Article by:
Frank McGwire
Photo Credit: FILEDGUIDEMUSIC
Q & A With Brandon’s Dylan MacDonald aka Field Guide
Whenever a new artist comes along one of the first things music fans do is compare them to other artists they sound like. This is the first comparison that came to mind upon hearing Field Guide for the first time. If Sam Fender sang lead vocals for Sam Roberts and the year was 1973. Those are the first words that came to mind upon hearing Field Guide’s music for the first time. The song was “You Were” (The title track from his 5-song digital album released in the summer of 2020. It currently has garnered 34,000+ views on YouTube). Check it out for yourself and see if you agree! Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4_9ji8jZ-Q
Maybe it’s the oft times whimsical melodies, but the first few tracks on Field Guide’s self-titled debut disc also have echoes of Jack Johnson if at the very least, stylistically. In my humble opinion, that would be the most apropos way to sum up their sound.
Watching an artist grow throughout their career truly is a pleasure for any music fan. It means even more when it’s punctuated by the fact that the artist in question is from your hometown. In fact, Dylan (aka Field Guide) grew up in the same neighbourhood I live in now. He once recorded scratch demos in a studio (Garageland Studios) located four houses away from mine. Back in the day, I would try my best to catch shows of his previous bands (Middle Coast, Until Red). When you attended one of those early performances you knew you were witnessing an artist on the rise. As his talent grew, he outgrew the Westman market and decided to move to Winnipeg and eventually Toronto where he is currently based.
It's only been a few years since Middle Coast (formerly Until Red) decided to part ways and do their own musical things, but MacDonald has managed to graduate from the teeth-cutting phase of his career after doing tours of duty on guitar and backing vocals with other more seasoned artists such as Don Amero and Michael Bernard Fitzgerald.
L – R: Dylan MacDonald, Don Amero, and John Baron.
MacDonald is currently in the first leg of a 33-date North American tour promoting his latest album (Self-Titled) which is a continuation of his whimsancholy sound. Yeah, that’s right, I just combined whimsical with melancholy. How melancholy is his sound? To give you a better idea, the Winnipeg Free Press recently touted Dylan as the “Troubadour of Tears.”
We connected for this interview just a few weeks before his tour began.
WZ: First off, thanks for taking the time to do this.
DM: My pleasure man!
WZ: Congrats on the new album! I’m really digging it. I just listened to a few more tracks whilst writing the intro to this article. It’s one of my favourite ways to write because I allow the mood of the music to set the tone and flow of the words I’m putting on paper. A standout track to me is “You Carry Me.” It’s one of the 12 tracks on the album, all written by you. What was the process behind “You Carry Me” and is it similar to all of your songs?
DM: Thanks! Cool that you dig that one, it’s one of my favourites as well. A lot of the songs on this record were recorded in 3-ish parts. Part one was recording the guitar/vocal performance, most of these were captured up at my folk’s little cabin outside of RMNP. Part 2 took place in Montreal at a studio called Break Glass, Olivier Fairfield played drums and I played bass… we tracked together to the original acoustic recordings. And then I finished the songs back in Manitoba and in Vancouver. This stage was for synths, electric guitars etc.. However, You Carry Me was one of the few songs on the record that came together mostly live off the floor in Montreal, I played acoustic and sang while Olivier played drums. It came together mostly because we had extra time at the studio and I’m really glad it ended up making the cut!
WZ: Your musical output has been super prolific based on your discography over the past few years. How often do you put pen to paper?
DM: Yeah, it’s sort of strange, I don’t really feel like I’m writing all of the time but it seems like every year I have at least an albums worth of songs. I try to remain open to writing as much as I can day to day, and every couple of months I seem to have a week where I write like 5 songs… so that helps!
WZ: I like to describe your sound as whimsacholy and that word-combo just popped out of my cerebellum while listening to “Leave You Lonely.” Your lead-off track to the new album sets the tone and the vibe quite nicely. What strikes me is the inspiration for a lot of your songs is based on emotions fueled by relationships whether they be old or new. Is that an accurate guess or am I throwing darts in the dark?
DM: No, I think that’s often pretty true! The world definitely has its fair share of love songs already but it just seems to be a theme that feels good to write about I guess!
WZ: Every band needs a good name. Some names are better than others, while others are a good way of describing the band or music they make. Where did the idea for Field Guide come from?
DM: I was on tour with my friend Nathan Crook in 2018 and I asked him if he had any rough ideas about band names, he sent me a “Field Guide to Manitoba Trees” thinking that maybe there would be an interesting word in it or something. I didn’t get past the cover. Field Guide jumped out at me. It’s pretty simple which I think is nice. I’ve had lots of bands with bad names (as you are aware, haha) so I really did want to find something that I didn’t hate soon after... so far so good!
WZ: Your bio says you are based in Toronto now. How long have you been in the big smoke?
DM: Ah! I was living there for about 18 months but have now been back in Winnipeg for about a year. I loved Toronto and will definitely spend time there again down the road, I made a bunch of friends and there is a lot I like about the scene there. But I also really love Winnipeg a lot and am enjoying being here right now!
WZ: How would you describe Toronto’s music scene?
DM: The Toronto scene was cool. I met a handful of really rad singer/songwriters and a bunch of great players too. There were a couple of bands that had weeklies at different spots which was awesome. I dunno, there’s a lot going on, I love making new friends, so I loved it. People were really open and welcoming too, it felt pretty friendly.
WZ: Being in a place where there’s always something to do or places to play on any given day or night must not only be inspirational but energizing for a creative powerhouse such as yourself. Where else do you draw your musical inspiration from?
DM: Yeah, it’s true! The big city hustle is definitely a thing. I kind of like that energy. These days I find a lot of inspiration from my friends, so many people are making rad music and every time I hear it, I’m like, damn! I gotta make something cool. Not in a competitive way but just in a fun way!
WZ: Do you need to be in a certain mood to write?
DM: I suppose so! I’m generally trying to strike a balance between writing when I’m feeling some sort of emotion but also just showing up on a regular basis so that “inspiration” (whatever that is) can strike.
WZ: Using a mood to propel you through the process is a great technique. I use it a lot. It’s better to be upbeat, I find things flow better. However, if you’re bummed about something that didn’t go in your favour and you’re pouring your heart out, I suppose that could be another method with winning results. What sort of process do you go with when crafting a song?
DM: Yeah, feeling something strongly helps for me a lot of the time, although I often find that I have to move forward through that emotion at least a little bit to have enough perspective that I have things to say about it.
(Screen grab from a YouTube video of Field Guide's performance of "You Were" captured in concert at Sofar Sounds in Toronto. Do yourself a favor and check out this video then allow Field Guide to pull you into its rabbit hole of musical delights.) Credit to SoFar Studios - Toronto.
WZ: Some artists maintain a certain identifiable sound throughout their careers while others change with the times. Do you think you’ve found your identifiable sound with this latest album?
DM: For me, this record is sort of a culmination of songs, tones, production etc. that I’ve been working on for quite a while. I self-titled it because I felt that I finally had really cemented a certain vibe that I’d been reaching for. That said, I’m at the end of the process of making a new record which to me feels like a bit of a new direction.
I don’t think it’s a wild departure or anything but it’s definitely different!
WZ: Most songwriters keep a journal containing highlights of things they’ve experienced on a day-to-day basis whether it’s on a tour or just on vacation. It’s something they can refer to draw inspiration to write. Do you have a new journal ready to fill up during this upcoming tour?
DM: Since the pandemic began I have turned into an avid journaller and yes, I’ll be bringing it on tour for sure. But I actually have never read old entries. It’s more to just clear my mind!
WZ: Speaking of this tour, you’ve got 34 shows lined up throughout North America. It started January 24th at the Mercury Lounge in New York City and will wrap up May 10 in Portland, OR at the Jack London Revue. Do you have management or an agency lining up these shows or are you still doing that yourself like the tours you did with Until Red and Middle Coast.
DM: I’m really lucky to be working with a bunch of great people on both the management/label side and the agent side of things.
WZ: When it comes to making music, you’re obviously in it for the long haul. You must have made that decision at a very young age. When did you decide music was going to be your lifeblood and what is your philosophy behind what you do as you move forward in your music career?
DM: Totally! Hmm, I’m not sure exactly when it happened but I think it was whenever I realized that doing so was even remotely possible. I think that took a little longer just because there aren’t a ton of people pursuing music as a full-time gig in Brandon. But the more I realized that making a living playing music was doable the more I knew there was no alternative for me.
WZ: Thanks again for taking the time to do this Dylan! All the best to you on the upcoming tour. May 2023 be your best year yet!
Thanks so much Frank, fun to chat with ya!
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