Stereo Embers The Podcast 0045: John Angus MacDonald (The Trews)

“Brothers In Bands Will Always Work It Out”

And he should know. After all, The Trews’ guitar player John-Angus has been in a band with his brother Colin for most of his life. Whether it’s Oasis, The Black Crowes or The Kinks, John-Angus tells Alex that brothers will always work it out no matter what. Although the Kinks have indeed reformed, the jury’s still out on his other two picks. However, the jury is not out on The Trews’ new album Civilianaires.
The verdict? It’s a straight-up killer. A blistering batch of breathy muscle (“Vintage Love”), crunchy stomp (“Time’s Speeding Up”) and stadium sing-a-longs (“Bar Star”), the band’s
sixth album is further proof that the Trews refuse to make the same record twice and are always moving boldly forward. John-Angus talks about the resignation of the band’s longtime drummer Sean Dalton, growing up listening to Guns n’ Roses and The Trews’ habit of post-show analysis. He also tells Alex about R.E.M., fatherhood and having
a piano-playing grandmother who was considered the best musician in Nova Scotia.