takin’ a walk – “Trews and Tribulations”

Podcast: takin' a walk (iHeartPodcasts)
Host: Buzz Knight
Guests: Colin MacDonald & John Angus MacDonald (The Trews)
Release Date: September 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, host Buzz Knight takes listeners on a deep-dive walk through the musical journey of The Trews, represented by founding brothers Colin and John Angus MacDonald. From their small-town Nova Scotia roots to headlining stadiums and crafting gold records, the conversation explores the band’s resilience, evolution, and lasting influence on Canadian rock. The episode covers the backstory of their name, the influence of Nova Scotia’s communal music tradition, mentorship received and given, the creative process behind their latest album The Bloody Light, and the thrill of sharing new music on stage.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Who Would You Walk With? Musical Heroes (04:24)

• Buzz opens with his signature question: Who, living or dead, would you take a walk with?

  Colin MacDonald:

  • “My answer is always going to be Bob Dylan, even though I'd be kind of scared of what he might say ... And I just take him for a walk around Hamilton, Ontario, and, and just see how many people notice that I'm walking with Bob Dylan.” (04:41)

  John Angus MacDonald:

  • “Since my answer was also going to be Bob Dylan, I'm just going to throw it to the Canadian Bob Dylan and say Neil Young, because I think he'd be a really cool guy to have a chat with somewhere in a field outside Omimi, his hometown in Ontario …” (05:05)

2. The Evolution of The Trews: Name Changes & Beginnings (06:03)

• The band’s original name inspiration came from Monty Python, evolving from “One Eyed Trouser Snake” to “Trouser”.

• A cease and desist letter from an acid jazz band forced a rapid name change.

  Colin:

  • “Our bass player Jack, his mom Gene, called us and said, you know, you call yourselves the Trews because that means the same thing as Trousers ... We weren't thinking, like, this will be our name for the next 25 years. ... And then we started getting hit singles. And that's the name.” (06:03)

3. Nova Scotia’s Influence (08:04)

• Nova Scotia’s communal, Celtic and folk music tradition profoundly shaped their approach.

  John Angus:

  • “The thing that seeped in was the very communal element of music down there, where music was meant to be enjoyed in the kitchen or in the living room in a circle ... Nobody's performing and being. And nobody's the audience. It's all one in the same.” (08:22)

  • Family was critical: grandmother was a classically trained pianist, dad an aspiring folk musician.

4. No Plan B: The Call to Music (09:46)

• As teens, they were already selling out local bars (despite being underage).

• The buzz of immediate audience response propelled them to stick with music as their only career plan.

  Colin:

  • “We could sell out bars when we weren't even old enough to be in the bars ... So it was a tremendous buzz for us ... I think when that started to hit us, we were like, we're doing this. We got to keep doing this. So I think it was always Plan A.” (09:46)

5. The Life-Changing Concert: The Tragically Hip (11:02)

• Their first big live music experience was seeing The Tragically Hip on the Phantom Power tour—a formative inspiration.

  Colin:

  • “They came out and they were mind blowingly incredible. And I was just like, this is. This is it.” (11:20)
  • The Hip’s consistent presence in Eastern Canada made them local heroes and later, mentors and collaborators.

  Colin on mentorship:

  • “They were always like these really, really, really cool older brothers ... They were always that kind of. That North Star for us.” (12:06)

6. Paying It Forward: Mentoring New Bands (13:18)

• The Trews have passed on the mentorship ethic, particularly John Angus in his role as a producer.

  John Angus:

  • “I don't know if you've heard of a band called the Glorious Suns ... They went on to have tremendous success even with some of the stuff that I ... had worked on ... But they had great songs and they had a great work ethic and they had a great spirit about them.” (13:21)
  • Both brothers contribute to the musical ecosystem by producing, co-writing, and advising younger bands.

7. The Bloody Light: Collaboration & Creative Renewal (14:32)

• New album The Bloody Light was produced by Brett and Jay of The Glorious Suns—a role reversal for John Angus, who had mentored/prod them.

  Colin:

  • “They brought excitement and they brought us back to a place ... it felt like our first record again ... it was an interesting power dynamic because John Angus was always their mentor producer and now they're the guys in charge. And they definitely pushed us to come up with our best material.” (14:55)

  • The process sparked a sense of “beginner’s mindset” and return to the band’s roots.

  John Angus:

  • “I think they still brought that like outside looking in opinion ... that real valuable viewpoint.” (16:16)

8. Songwriting Approaches: Keeping It Fresh (17:15)

• Colin writes every day, but brings unfinished ideas to the group, letting collaboration shape the songs.

• Evolution on every record comes from this cooperative process and pursuit of vitality.

  Colin:

  • “I always kind of leave it open ended. I leave it because I know that when I bring it to John Angus and Jack, it is going to get better. ... The only reason we want to keep doing it is to keep it fresh and exciting.” (17:15)

9. Behind the Song: ‘Don’t Get Lost in the Dark’ (22:31)

• Originated as a slow, halftime ballad. Producers Jay and Brett encouraged a tempo shift and more direct, “closer to the bone” lyrics.

  Colin:

  • “That was one that I just had when I was working ... I had the lyric, ‘you're off the beaten path. And I had don't get lost in the dark.’ ... It was like kind of a slow ballady halftime thing ... Jay ... said, I really like that but I think it needed ... to bring it up to full time ... when we did that like, oh this is this rules now.” (22:31)

  John Angus:

  • “I'm glad it made the metamorphosis that it did, because I think it would have ended up on a cutting room floor otherwise ... the Suns guys did a few key things to really make it pop.” (24:03)

10. Live Audience as Focus Group (24:33)

• The ultimate test for songs is playing them live and gauging honest audience reaction.

  Colin:

  • “We just go out and play it live, and that's when you know the audience knows everything. ... The audience will let you know pretty quick. And we've definitely learned that over years.” (24:47)
  • “We're in the business of this is awesome or this sucks.” (27:13)

  John Angus:

  • “My wife Jenny has been listening to our albums before they've come out since our third record ... Now, more and more, it's my kids ... it's kind of funny ... We are so involved ... have all these nuanced opinions ... people are just, I like it or I don't like it.” (26:28)

11. Breakout New Songs & What’s Next (28:21)

• “The Breakdown” has hit #1 on the rock charts and gets great live response.

• “Downtown Again” and the soon-to-be-released “Manifest” also prove popular in live sets.

  Colin:

  • “In our live sets, there's been no people walking to the bar during the new, maybe unfamiliar song. So I'll take that as a sign of a good sign.” (27:27)

  John Angus:

  • “There's also the next one to be released is ... called Manifest.” (28:21)

12. On Covering Bob Dylan (29:12)

• Both are self-described “Dylan nuts,” regularly covering “Jokerman” and dreaming of tackling deep cuts and classics across Dylan’s eras.

  Colin:

  • “We always cover Joker Man. That's my personal favorite Bob Dylan song ... He's wrong. It's the best song.” (29:12)
  • Also fans of “Visions of Johanna,” “No Time to Think,” and many others.

  John Angus:

  • “If I'm going to his classic period, it's almost too many to ... Queen Jane ... there's also ... You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go ... Sugar Baby ... even Murder Most Foul ... he's always genius.” (29:32, 29:52, 30:08)

  • The blend of Dylan and Aerosmith influences sums up The Trews’ diverse sound:

    • “We're like Dylan nuts on the one hand, and we love Aerosmith, so ... maybe that explains our band.” (30:18)

13. Affection for The Band and Garth Hudson Story (30:31)

• The Trews recorded with Garth Hudson for his Songs of the Band tribute album—a serendipitous outcome after being spotted playing “The Weight” in Japan.

  Colin:

  • “He filmed us ... and he goes, I want this band on my upcoming Garth Hudson Presents the Songs of the Band record ... He's going to get us to do the Wait. He's like, nope ... I want you guys to do our song, Move to Japan.” (30:54)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I hope you don’t play music the way you walk…” – Colin MacDonald, imagining Bob Dylan’s wit (04:41)
• “The audience knows everything. They’re not always right, but they know everything.” – Colin MacDonald (24:47)
• “We’re in the business of this is awesome or this sucks.” – Colin MacDonald (27:13)
• “We always cover Joker Man... He’s wrong. It’s the best song.” – Colin MacDonald, on Bob Dylan’s own dislike of “Jokerman” (29:12)
• “We’re like Dylan nuts on the one hand, and we love Aerosmith, so… yeah, maybe that explains our band.” – John Angus MacDonald (30:18)

Episode Flow & Structure

• 00:00–04:24 — Opening; the “walk with” question; musical heroes (Dylan, Neil Young)
• 06:03–08:04 — Band name origin story; small town to big city
• 08:04–09:46 — Nova Scotia and its communal musical influence
• 09:46–11:02 — No Plan B; local buzz in Antigonish
• 11:02–12:06 — First big concert: The Tragically Hip; mentorship
• 13:18–14:32 — Paying it forward as mentors and producers; Glorious Suns connection
• 14:32–16:46 — Recording The Bloody Light; letting mentees become producers
• 17:15–18:06 — Songwriting process; keeping music fresh
• 22:17–24:33 — Behind the song: “Don’t Get Lost in the Dark”
• 24:33–27:13 — Live-testing music; audience as focus group
• 27:13–28:32 — Reception of new album songs (“The Breakdown,” “Downtown Again,” “Manifest”)
• 28:46–31:51 — Covering Bob Dylan; influences; story about The Band and Garth Hudson
• 32:03–32:35 — Book plug; closing gratitude and goodbyes

Tone & Takeaways

The episode is warm, candid, funny, and rich with music lore. The MacDonald brothers are self-deprecating, deeply respectful of their musical roots, and passionate about both craft and community. Listeners come away understanding the band’s deeply collaborative ethos, their reverence for those who paved the way, and their commitment to passing the torch. Anyone interested in the personal side of indie rock success—and the ways bands keep reinventing themselves, on and off the road—will find this a rewarding listen.