Interview: Spirit Trail

Jarod Smith

Mar 30, 2022

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Nothing got us into music, music got us into it. We really didn’t choose this life!
If we weren’t making music today… we’d be looking for the wormhole back to this dimension.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

We like to travel, hit the road and explore new places. There’s always something once you’re out in the world that will influence creativity. You’ve got to live life to have something to write about.

How long has your band been around?

We’ve been a duo since May 2019, when we met.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We’re based out of Thompson, Manitoba mostly, but we’ve down in Windsor, Ontario recording.

Northern Manitoba influences our writing so much. Being in Windsor, with its crazy music history, has done a certain something for us too. We have our feet in both worlds.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

We were originally called “Dusty Roads” and right before we were set to release our debut song, our manager/producer John told us there was another Canadian act called Dusty Roads. That name was naturally given to me when I worked as a waitress in Saskatoon; old folks would ask me for my name and when I said “Destiny Rose”, they always replied “Dusty Roads?”. Somewhere in the brainstorming for another name the words “Spirit Trail” just came to me. It means a path of higher consciousness, a spiritual path forward, the road we’re all on, and the road we will all ride into the next world as well.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

We haven’t done any real shows yet, but one livestream we did last Summer sticks out.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

We’re coming for Massey Hall and Newport Folk Festival!

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Donovan, Neil Young, Randy Bachman, Willie Nelson, Tami Neilson, Sam Roberts Band.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

To anyone starting out writing songs and playing in a band… stick it out. If you wanna do it, you really gotta go through the hard times. It’s not an easy road, but nothing good ever comes easy. You just gotta believe in yourself and the gift of music. Put in that time with your instrument, with your words, with your mind, with your heart. It’s a life’s work.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

Always record, always record, always record.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

“Indian Time” means the most to us. It was the first song we recorded and one of the first ones we wrote together. It is part of our love story and message to the world.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

“Indian Time” is definitely our favourite to play and gets requested the most for livestreams.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

A song will just flow up like Old Faithful from either of us. We will both sit down and work out the chords, melody and lyrics. Sometimes we write our own songs.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Our messages are social and environmental justice, peace, love and rock and roll.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Being a couple, we sometimes have disagreements so that can definitely get in the way of our band. But generally, our musical disagreements are always very minor and only serve for the betterment of the song.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

Our plans for the future are to keep making music and shake things up. We’re working on recording our debut EP at the moment and it should be released later this year.