Toronto rock band Lowest of the Low have had too many farewell concerts to count. Their fans will not let go, and luckily, neither will the band’s frontman and talented singer-songwriter Ron Hawkins, who has managed to answer the call for a comeback once again. And this time he’s bringing along a few new songs and a new bandmate. The band makes their triumphant return at the Horseshoe Tavern on Dec. 4.
Ron, you already have a successful project with the Do Good Assassins as well as a solo career. Why do you keep bringing the Low back (not that we’re complaining)?
I almost feel like I don’t “keep bringing the Low back,” as in I don’t control it or will it back into being. The Low is such a true expression of musical intention and desire for me that it seems to happen naturally, like breathing. I go off and do things on my own and with the Do Good Assassins, and those things are incredibly important to me and fulfilling. But then the Low vibrates like a phantom limb or something. I find myself thinking about it, or I write a song that’d be perfect for the Low, and that dovetails with the fact that I miss the lads when I go too long without sharing a studio or a stage with them.
Tell me about the decision to proceed without Steve Stanley.
Well after Steve left, we felt we were at a true impasse. Should we continue with a new guitar player, as a three piece, or just put a bullet in it? Bands have an innate tendency to feel they need to make big decisions like this immediately, in the heat of the moment. We had the sense and the grace to take our time, leave it on the shelf for a bit.
And what brought you guys back together?
So Dave and Dylan and I worked on separate things for a while but eventually came back together to rehearse and jam new ideas in a super-casual climate. This built into doing a surprise show at Graffiti’s in Kensington Market under the moniker Low UK. Our longtime co-conspirator Lawrence Nichols joined us for that, and it was a big crowd pleaser and felt very satisfying to us as bandmates. A little later when some offers started coming in for bigger venue shows and festivals, we decided to try playing with Brian MacMillan (who had become the new guitarist in the Do Good Assassins as well).
I’m assuming the new guys have all learned everything from Shakespeare My Butt as well?
There are two kinds of Low fans — Shakespeare My Butt fans … and Shakespeare My Butt fans who also like our other albums. So yes, learning (and relearning that album) was of utmost importance.
Who are the new guys?
Well in a way there are no “new” guys. Lawrence has been playing with the Low in a spontaneous way since the band’s inception. He has also appeared on every album I’ve ever made except Chemical Sounds, Rome and Garden Songs. And he joined as a permanent Low member around 2003. Brian MacMillan joined the Do Good Assassins in early 2015 and joined the Low around August 2015.
And, when can we expect a new full-length album from the band?
Well you can never “expect” anything with the Lowest of the Low! It’s taken me 25 years to truly learn that. The Low is a dying breed — people who truly live in the present, care about what we’re thinking in the moment and don’t check our phones while we’re trying to rawk you to your core. If it happens, it’ll happen. If it doesn’t, it won’t. How satisfying was THAT answer?
How long down the road are you looking with the revamped band?
Right now we’re looking from Sorauren Avenue where we rehearse all the way down the road to Spadina and Queen where we’ll be playing the Horseshoe.
