MELANIE LIPINSKI
Arts Writer

The last time Vancouver-based indie rockers Mother Mother visited Saskatoon, the crowd at Louis’ gave them a warm welcome. 

“Saskatoon just took the cake for raucous energy,” said Ryan Guldemond, Mother Mother’s lead guitarist and front man. “That was a crazy show.”Â Â 

Needless to say, the band is eager to return to the prairies. 

“Saskatoon is a favourite. We have lots of very meaningful musical experiences in Saskatoon.”Â 

The band’s next appearance in Saskatoon takes place Nov. 19 at TCU Place, as the opening act for Matthew Good. It promises to offer something Mother Mother audiences have never seen before, the band performing in a larger, more formal setting.  

While the TCU show will be a far cry from the raucous environment of Louis’, Mother Mother is anticipating a musical experience that is no less valuable. 

As a band, Gouldemond said the change in venue style offers an opportunity to grow musically. 

“You feel like there’s a big microscope on you, which can push you. It makes you a better performer, a better band.”Â 

And theatres and auditoriums offer other benefits too. 

“It’s nice to be in rooms that are built for the purpose of acoustics. As a band, as musicians, that can be seen as ideal.”

Although there will be less shrieking, jumping and flailing, such as this reporter enjoyed during the band’s last visit, the calmer, more civilized venue offers a unique experience for the audience as well.  

“It’s a different experience. You get to sit down and you get to see the music from a different vantage point. You really get to watch the nuances unfold. In a bar, when its loud and crowded you miss out on a lot of the subtleties.”

As an opening act for another artist during this tour, Mother Mother is facing the challenge of coming up against audiences that may not be familiar with their music. Gouldemond recounted that after the band’s first show of the tour in Abbotsford, B.C., “we got heckled like the second we got on stage.”Â 

“That’s the whole premise of this tour: to go out and expand on something that we are trying to build.”
-Ryan Guldemond

Although performing to unfamiliar audiences may be a challenge, the band is seeing this tour as an opportunity to gain new fans. 

“It’s a plus,” said Gouldemond, “That’s the whole premise of this tour: to go out and expand on something that we are trying to build.”

Mother Mother has been pursuing that goal with determination since the release of their sophomore album O My Heart in September of last year. After a year of performing these songs, Gouldemond says, there is still much for the band explore within them. 

“A song is meant to be ever expanding, ever in flux,” he said. “To deem it complete just because it’s been written and recorded is negligent of its natural tendencies.  It wants to move in different directions and playing it night after night is a good way to explore that.”Â 

Having a new audience every night, as well as performing to crowds who may not be familiar with the album also helps keep things fresh. 

“You get to experience these songs through your audience. Without them it might grow to be stale. It’s because of them that it remains exciting.”Â