THUNDER BAY — For Trevor Hurst, founding member of the 90s rock band Econoline Crush, dealing with grief through music has been a cathartic experience, and when shared with others on stage, it becomes something beautiful.
“Once you release it to the world, it’s kind of no longer your stuff,” Hurst said. “People will interpret a song a different way. I don’t think anyone else’s interpretation of your music can be completely wrong because it is their interpretation, for a lack of a better word, art. That is the beautiful thing.”
Last month, Econoline Crush released its fifth studio album, When the Devil Drives, its first release in more than 10 years. Hurst explained that the recording and production of the album came at a very difficult time.
Prior to making the album, Hurst lost his parents and just as the recording and mixing was completed, the band was shocked to learn of the passing of guitarist David ‘Ziggy’ Sigmund.
Hurst wrote an additional song for the record — Locked in Your Stone — as a way of processing Sigmund’s death.
“It was the only way I knew how to deal with that grief. I didn’t know where else to put it,” he said. “If I can get it down honestly and authentically, over time it dulls the sharpness of the blade. It takes away a little bit of the pain as you sing it. And it’s cathartic when you are singing it. You are taken back to that moment as you are singing but you are able to process it.”
And while Hurst said When the Devil Drives does deal with some dark or negative experiences, he believes that it can still offer a sense of optimism.
“The strangest thing you can say, but it’s kind of true, is that adversity is a gift,” he said. “When you are given a very tough situation, it gives you an opportunity to triumph over it and let that new strength you gain from that get you to another level.”
Over the course of his music career with Econoline Crush, Hurst said he has received a lot of gifts of adversity.
Econoline Crush was formed in Vancouver in 1992 and gained a following with hits like You Don’t Know What It’s Like, All That You Are, and Dirty. Its second release in 1997, The Devil You Know, earned two Juno nominations.
When the Devil Drives marks the first studio album release by Econoline Crush since Ignite in 2008.
“Every time we go into make a record, I always want to beat the previous recording and to be as good as it can,” Hurst said. “I always want it to be a reflection of the current times we live in and the current issues I am personally, and society, is going through. I think that is the job of an artist, to hold a mirror up to society.”
But fans of Econoline Crush’s sound going back to the 90s will recognize their unique mix of melodies of the 80s and the harder sound of grunge and Hurst said the latest release builds on what the band did on The Devil You Know.
“There is an aesthetic that comes with Econoline Crush,” he said. “It has always been to take a really good idea in the world of rock with melody and innovative sounds and using any and all kinds of instrumentation and bring about the emotion we are trying to convey.”
The writing of When the Devil Drives also came after Hurst returned to school to earn his bachelor’s degree in psychiatric nursing and he began working in Canupawakpa Dakota Nation in Manitoba.
Part of his experiences are the subject of a documentary film, Flatlander, which is currently seeking a broadcaster for distribution.
Hurst said at first he did not tell anyone he was a musician, but when the elders in the community learned of his other profession, they helped reignite his passion for the art.
“Some of the elders pulled me aside and said when the creators give you a gift, you should not snub the creator, it’s not good, it’s not proper,” he said. “When you talk about your music now with us, there is a light that appears, like you are excited about it.”
“It’s just a great relationship that I have that led me to music and I will always be grateful for them giving me my life back.”
Econoline Crush has been playing shows across the country over the last few months and are returning to Thunder Bay on Friday to play eVents.
“We very much like to be as authentic as possible and as real as possible,” Hurst said of the live shows. “So it’s a real energetic show and it’s a full on rock show. We go as hard as we can every night. It’s just the only way we know how to perform.”
Joining Econoline Crush at eVents is The Fixer. Doors open at 8 p.m. and general admission is $25 for 19 plus.
