The Sheepdogs
From left to right:
Sam Corbett, 33 y/o, drums
Evan Carrey, 32 y/o, vocals, guitar
Ryan Gallen, 32 y/o, bass guitar
Shamus Carrie, 28 y/o, synthesizer
Jimmy Bowskill, 26 y/o, guitar, slide guitar
About Astana and visit to Kazakhstan
Evan. The Canadian Embassy in Kazakhstan considered that we could represent Canadian music, so they decided to invite us to this event. Our group was formed in the city of Saskatoon, which, probably, is the most Canadian city. When we were offered to come here, we were a little shocked at how far we would have to fly. At first, we had some doubts about the trip. However, in the end we all liked the idea of performing here. By the way, Ryan's father is to a certain extent connected with Kazakhstan.
Ryan. Yes, he once worked near Almaty. There he was engaged in the extraction of uranium. He came from a small town, so distant Kazakhstan made a huge impression on him. He told me that in one of the bars in Almaty he even heard a song from our album. Therefore, when he found out about our trip, he was delighted.
Evan. Moreover, I heard several times that hockey players from Kazakhstan came to Canada several times for matches.
When we looked at the map, we realized that Kazakhstan is literally on the other side of the planet
Sam. For us, this trip is special, because for the first time we came to a country that we know nothing about it. Yes, we have been to the States and Europe several times. However, this time the emotions from the country are much brighter. This is the most remote place from Canada that we had chance to visit.
Shamus. I have noticed that the local nature is very similar to the Canadian one. There are also many steppes and plains here, so for a moment I even felt like home.
Evan. At breakfast in the hotel, we were served with several national dishes. Most of all we liked horsemeat, least of all — kumis.
In the upcoming days, we are going to get to know life here, try more local food, get acquainted with interesting people. We were promised to show a local pub called O'Hara. They say we will like it. Moreover, we are going to go to the reserve to look at the flamingos.
About music
Evan. Our creativity is inspired by the music of the 60s and 70s, rock'n'roll, soul, blues, country, r'n'b. We grew up in the time when hip-hop and dance music was popular among the masses. Instead, we listened to Led Zeppelin. Our audience consists of people of almost all ages. We do not play in order to earn money. First of all, for us, playing rock is fun and enjoyment of this affair.
Ryan. Sometimes we see how children come to our concerts with their parents, and it shows that in this family, parents wanted to raise their children's love for the music of their youth.
Evan.
Most of all we inspired by the group — The Beatles.
They were not hung up on one genre. Band collected all the things that they loved together and created great things.
Shamus. Most of all we like to try to discover the little-known and unique groups and inspire ourselves with what they do.
About performance on the Day of the Canadian hockey
Sam. We deliberately did not select songs for the show in Astana. We have many years of experience in public speeches, for the people that has no idea who is in front of them. This is a good experience, because you are always determined to keep the attention of the audience with your songs.
Evan. We will play songs that sound interesting, use different instruments and have a catchy rhythm. Also on our shows, we try not to play a few ballads in a row, because the crowd needs to be kept charged constantly.
Jimmy. Another rule is that there are no shorts and sandals on the stage, only jeans and shoes. In fact, the most important thing is to feel the crowd and get into the general mood.
