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Laying down the tracks

Chad Oliver and Ian Cameron (finally) release their first EP
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For someone who writes modern country and bluegrass songs, Chad Oliver doesn't quite fit the stereotype. He finishes his words ending in "ing" with the actual "g" sound, and in an entire 20-minute interview didn't say "shucks" or "hoowee" even once.

But it's hardly surprising to find that the man behind the music is a wordly, articulate artist. He likes all types of music, and in his career as a musician he's written and played everything from hard rock to '80s tunes to electronica. It's just that when he sits and writes songs with partner Ian Cameron, it's modern country, sometimes with a touch of bluegrass that comes out.

It's a sound he came by honestly, writing and playing in Nashville, Tennessee, a.k.a. Music City USA where even blues music is a little bit country. It's also the genre he has the most fun with, both as a musician and as a writer.

"They're great songs, great choruses and great melodies," he said.

"I would encourage anyone who wants to be a professional musician or writer to take a trip to (Nashville) one day, and to walk along music row. From three in the afternoon to three in the morning every club has an amazing band just ripping it up — and they're playing for free, for tips and the chance to network. It was a real eye-opening experience."

And the crowds love it.

Oliver and Cameron collaborate as Ruckus Deluxe, regulars to the local scene and especially the Dubh Linn Gate Pub. They're also locally known for their original song "Top of the World," which was named Whistler's official anthem after a contest held by the Whistler Museum and Mountain FM.

In between cover songs, Ruckus Deluxe started to sneak in a few of their own tunes and after every show it was inevitable that someone would approach them and ask if they have a CD or a Facebook page or some way to get a hold of their music, but all they could do was shrug. It didn't take long to figure out that they were missing an opportunity by not recording their songs.

"It got to the point where it would be foolish if we didn't do something," said Oliver. "A lot of it has to do with the ridiculousness of how good Ian is as a player. People see him live and they can't believe he's shredding on every instrument he's shredding on. It's like you could give him two pencils and a rubber band and he'd make that sound like Van Halen."

And so the recording process began in earnest. Both musicians had home studios and a collection of instruments, and by the sound of their songs — you can hear them at www.ruckusdeluxe.com — they have a professional touch as well.

In the past nine months since they started writing together they've penned about 30 songs, although only seven have been professionally recorded in their home studios to date. Those songs are on their new EP, which will be available at their shows and online through their website.

Oliver is happy how it turned out. "Ian and I had been writing and in the business for a long time, so we took it day by day and it turned into something that's kind of exciting. It's awesome when you have no expectations and it turns into something."

The writing continues, and for the next while Oliver and Cameron are going to do an experiment and release a few songs at a time instead of working on an album.

"We just put ideas back and forth and if one catches fire then we'll go with that," said Oliver. "A lot of bands will write an album worth of songs and book time in a studio, and they'll go and hammer out an album in 12 hours and it is what it is, while by doing it this way and releasing a song at a time we can really take our time and pick and choose."

Lyrically, the goal was not to take anything too seriously or overthink things too much.

"Lots of songs are about picking up girls in bars or drinking too much — stupid things, but one of the goals of this project wasn't to overthink it. We just write what comes out and have fun with it. One of the great things about country music in the modern sense is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Some people have trouble with that because they've grown up with singer-songwriters where everything is very earnest — and it's amazing, and I wish I could write songs like Bono and U2, but sometimes it's a relief to keep it simple because then the song is just what it is and then you can move onto the next one.

"In a way it's better for us, it's very liberating. If those guys (U2) wanted to write a silly song and release it, their fans would be, 'what's this? C'mon Bono, we want to hear about Afghanistan.'"

While the local scene is flush with cover bands of all descriptions — and covers are still a big part of what Ruckus Deluxe do, even if they always bring their own musical interpretations to them — Oliver has no problem with that, despite all his work to produce original songs. People whoare skiing all day want to party and hear familiar songs, he says, and bar owners want their guests to be happy.

"I think that if the Foo Fighters came to play at a bar here, I imagine they'd get asked to play 'Brown Eyed Girl,'" laughed Oliver.

"I remember years ago... someone I knew from a label was bringing in a new band. It was a showcase for Warner Music, and Billy Talent was going to play the Telus festival. Now they're huge stars for doing all the same thing they were doing then, but back then they came on stage and everybody left. I saw Guns 'n Roses open for The Cult once, getting booed off stage — and nine months later Appetite for Destruction came out, with all the same songs.

"It's always fun to play songs that you wrote, but I see the need to balance things up there. We still play a lot of covers and take some joy from the fact that we don't play the songs the way they're written, and we do mash-ups and have a bit of fun with it once we have the attention of the crowd. If they're a good crowd then they're more than happy to receive a few originals.

"The real fun is when people don't even know you're playing an original, and ask you who it's by."