The Damn Truth bring a ton of fun to rock. Rising from the lively music scene in Montreal, their songs are full of hooky riffs courtesy of lead guitarist Tom Shemer and impassioned vocals delivered by singer and rhythm guitarist Lee-la Baum.
But beyond the rock lurks a wealth of other genres too, most noticeably the blues, which uplifts the melodies to create the blend of the band’s sound.
“I think the blues is the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll,” Tom says. “I’m a big blues fan and Lee-la is, too, in her vocal style. We definitely come from a blues-rock place; that’s the starting point.”
Melting Pot
Blues-rock might be at the centre of it all, but the band’s other members also bring a range of influences into the mix.
“We [each] come from a different place,” says Tom. “Lee-la has a more folky background, with people like Joni Mitchell, whereas I’m more from the classic rock school. Dave [Traina, drums] is a metal guy, and then PY [Letellier, bass] comes from a remote community in north Quebec – out there it’s mostly country music. So I think that’s the sound of the band and we couldn’t do it by ourselves.”
Naked Ambition
Lee-la and Tom first met while they were both embracing their “rock ’n’ roll hippy” spirit – naked at a festival in Israel – and their heavy rock sound evolved from there.
“None of it was decision making, really,” Lee-la tells us. “We didn’t set out to do a genre; it started when Tom and I were playing our favorite music around a campfire and getting to know each other. When I was four, my dad gave me his Beatles collection, so between four and six I learned every song.
“Then by 10 or 11 I was listening to Woodstock and loving Jimi Hendrix and rock ’n’ roll. And then discovering Janis Joplin, this powerful woman who didn’t give a fuck, was really inspiring. I think I approach music from a ‘heart on my sleeve’ way. I can’t say there was a moment where we said, ‘Let’s go heavy’ – it’s how the songs came out.”
Nothing But The Truth
The band’s next release is a Bob Rock-produced self-titled LP. “There’s a lot of power to our band name,” Lee-la says. “It had to do with a time in music [in Montreal] when we weren’t part of any scene, so it was like, ‘Who are we? We are The Damn Truth and fuck everybody else – we’re doing music that’s true to us.’
“And I find that people are really drawn to us; they think it’s a bold statement. I’ve always thought that the self-titled album was missed [by us], and with this album it fitted most. It’s our best yet and I’m very excited about it.”
Live & Kicking
When it comes to live performance, the band see it as their time to get real. “We play a lot of big festivals, where you get to see all the big pop acts,” Tom tells us. “A lot of the time people aren’t really performing their music – they’re there to look cool or advance their Instagram. It’s not something we’re interested in.
“When I watch a performance, I want to be surprised, to see the imperfections and see a moment that’s true to this artist, at this time. And it may never happen again. That feeling of danger and living on the edge as musicians is very exciting.”
“If there’s an improvised moment,” Lee-la adds, “we’re not going to think about it too much. In a way, those are the moments an audience connects to the most and we want to keep it going.”
It takes two: Tom and Lee-la riff on their relationship
As a couple playing guitar in the same band, we couldn’t resist asking… who’s the better player? “Are you kidding?” Lee-la laughs. “I’m a rhythm guitarist and I’ve never attempted to go into solos, I do that with my voice – I’ve always just accompanied my voice. He’s the guitarist.”
“Yeah, but I love how Lee-la plays,” says Tom. “I could never sound as grungy as her. Sometimes we go for that early 90s sound and I overthink it. When she does it, it sounds just right. It’s cool. It’s rock ’n’ roll.”
- The Damned Truth is out March 28 and is available to pre-order.
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