The JayWalker duo focused on finding people over the long haul

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How do JayWalker’s Darren Gusnowsky and Rob Shapiro describe their new project compared to the last Hey Romeo that also included lead singer Stacey Roper?

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“A little less estrogen, a little more testosterone,” laughs Gusnowsky, guitarist and vocalist for the Edmonton-based country duo. “Certainly, when I was writing the song with Stacey, we had to consider whether it would be okay for her to say certain lyrics. will hit an obstacle.”

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That doesn’t mean to disrespect Lauper, who has been responsible for Hey Romeo’s string of radio hits and CCMA Awards for years just like her bandmates. I just admitted that Gusnowsky and Shapiro writing strictly for themselves completely changed their perspective. It’s a perspective that may have helped during the Brother Country explosion of the 2010s, but the two don’t seem to have any regrets about their former band.

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“We were lumped together as ‘female artists’ to some degree, and I know that was frustrating for Stacey. Tailgates, beer songs, catfish, and everything else was just It didn’t happen, not who we were.

Ironically, one of the few songs JayWalker has recorded is simply titled Beers. Written with pal Aaron Goodvin and released in August, Beals was crafted to be a bit of fun about what he calls “six-pack therapy” after a breakup. Given its title and subject matter, and three veteran songwriters hooking it up, wouldn’t it be a natural hit?

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“To be honest, I thought this would be perfect for radio,” admits Gusnowski. “It’s a funny song that we had fun writing. Turns out we were reluctant. This shows how fickle things can be. You never really know what will play and what won’t.” But the problem is that the big labels are dabbling in the Canadian content spot, right?”

If you’re expecting a gloomy career-lighting moment here, it’s not. Both Gusnowsky and Shapiro have long understood the complexities of working in the bellies of industry beasts, and Hey Romeo’s Even going back in time, I understood one of the most important criteria for standing out as an artist. teeth.

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“Take care of your fanbase and they will find you,” says Gusnowsky. “Country music fans are incredibly loyal and we feel very connected, especially at live shows. is invested in you, they are invested in what you do, so playing live and being in front of people is the biggest thing for us, that’s how we build our careers. A good model for that would be Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, you don’t hear them on modern pop radio, but they have an incredibly devoted fan base and that’s what they do. are supporting.”

The pandemic may have set them back a bit, but Gusnowski and Shapiro are in it for the long term. In between is a career that nurtures both. Finding a balance can be difficult, but they’re still having so much fun that they’re dedicated to finding it.

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“It’s interesting to see who succeeded and who failed,” says Shapiro. “The pandemic has done a lot of damage to the industry as much as a lot of quality people have left. And there are people on part-time contracts. It was very enlightening to say the least, but we still enjoy making music together. I think you can say

yegarts@postmedia.com

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jay walker

when 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25

Where Festival Place, 100 Festival Way, Sherwood Park

tickets Starting at $32.50 at the door or festivalplace.ca