Polarization is something that keeps things interesting, keeps you on your toes – no one knows this better than Wil Mimnaugh (WiL).
He spent 30 years in Calgary, choosing to retreat to what he described as his “box in the woods” in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island eight years ago with wife Caroline.
“I watched it grow and it turned into a big, fast, crazy thing all of a sudden,” said WiL on the phone from the Island, prepping to go out on a Western Canadian tour. “Progression is always good, but we realized we wanted to go home to peace and quiet.”
The characteristic of tranquility that WiL associates with his new hometown is not something that has become associated with his stage show – adding another layer of paradox to WiL as an artist.
He is known for his delicate beautiful songs, but live, WiL destroys the stage with the attitude and vigor of a Henry Rollins or a Johnny Rotten.
“I don’t hold back. I’m very loud. I’m very hard hitting. I’m just this thing that happens. I love performing and I love the dynamic of it,” said WiL.
He compared it to tickling someone’s arm and then kicking them with a boot –a sort of shellshock.
“I heard along time ago on the radio that a rose is only beautiful because it dies and that’s a massive range. That’s life,” he said. “Those extremes are pretty extreme and I love performing that way.”
A lot of it could have to do with WiL’s influences growing up. He described being immersed in music living in the south Calgary community of Midnapore listening to punk music like SNFU and the Dead Kennedys.
He talked about when he first started out putting overdrive pedals on acoustic guitars that were too loud, playing out of tune – but not caring and going for it.
As he became a better and more experienced musician, honing his craft and learning – WiL said couldn’t squash that passion.
“People are seeing you for who you really are and that becomes a little more endearing sometimes,” he said.
Travel Alberta certainly found WiL’s music endearing, enough to use a number of his songs for its recent advertising campaigns, including ‘Here We Go’, ‘There Is and Roam’. The Calgary Stampede commissioned him to write ‘Ride’, the official theme song for its 100th anniversary.
WiL said writing them involved reflection and fondness, because he had so many good friends and family in Alberta. It was also easy for him to write for the films because he had been everywhere the film depicted, from the Rocky Mountains to Bragg Creek.
And his songs aren’t just fast-food jingles, according to WiL – they are songs he is really proud of and made it onto albums – ‘Roam’ and ‘There Is’ having made it onto his upcoming Sept. 30 release El Paseo, being released on Cordova Bay Records.
WiL said he entered Poplar Sound Studio located just 20 minutes from his house with engineer and owner Jayme Langen, who had met when he was mixing one of his shows.
He explained that at 44 years old he is now able to know when to let a song go and stop trying to polish it – something he said really helped with this record.
“I figured out how to pull Band-Aids off a while ago,” said WiL. “I can consider myself a good singer, songwriter and musician, I now can wear those hats because I have the ability to invest a bunch of time and effort into something and learn how to throw it away because it is not worth polishing anymore.”
WiL be playing at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House Oct. 3. For more information visit ibreakstrings.com.
