Prior to their first big show in Victoria since forming, we chatted with Shepard front man Mark Guebert about the importance of community, positivity and what to expect from their Lucky headlining debut.
Dallas Ross: So, we may well jump right into it.
Mark Guebert: Yeah, for sure, man.
DR: I’d like to start with getting to know Shepard a little bit. How did you guys start and what was the motivation for even starting a band?
MG: So, the band started in Victoria but I had started playing under the name Shepard as a solo acoustic act back in my hometown of Hinton, Alberta. I would play at coffeeshops and house shows – I played at my high school prom – and that was fun. And then I came for school at UVic in 2015 and I kinda decided that I wanted to get a band together.
Lucas, the lead guitar player, him and I were the first to meet – we actually met through his girlfriend at the time. So , we got together and we jammed and we had a couple of other mutual friends and we all got together and it just worked really well. Lucas has a real John Mayer-y, blues kinda style and I am a big fan of Dallas Green and City and Colour and Alexisonfire and those two kinda just worked when we put them together and we really enjoyed our first jam. My roommate at the time knew Grayson Halliday, who plays bass, and Grayson was already jamming with a drummer. So, I met Grayson and said, “Hey, I have this lead guitar player” and he said, “I have this drummer. Let’s all get together and jam.”
So, we ended up jamming on a Monday in April and I told the guys, “Hey, I’m having a house show this Friday. Do you guys want to play it?” and everyone was on board. We learned a handful of easy covers and some original stuff and that was our first show. We’ve been trying to gigs ever since then.
DR: You don’t hear of too many people moving to Victoria. I know a lot of people who have moved out of Victoria.
MG: *laughs* Yeah.
DR: What was your impression of the city when you got here?
MG: I come from a small town of 10,000 people so, to me, Victoria is a city, you know? It has everything you need, but it’s a small city. You can still get across the city in 20 minutes. The first year I didn’t get out into the music scene too much because I was 18 and you have to be 19 to get in most venues, but over the years I’ve been getting out in the scene and learning who the local bands are and what the good venues are and where to play and who you need to talk to and who you need to meet.
I’ve found Victoria to have a really great music community. There’s a lot of collaboration and a lot of people trying to help each other out.
DR: Listening to songs like Passion and The Reaper’s Ballad — which just came out a few days ago — I noticed that both tracks have a sense of positivity. Not in a naïve way, but there seems to be a sense of aspiration and positivity. Was that intentional or am I reading too much into them?
MG: There definitely is a sense of positivity and the theme of both of those songs is sort of similar. In Passion, one of the lyrics is, “when I was a boy my mama told me ‘just be yourself and no one else‘” and that’s kind of a big role in my musical career. My mom has been very supportive of everything. You know, if your kid is going off to university and is also trying to do music as a semi-fulltime gig, it’s not the easiest thing to support but she has been supportive of my entire journey since I was 12 buying my first guitar until now.
So, that’s what that song is really about: taking her influence and being positive and being confident with who you are and finding what you’re good at. I feel like a lot of people can relate to that. Finding their passion and working hard for their goals and working towards something that really means a lot to them. For me, that’s music.
And Reaper’s Ballad is kind of on the same train with one of lyrics in the chorus saying, “tell your tale before the Reaper takes what’s his.” That’s kind of saying that we’re all going to die eventually, so make your life a good one and be happy and do the things that you want to do before it’s too late.
DR: Do you feel motivated to put those types of positive sentiments out into the ether, especially right now when things seem to be pretty bleak?
MG: Absolutely. As a musician, I have a platform to share my opinions and my thoughts and if I can spread positivity with that, that’s great.
As for the songwriting process, it’s not necessarily how I would initially start writing a song. I might start writing based on how I’m personally feeling and then as I get more into writing the song, I’ll realize how this can relate to everyone and spread a positive message.
The thing about the music community is that it is a community and I think it’s good to spread some positivity in your local community.
DR: Even if it’s not the community you were born in.
MG: No, but it’s definitely the community I feel the most connected to. Back home, I had a lot of fun playing coffeeshops and stuff like that, but it’s a small town and there’s only so far you can go.
DR: As someone who used to be a solo act, have you found it challenging working with other collaborators?
MG: Yeah, there’s definitely a lot that goes into work with a band. As a front man and manager, I am a leader in some ways and I do want to make sure that everyone feels as though their opinion is valid and that we consider all options. I don’t want anyone to think that I’m high and mighty and my word is the final word. I definitely enjoy other people’s input. It’s a lot of work, but you have to be able to build a team. You can’t do it all on your own.
DR: What are Shepard’s plans for 2019?
MG: We’re going to be releasing an EP that will have Passion and Reaper’s Ballad and some other songs, as well. The Zone’s Band of the Month program is something we’re definitely interested in. I’m actually just editing our electronic press kit and application right now. That’s one of our goals, for sure.
We’re playing Lucky this Saturday and headlining a show a venue like that was one of our goals for this year. Along with the EP, we’re hoping to tour sometime in the summer but that depends on funding and getting touring grants from creative BC.
DR: So, what should people expect from the show on Saturday?
MG: Saturday is going to be interesting. First off, we have Salt Water Soul. They’re a newly formed band and are a lot of fun. Their lead singer Steven has a really throaty, July Talk, Peter Dreimanis tone. So that’s great.
And then we have Mind and that’s kind of an offshoot of Towers and Trees. Their frontman, Dave Zellinsky plays with Towers and Trees and so does their bassist, Dave Arter. And also their drummer, Brayden Zomer who is also playing with us for this show.
And then our set is definitely the longest we’ve ever had to prepare. We’re playing all tracks except for one to a click, so it’s going to be a precise set. From my end, it’s the most I’ve ever prepared for a gig. It’s going to be a wild ride. *laughs*. We’ve got a lot of fun stuff planned. We’ve got some heavy hitters and a couple of surprises in store, as well.
DR: It’s gonna be a party.
MG: Oh yeah. Reaper’s release party.
You can check out Shepard and guests at the Reaper’s Release Party on Saturday, December 16th, 2018 at Lucky Bar.