Jay Ferguson of Sloan

Sloan is one of the most consistently great and longest lasting power pop bands around. Of the four guys who founded Sloan — Jay Ferguson (guitar and vocals), Patrick Pentland (guitar and vocals), Chris Murphy (bass and vocals), and Andrew Scott (drums and vocals) — I got Jay (he’s the one in the hat) to talk to me about the band a little, in promotion for the new album, 12.

How often do the four of you meet to discuss music?

Jay: I would say that never occurs. We got together at our rehearsal space to play each other our individual home demos to see what people had been working on, or perhaps look for enthusiasm one way or another for particular songs to pursue.

Has the songwriting process changed a lot since you started as a band? Was it always so democratic?

Jay: Not so much. Before Sloan, we all played in different bands where we wrote or contributed songs and sang….so it made sense to continue on that path when Sloan started. Andrew doesn’t really sing lead on our first LP, Smeared, but he contributed by writing music to a couple songs. There’s an outtake of Andrew singing lead vocals on “Median Strip”, a song he wrote the music and lyrics for…but Chris ended up singing it on the LP. By our second album, Twice Removed, we all were taking turns singing lead on at least 2 songs.

Do you challenge each other? Can someone say, “We should do it this way”?

Jay: Sometimes someone might offer an option if someone is stuck on how to perform or record a track…but generally, it’s down to the songwriter on how the song should be done.

Does anyone have “veto power” when picking a song for the album?

Jay: I’m not sure what you mean. Some of us will take thoughts from other members but mostly, you get to choose your own tracks you’d like to pursue. Sometimes one is persuaded by others to pursue a track they like.

Were you inspired at all by Nirvana for “All of The Voices?”

Jay: Let me ask Patrick….he says he’s aware it sounds like Nirvana production-wise, but he wasn’t necessarily aiming for that…but wasn’t steering clear of it either.

Tell me your biggest musical influences.

Jay: Impossible to choose one. For me personally, I’d say I’m influenced by The Beatles (together & solo), The Smiths, The Velvet Underground, The Bee Gees, Nilsson…but I’m inspired by lots of stuff. There’s a bit of a Diana Ross solo nod on one of my songs on the new LP….but I’m only speaking for myself.

Is performing still vital to the band’s promotion, or is it looked at as just an opportunity to connect with your fans?

Jay: Both. It’s definitely an opportunity to connect with fans, but also it’s where we make our bread and butter. Once upon a time, equal income could be generated from record/CD/cassette sales, but in the musical climate over the past many years, touring generates the lion’s share of the income that keeps our business model running. 

Tell me the differences between your Canadian and American fans.

Jay: In Canada, depending on the city, we play to more people…and amongst those people, due to having had actual radio hits or being more well known, there’s a chance some folks may only know your big 5 or 6 songs. Of course there’s also still the big fans who know the deep album cuts etc. In the USA, because we never really had massive hits…the average Sloan fan is more likely have gotten into our band via LPs as opposed to radio play, so they may generally regard a popular song (i.e. “Everything You’ve Done Wrong”) with the same enthusiasm as an LP cut (ie. “Suppose They Close The Door”). That’s the primary difference I tend to see.

Any planned projects after this latest (12) album tour?

Jay: In 2012 and 2016, we created and toured behind box set reissue versions of our Twice Removed and One Chord To Another albums respectively. The next project after the 12 campaign will likely be a box set reissue of our 1998 Navy Blues album and a tour following where we’d play the entire LP front to back. That’s probably not until autumn 2019 at the earliest.

Thanks, Jay. We look forward to seeing you in concert soon!