Hedley Wrote 45 Songs For New Album, Some Of Them Sucked

Three months. That's how long is took Hedley singer Jacob Hoggard to write the band's latest The Show Must Go album.

The disc hit shelves last Tuesday, but Hoggard admits some of the original demos for the record were absolutely terrible.

"We wrote 45 songs over three solid months," Hoggard says. "We came out with some acoustic songs and some ballads. We wrote shitty songs, too. It's important that we explore every aspect that we can. I've never been too fucking romantic in terms of continuity. In the end, we just wanted to come out with a cohesive piece of work."

Now that the record's out, you can stroll down to Wal-Mart and pick one up for your kid sister ("It's a Christmas gift, I swear!"). The frontman isn't worried about how many copies the disc will sell, as he prefers to let nature take its course.

"After immersing yourself in a record, you try to take a nap and avoid it for awhile," he says. "I'm really happy with it. We never set out with a certain goal in mind. It'd be great to write a rock opera and have the foresight of Nostradamus, but we don't."

If you overlook the occasional f-bomb, you'll notice Hoggard has actually matured in the six years. He's moved beyond resorting to tattooing his ass and other Jackass-type antics to get people's attention.

"I don't think I need to do those things anymore," he says with a positive inflection.

"We've grown in every sense — outside of the show and in. It's analogous with your lifestyle. You change as you grow."

Hedley haters, take note. Hoggard knows you're out there, but doesn't waste time worrying about it. In a way, he actually empathizes with people who don't like his band's music.

"I have a really thick skin now. There have been times where I didn't put up with shit. Legal bills are expensive, man," he says with a chuckle.

"After awhile, you realize how juvenile it is to even retaliate. I don't like some music, so of course there will be people that don't like our music. It's not something that we concern ourselves with. There's so much music our there that there's bands out there that different people hate."

You can see Hoggard, guitarist Dave Rosin, bassist Tommy Mac and drummer Chris Crippin here:

March 22 Penticton, BC @ South Okanagan Events Centre w/ Faber Drive, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
March 23 Victoria, BC @ Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre w/ Faber Drive, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
March 25 Prince George, BC @ CN Centre w/ Faber Drive, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
March 26 Dawson Creek, BC @ EnCana Events Centre w/ Faber Drive, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
March 28 Calgary, AB @ Stampede Corral w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
March 29 Edmonton, AB @ Shaw Conference Centre w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
March 30 Regina, SK @ Brandt Centre w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
March 31 Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 3 Kitchener, ON @ Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 4 London, ON @ John Labatt Centre w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 5 Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 8 Kingston, ON @ K-Rock Centre w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 9 Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Civic Centre w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 10 Quebec City, QC @ Pavillion De La Jeunesse w/ Boys Like Girls, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 12 Sudbury, ON @ Sudbury Arena w/ Faber Drive, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 15 Moncton, NB @ Moncton Coliseum Arena w/ Faber Drive, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 16 Halifax, NS @ Halifax Metro Centre w/ Faber Drive, Stereos and Fefe Dobson
April 20 St. John's, NL @ Mile One Stadium w/ Faber Drive, Stereos and Fefe Dobson