Ottawa to welcome legendary Canadian rockers, Rough Trade

ABOVE: Church of Trees and Rough Trade will be at the Bronson Centre on April 27. (PHOTO: Church of Trees by Karen Bisson) 

High School Confidential, All Touch/No Contact, For Those Who Think Young, Avoid Freud . . . These are monuments in Canada’s rich rock and roll history. Breaking taboos in the late seventies/early eighties, Rough Trade titillated us with their graphic homoerotic lyrics and philosophical interrogations.

Carole Pope and Kevan Staples, the award-winning duo and Canadian-Songwriters-Hall-of-Famers, known as Rough Trade, are coming to the Bronson Centre in Ottawa to perform their timeless hits. For those who lived during these defining times, your chance to relive the glory of your teenage angst is coming up on Wednesday, April 27.

For anyone who missed the opportunity to ever see them, now’s your chance! Get your leathers out and dress for the occasion; this will be a visual and aural experience. (A sock puppet may also be involved!)

The good news is that Ottawa’s own Church of Trees is opening for the iconic band. Get there early for the full experience. Tickets are available online: https://bronsoncentremusictheatre.com/events/event/rough-trade/

Ottawa Life caught up with Carole Pope, the lead singer and co-writer of Rough Trade, and Bernard Frazer of Ottawa’s Church of Trees.

OttawaLife:  Last time we all spoke was in January 2021, the world was still in lockdown, but the two of you worked together and recorded a single. Tell me how this connection came about.

Bernard Frazer: Both Carole and I were working on our own projects with a mutual colleague, Rob Preuss (Spoons). Knowing that I am a huge fan of Carole’s, Rob suggested I write a song that would suit her style. I was nervous about it, but I took the leap and did it. Carole took a listen, liked it, and agreed to record it with me. It was a real milestone in my musical journey. I was really stoked to work with Carole. The single is called World’s a Bitch. It was released during the pandemic and really expressed our collective frustration with the virus, the lockdowns, and the lack of human contact.

Carole Pope: Yes, we recorded the song in Toronto and released it shortly after. Just recently, Rough Trade got booked for Ottawa, so I thought, hey, I’ll ask Bernard if he’d like to open for us. At first, he said he wasn’t ready, but within 12 hours, he put a band together and accepted the offer.

OttawaLife: Carole, as you mentioned last year, you focused your energies on creative projects during the pandemic. Will any new material be featured on this tour?

Carole Pope: Oh no, this show is all Rough Trade music. Actually, it’s the soundtrack to what will be a musical called Rough Trade. This is the musical I’ve been working on in memory of my brother, Howard Pope, who was an amazing artist, a rock God. His career and life got cut short by the AIDS epidemic in 1996. Howard was part of an advocacy group that fought to raise awareness and get AIDS drugs to those who needed them. I want to honour his memory and that of all his creative peers we lost during that era of heightened creativity. It was such a great time for the arts in New York City and Toronto. Our Rough Trade shows were a combination of music, dance, fashion, and theatrics. I want to bring that back and relive that era of abundance.

I know our lyrics shocked a lot of people back then, but they came from an honest place. We never tried to be anything other than our true selves. Ultimately, the fans could sense this. We were saying out loud what they were thinking or feeling. Kevan and I haven’t played together since 2016, and we’re both busy doing our own thing and working on various projects. But when we get back on stage together, it’s like no time has passed, and we connect as we always did.

OttawaLife: How will you prepare for this show since you and Kevan don’t play together very often?

Carole Pope: It’s stressful but such a fun thing to do. A friend asked if we could play the El-Mocambo as part of the 80s bands he’s been featuring. Kevan and I were both available, so we agreed to it. I just need to refresh the lyrics in my head. I’ve performed some solo gigs recently, so I’m ready. I’ve been keeping busy; never a dull moment. My latest single is Speaking in Code, and it’s with Clara Venice, a Theremin player slash Unicorn. She looks like a Japanese Anime character. Look her up; she’s fabulous.

OttawaLife: I feel that Ottawa is privileged to be included as a stop this month with a sold-out show at Toronto’s El-Mocambo.

Carole Pope: Yes, it’s only two shows: Toronto and Ottawa. Since this is a Rough Trade show, the visuals and the theatrics are as important as the music itself. To be honest, at the moment, I’m still not sure what I’m going to wear [she laughs]. For sure, it won’t be leather! I’ve done it already, and it’s way too hot on stage. I realize people are coming to see the music, the show, the antics. Kevan and I are looking forward to putting on this show for you.

Kevin Hearns from the Bare Naked Ladies will be joining us on keyboards. The band also includes Andrew Lamarche on drums – he’s from Ottawa; Tim Welch on guitar, whom I’ve worked with for years; and Mike Borkosky on bass.

OttawaLife: I really admire your energy and wonder what keeps you energized. What is your secret to longevity? 

Carole Pope: Hey, I’m just doing what I love. I love to write and perform, and I guess that’s what keeps me motivated. Performing live and writing makes me feel young and gives me life. I’m excited and motivated by the musical as well. I saw David Byrne’s American Utopia and loved it – it really inspired me. You know the fans love Broadway shows and return to see them over and over. I hope Rough Trade, The Musical will have that same effect.

We’re in the process of work-shopping the musical, and I hope to bring it to Canada sometime next year. It’s a huge feat and gets very expensive, so there’s a lot of work to be done at the outset. We are inviting producers and people in the industry to the workshop – first in NYC and then in Toronto.

OttawaLife: Do you ever feel the pressure of creating art and putting it out there in the world? 

Carole Pope: Nah. I’m always tweaking songs and working with other writers to improve the material. There’s a process to it. I’m inspired by making art. Ultimately, I’m gonna say what you’re thinking – I’m going to put it out there for the fans.

OttawaLife: So, Bernard, this is a great opportunity for an Ottawa band to open for these iconic Canadian legends. 

Bernard:  We are excited, nervous, and hugely honoured. It’s a big opportunity for our little Ottawa band to open for Rough Trade. But we have a great line-up: Stella Panacci will be on vocals along with the inimitable DeeDee Butters from the Peptides, and Kevin nHell, formerly of Destroy Clocks, will be on guitar. I’m on keyboards, of course. DeeDee will perform the songs she worked on with Church of Trees, such as, Like Gary Numan.

OttawaLife: Carole, this leads me to wonder if you have the desire to mentor emerging bands. 

Carole Pope: Well, I don’t think Church of Trees needs to be mentored. But yes, I did something at U of T a few years ago where pros sat with songwriters to help them work on material and offer constructive criticism. But for sure, if I like a band, I will totally support them. Church of Trees is amazing, and so is Clara Venice. And there’s a lot of stuff I hate [haha]. Too much rehashing and auto-tuning. But hey, I like Billie Eilish.

OttawaLife: Tell us a cool story from your days on the road, way back when. 

Carole Pope:  We opened up for David Bowie in Toronto in 1983. That was cool. He watched us from side stage, and then we watched him. He was funny and loved to gossip. So he would chat with me and giggle about stuff going on. We talked about me and Dusty Springfield, whom I was dating at the time. Then we hugged, and he was so sweet. Those were fun times.

Rough Trade appears at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 27.

Tickets available online: https://bronsoncentremusictheatre.com/events/event/rough-trade/