The Deep Dark Woods hit the trifecta in 2012, receiving invites to Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival and Austin City Limits. In addition, the band completed its first European tour and is about to embark on a second overseas trip. Jambands.com chatted with lead singer/guitarist Ryan Boldt from his Saskatoon home to talk about the multiple successes of 2012, his musical influences and the latest album The Place I Left Behind. The Deep Dark Woods, which formed in 2005, is rounded out by guitarist Burke Barlow, bassist Chris Mason, drummer Lucas Goetz and organist Geoff Hilhorst. Every member of the band hails from Saskatchewan.
How’s the summer tour been going?
It’s been amazing. We’ve been all the way from Dawson City (Yukon) to North Carolina and all places in between. It’s been pretty awesome.
You guys played Bonnaroo and the Newport Folk Festival. Those were two new experiences for the band. What was it like playing Bonnaroo?
I had been to Bonnaroo before as fan in 2003 to see Neil Young and it was pretty amazing there and then being asked to play ten years later or whatever it was – it was pretty cool. I had seen Phish, like 12 times and I hadn’t seen them since Coventry. That was the last time I saw them and it was kind of a disappointment, so seeing them again at the Bonnaroo festival was pretty amazing. I got to stand on the side of the stage. Seeing them eight or nine years ago, I never thought I would be able to stand on the side of the stage and watch them. It was pretty amazing. Just hanging out with all these people is cool and then playing for the crowd we got was amazing. The crowd loved it and it was fun.
What was it like playing Newport? Kind of a different vibe but another great place to play.
It was equally as cool – just the history of the festival is cool. We played early on in the day (Sunday). I think we were the first band on the stage. We played around 11:30 or 12 and I wasn’t really expecting many people. And as soon as we got out there, there was a ton of people. It was really cool and the people loved it.
When your set time is that early is it weird, since you’re used to playing evening shows?
It’s definitely weird. I think our music suites the evening better when it’s dark out, but it worked out well.
When you perform at Bonnaroo and Newport Folk Festival, how much confidence does that give the band?
We’re five guys from Saskatchewan, who never thought we would be at this point. It’s pretty cool to come from a small little town that not a lot of bands come from and be able to play places like Newport and Bonnaroo. It makes you think you’re doing something good.
You’re touring Europe again in late August and September. Are you going to different cities?
We’re doing a lot more cities in Holland, Belgium and Denmark as well as England and Scotland; along with a bunch of festivals. The crowds in Europe are really great. They know how to listen, they buy your albums. The first tour was really incredible, especially the Holland shows. The people there really like Canadians – it kind of feels like you’re home, plus Jeff’s family is from Holland. He has an aunt up there, so we can stay with her.
Why do you think that vibe exists in Holland?
I think it has to do with WWII and ever since WWII they really liked the Canadians. The Battle of Leopold Canal – the Canadians helped them out of a jam.
What’s the meaning behind the band’s name?
There’s not really not much of a meaning. They used Deep Dark Woods in a lot of different songs and poems. It just suited the type of music that we’re all into. We like slow ballad kind of music and Deep Dark Woods goes well with that.
How much is the rich, dark sound of the band, shaped by all of you being from Saskatoon?
Well for me personally, I’m really into Neil Young and Bob Dylan. I love all their songs, but I especially love the slower kind of ballad songs that they’ve done. I love Dylan’s “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” or “Angelina.” I absolutely loved those songs. I love ballads, I grew up loving them, and now that’s kind of what I write. I like something with a really great melody and it makes you hurt, but I also love the rock n’ roll. It’s a completely different feeling, especially when you’re playing it in concert.
How are they different?
With a ballad, it’s almost like you’re weeping but with a rock n’ roll song, a faster song, you’re soloing, you can extend your songs a little bit. I don’t know – it’s a hard thing to explain. Rock n’ roll also hurts but in a more aggressive way.
Are your lyrics or the story telling in your songs influenced by where you grew up?
I don’t know if Saskatoon has anything to do with the lyrics. I started writing songs when I was living out on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. A lot of my songs were written out there. I don’t know if I would say Saskatoon has to do anything with the sound of the music. Maybe the winters have influenced a little bit, making sadder songs. It has more to do with the music that I’ve been influenced by, more than geography. I would be writing the same kind of stuff if I was living in California.
I’ve heard people call you a modern-day version of The Band. Can you comment?
I think a lot of that comes from being huge fans of The Band. None of us try to copy The Band. I think it has to do with the fact that we like the same kind of music that The Band liked. I love everything from Sonny Boy Williamson to John Lee Hooker to Mississippi John Hurt to Dylan to Otis Redding and Percy Sledge. I think that has a lot to do with it. We just play our instruments the way we play it. The reason why we sound like that, is that we listen to all the same music.
The 2011 release The Place I Left Behind seemed to elevate you guys to a new level. Did you feel something special when you recorded it?
Absolutely. It all started with the Winter Hours album. That really got our name out in Canada. And then we put out the next album after that, The Place we Left Behind, and that one really got us known in the States and Europe. It’s pretty amazing. When we recorded it, we were in the studio every day for like two-and-a-half weeks, just constantly listening to it. At first, I was like ‘This is great.’ And by the end of it, I was like ‘Ooh, I don’t know about this record.’ And then I went back and listened to it about three weeks or a month later and thought it was really good. The sound of the album was what I wanted. It definitely caught the attention, especially in the United States.
How has the band changed since the addition of organ player Geoff Hilhorst in 2009?
My playing as well as everybody’s has gotten better since he’s joined the band. It was difficult for me to kind of go anywhere else besides playing rhythm guitar, so once Geoff got in, it just added a whole new rhythm to it. I was able to play less and find cooler things – always strumming and finger pick better and do more solos. He not only helps all of our playing but he he’s added a lot of ideas. He’s an amazing player – we got lucky getting him for sure.
How did you find him?
We actually found him in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. We were doing a festival up there. He was playing in another band and we were on the same bill as him. I saw him playing. I didn’t care much for the band he was in, but I saw him and was like, ‘Wow this guy is really amazing.’ I thought it would be awesome if he could join our band. I think a year or two later he joined us and quit all his other bands because he was in like four or five other bands. My dream was to always have piano and organ, but it’s almost impossible to find someone that can actually play the instrument and not just fiddle around with it. The kind of thing I wanted was that someone who was an organ and piano player, not a guy who plays the guitar better than the organ. Trying to find that is really difficult, especially coming from Saskatoon. Geoff knows how to bring a certain kind of tension to a song.
How have you and Chris developed such perfect harmonies?
We’ve known each other out of high school. Chris and I used to go on big long trips to together to see a bunch of bands like Phish and Neil Young. We love the bluegrass harmonies and we thought it would be neat to try to figure out a way to do that in rock n’ roll music. Chris has got the super-high voice like Ralph Stanley and I’ve got the lower voice. It’s nice to have somebody that can do those super-high harmonies and then Luke comes along and is able to put in the middle range there. I think it comes from knowing each other for a long time.
What have Lucas and Burke brought to the band?
Luke is a simple drummer and that’s exactly what I wanted. He knows how to lay down a beat with a bass player and that’s the hardest thing to do. And Burke, the guy loves Merle Travis and all that kind of stuff. I’m really into English folk rock, so to add that Merle Travis kind of guitar with the folky kind of songs has been a neat little mash-up.
You covered the Grateful Dead on the eve of Jerry Garcia’s 70th Birthday. What influence did he have on your career?
I’m a huge Grateful Dead fan, especially Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty and even Wake of the Flood. I love that record. And even the first album – it was the perfect pop album. That’s the first band that got me into country. I always thought country was George Strait. I remember the day I heard “Dire Wolf,”— I was like, ‘Holy crap.’ The pedal steel came in and I was kind of alarmed, ‘What’s that?’ They got me into country music. We’ve done “Peggy-O,” “Jack-a-Roe,” and “Rosa Lee McFall.” We’re all big fans of the Dead. And then I just love the jamming part of the music, not just the Dead, I love Neil Young jams and Bob Dylan jams. And that’s the thing I don’t understand about the whole jamband thing – isn’t everyone a jamband? Dylan was doing it years ago and Neil Young as well. Why aren’t they considered a jamband like the way the Allman Brothers are?
With so many songs in the Grateful Dead catalog, how did you narrow it down to “We Bid You Goodnight,” for the encore?
It’s the perfect song to close with and it was Jerry Garcia’s birthday. It was the perfect song to do really.
And finally, what are you looking forward to about performing at Austin City Limits?
I’m looking forward to Neil Young. It’s kind of hard to accept that you’re in all these festivals. You can’t really think about it all that much. It’s hard to think about. It was always my dream to play there because I grew up listening and watching the Austin City Limits show and going to Bonnaroo. So now it feels weird, we’re playing these festivals, but it’s pretty cool. I absolutely love the city of Austin. The barbecue is the best barbecue in the world.
