Standing in the lobby of the Capitol Theatre in Chatham, you can practically smell the history—a mix of old floor wax, velvet upholstery and the lingering ghost of vaudeville. It is the perfect spot for The Sheepdogs to kick off their cross-Canada headline tour. These guys from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, have spent the better part of two decades perfecting a brand of blues-rock that feels like it was pulled directly from a dusty 1974 vinyl crate. They are coming off a massive run with Bryan Adams, but tonight, they are the main event, supporting their latest record, *Keep Out of the Storm*.
But the real story here is not just the music; it is the business behind it. Two years ago, the band pulled a power move that would make most industry veterans sweat. They bought back their entire music catalogue and cut ties with their major label to launch Right On Records. In an era where streaming pennies are the norm, owning your masters is the ultimate flex.
Bassist and founding member Ryan Gullen sits down with me to talk shop, and he is blunt about the decision. It was about survival and legacy.
"You know, it's certainly one of those things that when we think about longevity as a band, we felt it was really important to own and deal with our music ourselves," Gullen says. "We've been a band for twenty-two years now, and it's one of those things that over the years, we've been very fortunate to have a lot of success and have great people work with us. But at a certain point, we wanted to reinvest the income from those older titles into new music."
This is not just artist pride; it is a tactical reinvestment. By cutting out the middleman, the band turned their back catalogue into a venture capital fund for their future. It is a rare move for a Canadian rock outfit, but one that grants them a level of autonomy most artists only dream of.
"We just wanted to continue owning our own babies, and as we make money off albums rather than going towards the bottom line at a label with a million other artists, we could take that money and reinvest it in our careers," Gullen explains.
And they have had quite the career to reinvest in. Most people remember the 2011 explosion when a demo tape landed at Atlantic Records and catapulted them onto the cover of *Rolling Stone*. They were the first unsigned band to ever grace that cover, a feat that usually signals either a meteoric rise or a crushing burnout. For The Sheepdogs, it was a bit of both, especially south of the border.
"What's interesting about the US is that it was a huge blip for us, but didn't convert into as big a profile as we have up here," Gullen says, reflecting on the madness of that era. "For us, it was not about having a big splash. Even within Canada, it wasn't overnight that we were selling a bazillion tickets. It's still a long game for us. So, in America, it was a great launching point for us, something that anybody looking for an opportunity would like to put themselves out there and get into people's view."
But the *Rolling Stone* cover was a double-edged sword. It gave them a seat at the table, but it also saddled them with the "contest winner" label—a stigma that takes years of touring to wash off. They had to prove they were a real band, not a gimmick.
"But, you know, it also involved a ton of work afterwards," Gullen says. "So, yeah, it's been fifteen years, and it definitely helped us in Canada, but certainly wasn't an overnight success. We had been a band for seven years before that and then we've had to put in a lot of work to continue forward. So much of it was about proving that we're not just a band that won a competition."
Part of that proof lies in their visual identity. They do not just sound like the 70s; they look like a lost frame from *Almost Famous*. From the stage setups to the album art, everything is curated by long-time collaborator Mat Dunlap. It is a cohesive brand that has only become more vital as the industry moved from radio waves to Instagram grids.
"It's funny because it was always a really big thing back fifteen, whatever, years ago, but it's become even more prevalent now with the way that social media has shifted and changed," Gullen says. "We've tried to continue forward with that in how we do things and be creative with that."
This aesthetic control is another reason they went independent. They do not want a marketing department telling them to wear neon or chase TikTok trends. They want to be The Sheepdogs, unfiltered.
"It's just an extension of the music where we want to keep challenging ourselves to do different things and put ourselves out there and make sure the aesthetic is how we want it, which is, again, part of the reason why we bought our catalog back and started our own record label," Gullen notes. "We want to have full control of those things and be able to continue pushing those things forward, as we want to do them."
The lineup has seen some shifts, too. The departure of guitarist Jimmy Bowskill in 2022 could have been a disaster, but the addition of Gatineau native Ricky Paquette has injected a new energy into the group. Paquette was thrown into the deep end immediately.
"He joined the band right before we went on a massive tour that was, like, over 100 dates," Gullen says. "And so that was a pretty good test to see how he fit in with the stuff we'd already recorded. Every guitar player is going to be different, so even if he is playing songs that were played by different guitarists, he's adding his own flavor to that."
Paquette has changed the DNA of the live show. There is a looseness now, a willingness to let the songs breathe and move in ways they didn't before.
"I think that since he joined the band, the band has become a little bit more playful live on stage," Gullen explains. "I think it's become a little bit jammier, a bit more interplay. But, you know, when it comes to making records. That's a very different thing."
Recording *Keep Out of the Storm* was a different beast entirely. This is the third time Paquette has been in the studio with them, and his influence is starting to seep into the songwriting, particularly on tracks like "I Do", which features a level of guitar orchestration we have not seen from the band before.
"Things are going to breathe and change as you have new players," Gullen says. "This will now be our third time recording with Ricky. We did the two EPs in 2024, and he brought a lot. He brings a lot to the studio. He definitely has a lot of great production ideas, and then just his versatility in his playing and his ability to be able to suggest trying something like this, or just like this."
"On this new record, there are tons of things that he was heavily influential on or brought a cool flavor to that would not be something we've necessarily approached in the past. A really good example of that is the song 'I Do'. It's almost Queen-esque, and he built this incredible layered guitar harmony for the guitar solo section. That was all him putting his mark on that song, and it really took it in a direction that we hadn't really thought of."
We know that people have a million things that are taking their attention or time, so when someone decides to spend their evening with us, we don't take that for granted. So, it's really important to us that we create a show that allows somebody to sort of keep out of the storm or take a moment away from the craziness that is life.
However, the biggest shakeup was the exit of founding drummer Sam Corbett. Losing a founding member is usually the beginning of the end for most bands, but the split was amicable, born from the reality of twenty years on the road.
"Sam's great," Gullen says with a smile. "He wanted to spend more time with his family, so it was definitely a tough situation. Sam is a founding member. He was there day one when me, him, and Ewen all got together, but we are twenty-plus years into this band, and as people's lives change, he just didn't want to be on the road. So, in his situation, he couldn't really see himself continuing forward with that, and he wanted to be closer to his family. We talked about it almost two years prior to him leaving, so we had a lot of time to figure things out and still play with him."
The recording process for the new album was bizarre. They were touring with Corbett while simultaneously auditioning his studio replacements during their downtime.
"It was interesting, though, because it created a different dynamic for us to make this record," Gullen recalls. "We made this record while we were touring last summer on downtime between shows, and Sam was on the tour with us, but we were using different drummers in the studio."
They ended up using five different drummers on the record. For a band that prides itself on chemistry, this could have been a mess. Instead, it forced them out of their comfort zone. They recorded live off the floor, sitting in a circle, trying to find a rhythm with a rotating cast of percussionists.
"It was pretty unique having never made a Sheepdogs record without Sam as our drummer," Gullen says. "It was very interesting to learn to play with different drummers. The whole record was live off the floor. We've been doing this for the last couple releases, sort of sit in a circle in the studio and get the song sounding really good, how we like it, and hit record. That becomes the basis of the song, drums, bass, guitar, and keys."
For Gullen, the change was a technical challenge. The bass and drums are the engine of any rock band, and changing the engine mid-race is risky.
"In my situation, every day was learning," Gullen says. "It was like learning to dance with a new dance partner. I also think great music is often created in situations where you're a little bit uncomfortable. I think when you get comfortable, you go back to old habits. So, it really kept us on our toes with this one, and I think it created a whole different vibe. It was a unique situation that we have never experienced to have five different drummers on the record."
They eventually settled on Trevor Falls, a Toronto drummer who had been playing with them since last autumn.
"We were like, 'Let's get some people to come in who we know and respect and are our friends to be part of this record'," Gullen says. "The fortunate part of being a musician is that a lot of your friends happen to be some of the most talented people around. It was sort of like a soft audition. The drummer we ended up bringing on this tour has been playing with us since last fall. His name is Trevor Falls and he's from Toronto. He played on several songs in the record, and he was really great to work with."
The album itself is a trip. While it has the signature Sheepdogs bop, there are moments of genuine experimentation. "The Yellow Line", an instrumental track, feels like a massive departure. It is moody, cinematic and surprisingly technical.
"I would probably say that song is marginally a little bit Allman Brothers sounding," Gullen says. "That song and the prior track, 'The Owl' are written by Shamus, our keyboard player. It's interesting when Shamus brings in songs."
Shamus Currie is the band’s secret weapon. A Humber College grad with a technical background, he provides the musical sophistication that keeps the band from being a mere nostalgia act.
"He brings in lots of different songs, and some of them make the record, some of them don't," Gullen says. "But that one really stood out to us. We just thought that was a really cool piece. Both of the songs are really great, but Yellow Line was really unique to us, but also not a stretch."
The track has a vibe that leans into the avant-garde jazz-rock of the late 60s, a deep cut for the audiophiles.
"We were working it out and looking up funny references, and one of the artists I referenced that I thought it sounded like in its demo form is David Axelrod," Gullen explains. "He made really cool thematic over-the-top jazz stuff in the late sixties and early seventies. It was one of those things where it's fun to put an instrumental on a record and make something that's a little bit different and throw a curveball on the second side of this record."
"Shamus comes from a pretty technical musical background as well, and he's always challenging us. Whereas Ewan and I learned to play our instruments together and have some musical training, Shamus went to Humber. Every once in a while, he'll throw something fun like that at us that's also very technically proficient as well, and it gives us a little bit more cred amongst the music heads out there."
But why Chatham? It seems like an odd choice for a tour opener, yet for The Sheepdogs, it has become a tradition. This is the fourth time they have started a tour here. It started as a fluke in 2012 and turned into a superstition.
"We have started a tour in Chatham four times in our career," Gullen says. "First, in 2012, I looked it up the other day because I was feeling like it's been more than a couple. Then there was another tour after that, and then the last two tours in Canada also started in Chatham. The last two times were intentional."
"The first two were happenstance, but that first tour in 2012, we went to the bar afterwards, and people were saying, 'This is so cool that you guys are starting this tour in Chatham'. And I was like, yeah. That's great!"
The band has a soft spot for secondary markets. Their "Backroad Boogie Tour" was built entirely around playing places like Thunder Bay instead of Toronto. Coming from Saskatoon, they understand the frustration of having to drive four hours to see a decent show.
"The next time it happened, it was like, 'Oh, we're starting the tour in Chatham again'," Gullen notes. "The third time was the beginning of the Backroad Boogie Tour, where we went across Canada and only played smaller markets, the intention being that we're from a smaller place, Saskatoon, where you constantly have to travel to other places to see music, and obviously, there are music fans everywhere."
"So, we planned a tour where the biggest place we played was Thunder Bay. Part of the inspiration was those early shows in Chatham and seeing what it can be like to play a place where people are just so excited to have it in their backyard, they don't have to travel to Windsor or London or Toronto to see that act. It only felt appropriate to start that tour in Chatham. When it came to playing this tour, we feel we have to start Canadian tours in Chatham now."
And the Capitol Theatre itself is a draw. It is one of those rare venues that has survived the wrecking ball and retained its soul.
"But honestly, that theater is such a beautiful theater, a real gem," Gullen says. "And on top of that, the reception we've had in Chatham has been so overwhelmingly positive that we kind of feel like it's become a thing now where we're gonna catch shit if we don’t start the tour in Chatham."
When you tour as much as these guys do, you develop a mental map of the best rooms in the world. For Gullen, the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver remains the gold standard because of its legendary horsehair floors.
"One of the coolest venues in Canada is the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver," Gullen says. "It's right downtown. It's an old dance hall and it has the horsehair floors so when you're on the dance floor, you can feel the springy floors. I think it's about 1,100 capacity, so instead of moving into bigger venues, we always do several nights there because it has great sight lines and is such a fun place to play and to go see a show."
Then there is Massey Hall. For a Canadian musician, playing Massey is a rite of passage. The band was there right before the massive renovations and returned shortly after it reopened.
"For the history and the part that it plays in Canada, Massey Hall has always been a really special one," Gullen says. "We're not doing Massey Hall this time; we’re doing History in Toronto, but that's definitely a special one. There’s a special feeling standing on that stage knowing the history of it."
"Massey Hall is one of the rare occasions where they do a renovation, and it makes the venue better," he continues. "We were one of the last bands to play before the renovations, and we were back in shortly after it reopened. They've done such a good job in renovating it so that it feels like it's always been that way, or at least improved it, not put weird modern touches on. It had stained glass windows that had been covered for years, and they've restored them."
Their travels have taken them to some weirder spots, too. Munich, for instance, offered a venue that was quite literally a circus.
"We've played so many unique places, internationally too," Gullen says. "There's this venue we played in Munich called Circus Krone, which is literally an active circus that does concerts. The Beatles have played there, and all these different people, and we got to play there. It's a very unique place. We woke up in the morning, got off the bus, and there was a zebra right outside our bus because it's an active circus. It's been an active venue since before WWII, which is cool that we get to experience these places."
As for the setlist on this tour, expect a mix of the hits and the new stuff, but do not expect a note-for-note recreation of the records. The Sheepdogs are leaning into their jam-band tendencies, stretching out the solos and letting the songs evolve.
"I think it's a good mix," Gullen says. "We're still sort of working that out. We got more rehearsals this week before we go, but a lot from the new album and lots of older ones. One of the things we've gotten into a bit is that we don't want the songs to be exactly like they are on record. We’re not going to totally go full Dylan and make the songs unrecognizable, but adding in parts, whether it's additional jamming parts or more solos stretching things out, we try to make the live show a little bit more dynamic in that way. I also think we're dusting off a few we haven't played in a few years."
The album title, *Keep Out of the Storm*, is more than just a catchy phrase. It is a philosophy. In a world that feels increasingly chaotic, The Sheepdogs offer a two-hour reprieve.
"Keep Out of the Storm is a bit of a reference to the fact that for us, music has always been a bit of an escape from the storm of life," Gullen explains. "Concerts are very much that too, where it's that thing where you can leave everything that you have going on in your life at the door and be whoever you want."
"We know that people have a million things that are taking their attention or time, so when someone decides to spend their evening with us, we don't take that for granted. So, it really important to us that we create a show that allows somebody to sort of keep out of the storm or take a moment away from the craziness that is life."
One could argue that their refusal to engage with the "storm" of politics or personal struggle is a form of escapism, but for Gullen and the band, it is an intentional choice. They want to be the light, not the heavy.
"We’ve always leaned into the side of that feel-good rock and roll," Gullen says. "We really do feel like we want our music to make people feel good and be that type of escape. We're not looking to express ourselves politically or put our own personal struggles on the page necessarily when it comes to our music. No slight to anyone that does, but that's just how we do things. It's just a general vibe of positivity around everything."
The Sheepdogs open their cross-Canada headline tour at Chatham’s Capitol Theatre this Friday Mar. 13 at 8:00pm. Limited seats still available. Get them before they are gone.
