t Quit, he wonders if he didn’t give up on the band too soon. (McDonald is now owner of Permanent Records.)
“I keep passing this on to the kids – everything is two blocks further than you think.”
Livin’ on the North Side explores the suburban life. Even if it’s for the good of his kids, “It’s not really my style.”
And Lying to an Activist speaks to the eccentricities of extreme hardcore convictions, while Poet’s Way is wistful country song about a charming girl.
Showtime is 9 to 10 p.m. followed by an open jam. LB’s is at 23 Akins Drive. No cover.
