By Divine Right has been one of the most inspiring bands to come from Toronto Canada, & a personal favourite listen also.. Recently signed to Linus Entertainment, they have been bustin the scene for ten years. We Interviewed The Dill ( Bass Player) & Colleen Hixenbaugh - Guitar/keys/flute/vocals ,To catch up where we last left off.

INDIERAGE : What is your home town music scene like right now ?
DILL : PRETTY COOL. ENOUGH VENUES, A COHERENT BUT LACKLUSTER FAN BASE THAT SOMETIMES FIND IT HARD TO BOOGEY, WHAT CAN I SAY, WHEN I AM ON AN AMP AND 2 PEOPLE IN THE CROWD ARE FREAKING OUT WITH ME, I MUST SAY I'M MIFFED.

INDIERAGE : How often does the band rehearse ?
DILL : 2 TIMES A WEEK AVERAGE.

INDIERAGE : What seems to be your most popular song ? The song most requested live ?
COLLEEN :Soul Explosion is rocking the airwaves on radio and video channels and live it rocks too! The song most requested live ? Thats a toughy cause BDR has a big catalog of songs but more recently I'd say Stella Heart Ocean from the cd Good Morning Beautiful (or maybe 5 Bucks from album Bless This Mess)

INDIERAGE : Do you guys work day jobs or is this your main focus right now ?
COLLEEN : Yes and no, no and yes, I think for all of us BDR is the priority. When we are home we all tend to go back to our day jobs, i dont really have a day job but i am a workoholic and take work as it comes, yes we work, and have rent and bills and the normal grind of living hanging over our heads, its difficult sometimes but finding a balance is key.

INDIERAGE : Has anything come about from out side Canada ?
DILL : AUSTRALIA, USA, AND A LITTLE BIT OF EUROPE IS NOW BEING TURNED ON.
COLLEEN : Deffinately! Austrailia loved us and we hope to get back this fall. We've got a release in Europe but havent toured there yet. There are some areas in the states that we do well and draw a good crowd but I'd say Canada treats us the best, maybe because its the area we've toured the most. I'm pretty confident wherever we go we will have a good response, good vibes, etc...
6. If there is 1 thing you want your fans to know about you, what is it ? I'm a big dreamer and so far they've all come true!!

INDIERAGE : If there is 1 thing you want your fans to know about you, what is it ?
DILL : PERSONALLY? THAT I BOWL THROUGH MY LEGS AND I EAT PITA AND HUMMUS EVERYWEEK.
COLLEEN : I'm a big dreamer and so far they've all come true!! DREAM BIG AND DO!!!!!

INDIERAGE : What seems to be the bands biggest disagreement ?
DILL : WHETHER OR NOT TO RENT A JAM SPACE.
COLLEN : our unsyncopated watches!!!!

INDIERAGE : What is the one thing the whole band always agrees on ?
DILL : Rockin
COLLEEN : gin on the rider.

INDIERAGE : We know the radio & TV dictates what the average Joe listens to, but what are your personal favourite listens ? Please be honest.
DILL : WHAT IS POPULAR OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT MEAN WHATS GOOD. WHAT IS OUT ON T.V. AND RADIO @ THE MOMENT THAT I DIG, GEEZ,BODEGA, SAM ROBERTS, HIVES, WHITE STRIPES. THOSE ARE THE VIDEOS I'VE SEEN LATELY (jULY02) AND DUG, AS FOR RADIO, I ONLY LISTEN TO COLLEGE RADIO/AND A.M.
COLLEEN : Changes a lot but consisently its Ron Sexsmith, Guided By Voices, Ricki Lee Jones, Mink Lungs (Brooklyn), Elf Power (Athens, GA), Neil Halstead (mojave 3) and of course the Beatles.

INDIERAGE : Do any of the members have any other jobs that are music related ?
COLLEEN : We all record our own little ditties and i'd definatley go to all members of my band for recording and production help on any solo stuff im into, we all play with other people.
I've been hired to drive bands (Blue Rodeo), managed bands (The Brothers Creeggan), worked as an assistant (Rosanne Cash) rock nannied (Rosanne Cash, David Byrne, John Cale to name a few), wrote for a music magzine in university but that was about 13 years ago....music work has been my road the past decade and then some

INDIERAGE : What is the biggest sham you ever recieved by the music industry ? Anything that can help warn other bands.
DILL : BATTLE OF THE BANDS. DON'T DO IT! EVEN IF ITS THE ONLY SHOW IN TOWN. RATHER SPEND THE MONEY ON A FLYER CAMPAIGN, TAKE AN ADD IN THE LOCAL PAPER, MAKE A CD AND THEN HAVE A HUGE FREE SHOW(S). THAT IS EXPOSURE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
COLLEEN : I had a really bad experience working out a deal with MTV for some photos used in a Behind the Music segment. Because I'm not a big shot and dont have a lawyer i got screwed royally and was not compensated fairly for my work! Really sucked, bummed me out then I let it go, learned a good lesson and won't let it happen again!! We also got robbed - NEVER LEAVE GEAR IN THE VAN NO MATTER WHAT!!

INDIERAGE : Who does your booking & how do you get shows ?
COLLEEN : We have a great agent over at The Agency Group, if you can hook up with an agent it helps a lot but we all in the band work any contacts and leads we have too, again what you put into it is what you get out of it so go get gigs!!!

INDIERAGE : What has been the most rewarding part of being in this band ?
DILL : SEEING THE WORLD. HAVING FUN. MAKING FRIENDS. LEARNING CANADA. COLLEEN : The family that we have become! True love!!

INDIERAGE : Any advice for young bands who want to get their music heard by A&R reps ?
DILL : : SEND IT TO THEM. TALK TO THEM. SEE WHAT THEY ARE AFTER. OR START OFF SMALL AND THEY WILL COME TO YOU IF YOU BANG IS LOUD, OR QUIET ENOUGH.

INDIERAGE : From your experiance, what seems to be the least beneficial way (of getting your music heard)but every band seems to do ?
DILL : BRING IT TO A MAJOR LABEL. THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE AFTER. DON'T WASTE YOURS AND THERE TIME, UNLESS YOU KNOW IT!
COLLEEN : Skip the mailouts, too costly! Only send stuff if you have established a connection and you know someone is gonna hear it and you can make a follow-up call to get some response. Book smart shows and get a good publicist! The press is a one shot deal so be ready and when ready hit hard!!
Mailing out a ton of promos i think this is just a waste of money, doesnt work! exec's are too busy to lend an ear to a cd that comes from ??? and ends up piling up with the others.

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