Hedley: Fan Lowdown

By Karen Bliss

Inside Music Books is pleased to introduce the Fan Lowdown series by music journalist Karen Bliss. These books offer the fan an enhanced experience. Bliss solicits stories from fans via the artist’s message board and mailing list: concert or road trip stories; meeting the artist; making cookies for the band; a song they fell in love to; a lyric that helped get them through a tough time. Bliss has interviewed the band members, sharing her most interesting submissions and getting the bands thoughts and their own memories. The result is a unique look at the artists career, remembered from both sides of the stage. Scattered throughout are photos, ticket stubs, set lists, posters, backstage passes and other mementos that add a sense of time and place. Hedleys eponymous debut album went platinum in Canada, received five Juno nominations and the Much Music Video Award for Best Pop Video for Gunnin. Their sophomore album, Famous Last Words, was released in 2007, and the band toured the U.S. and Canada, headlining as well as supporting Bon Jovi, Nickelback, Simple Plan and Three Days Grace.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dundurn
• Release date: Jun 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9781459726093

Karen Bliss

Karen Bliss is a music journalist, the editor of Samaritanmag.com, creator of the Fan Lowdown book series, and co-author of Music from Far and Wide: Celebrating 40 Years of the Juno Awards She lives in Toronto.

Book preview

SIBLINGS REUNITED

Marie-Pier Beaulé and Geneviève Côté were in the line-up to see the Hedley show on the 31st of August, 2006. That’s where our story started. We had to wait a few hours, so even though we didn’t know each other, we started talking. When we entered the building, Édifice-Expo Sherbrooke, we were separated. But the story doesn’t end there. Later, we met for a second time in the washroom. Marie-Pier’s toilet door had no lock, so Geneviève was kind enough to hold it closed. After the show, we ran into two celebrities, Dave and Tommy from our favourite band, Hedley. Then we left the building together and went to Tim Hortons. At the end of the night, we exchanged email addresses and became friends. One day, we two girls, Marie-Pier’s father and Geneviève’s mother, were at the same place at the same moment. We understood by our parents’ faces that they had once known each other. Soon Marie-Pier and Geneviève were sure … we were HALF-SISTERS!

—Marie-Pier Beaulé and Geneviève Côté

"That’s weird. That’s awesome. Hedley, bringing families together, and the increasing number of Christmas gifts you now have to buy; we’re sorry [laughs]. That’s pretty cool. I’ve seen family that I’ve never met before at shows. In Montreal, as well, I had my wife’s aunts show up. Somebody came and got me and said, ‘Hey Dave, there are a couple of ladies here looking for you.’ ‘Okay,’ I thought. ‘It’s going to be like a needle in a haystack.’ It’s busy, and I see these two ladies in the back with big fur coats on. I walked right up and said, ‘Hi, are you Denise and Lulu?’ ‘Ahhhh, you must be our son-in-law.’ Pinch, pinch, pinch.’’

— Dave

There are lots of groups of people who have become friends because of Hedley, and long after the band’s gone, I’m sure they’ll remain friends, but to have two sisters be reunited because of us, what are the odds [laughs]? That’s pretty random, but awesome too. It’s pretty cool that it’s because of Hedley, because it could have been any time. They could have met at Wal-Mart.

— Tom

THE BEST BESTEST MOST FANTASTIC GIFT

"We got this scrapbook that is so insanely detailed. There’s more stuff in there than I know about Hedley. It takes weeks to read through the thing. It’s the size of a phone book, and there are books and posters inside, and even a rose in there. It’s so detailed. Bands I’ve been in that nobody’s ever heard of are in there, and crew members that lasted maybe a week are too. It’s pretty nuts." — Tom

We all got a book from our biggest fans, these people who run our forum. It’s so elaborate; it’s kind of creepy [laughs]. There’s stuff in there where you’re like, ‘My god, where did they get those pictures? — Chris

This book, this binder, was put together by three of our main fans. It just kind of rattled me how extensive it was and how much work was put into it. I sat and looked at every page really quickly and didn’t read any of the articles or anything, because I don’t like reading too many interviews. It’s every article. It’s every interview. There are pictures of every TV appearance, and a list of them all. It’s exhaustive. That’s what it is. It’s out of control. That blew everything else out of the water, as far as what fans have done for us. It’s pretty flattering."—Jake

One of the coolest things a group of fans lias ever made for us has got to be THE BOOK. If we were in a Brace Campbell movie, I’d have to utter three secret words before opening this thing. Filled with pictures and my bike lock code from (hade Seven, it is a reminder of how truly dedicated our fans are." — Dave

FANTASTIC FOOD

BEST HOME – COOKED MEAL YOU RECEIVED ON THE ROAD?

This woman in Quebec brought an entire lasagna in a metal tray with sausages and peppers and stuff like that. It looked like an Italian basement in our bus for like a week. I think I had said in an interview that we don’t get enough mom-cooked meals on the road. When you’re on the road for eight weeks, you never really get that nice hot meal that you’re so used to that mom cooks."