If he doesn't help create it Mud pits Dallas Green plays guitar in the hardcore band Alexisonfire and shows his tender and melancholic side in City and Color, a more intimate folk project that has reached a scale he could never have imagined.
“When I started writing and recording songs under that name, I didn't expect that twenty years later I would be doing an arena tour and that people would love it just as much,” admits the Ontario singer-songwriter, who previously with Le Journal entertained concerts in Laval and Quebec, which take place in amphitheaters.
These performances in Quebec are two legs of a cross-Canadian journey in which he will present the songs from his latest album “The Love Still Held Me Near” to the public in places usually reserved for show business celebrities.
“I'm a little shocked, but I'm still willing to play for anyone who's willing to listen. I'm comfortable with this situation because I never made concessions to get there. I write the same as before. I am an independent artist. I don't write songs to be popular or play on the radio. I do it my way and I’m proud of it.”
Choosing authenticity triggers emotional reactions. Every evening, he says, he sees people crying. “I feel privileged to be able to create a space where people feel free to be vulnerable and experience their emotions during performances.”
A sequel with pink
Even a pop music idol like Pink appreciates his music, so the two artists formed the folk duo You+Me in October 2014 and released the album Rose Ave. published.
Ten years later, a reunification project is in the air.
“In the last few years we recorded a few songs for a second album, but our schedules were pretty crazy and there was the pandemic. You just have to find time to finish it. I hope it works this year,” says Dallas Green.
Incredible adventure in Quebec
In addition, in Quebec, Dallas Green will reconnect with a city where he experienced moments of ecstasy on stage with Alexisonfire. In July 2022, the group opened Rage Against The Machine at the Plains of Abraham.
Four years earlier, Alexisonfire had been asked to replace Avenged Sevenfold in the same position at short notice and at the last minute.
Dallas Green has vivid memories of this incredible adventure.
“Our team was touring with other artists because we were on a break. I remember my manager calling me and telling me that we were supposed to be headlining the summer festival. I replied, “We can’t do that, we don’t have anyone.”
He didn't give up. “I told him if we could get Stompy, our lighting designer, we might be able to find a solution.”
Finally the miracle happened and two days later Alexisonfire saved the evening at FEQ. “We turned the place upside down,” he remembers happily.
- City and color in concert: February 22nd at Place Bell in Laval, February 24th at the Videotron Center in Quebec