Adrian Sutherland photo by Joey Senft
Adrian Sutherland Precious Diamonds Reflects on Grounding Elements In Life
Adrian Sutherland hails from the far north of Canada and is a member of Attawapiskat First Nation on James Bay. He’s had many years of experience writing and performing, but only started down the road of being a solo artist a few years ago. Working with Nashville-based Grammy-award-winning songwriter and producer Colin Linden on his 2021 album, When The Magic Hits, Sutherland had to devise ways to collaborate remotely, but for his recently released second album, Precious Diamonds, they were finally able to get together in-person.
Crafting a live sound became a rewarding part of the experience for Sutherland as well as introducing two songs onto the album that are sung in the Cree language and express Sutherland’s heritage in a very direct way. Precious Diamonds shares many aspects of Sutherland’s worldview as a songwriter, and also expresses the creative tensions between different parts of his personality as someone who spends time in remote regions with his family, but also shares his music with the world. I spoke with Adrian Sutherland about recording Precious Diamonds and how he brings the parts of his life together through music.
Americana Highways: When was it that you went down to Nashville to record with Colin [Linden] for these songs?
Adrian Sutherland: It was in May of 2023, so it’s been almost a year.
AH: Was there some work that went on after that period in terms of making additions and mixing it?
AS: Not too much work. The only thing that happened after the actual recording was that Colin had done some mixing a few days after I left. The mixing and mastering took place in about a week.
AH: That’s pretty fast!
AS: Yes, it is. Getting to listen to some of the mixes, including a rough mix and a final mix, didn’t have a lot of back and forth. With Colin, he’s very methodical about that stuff and is a very capable producer. He usually gets things right the first time around.
AH: It seems particularly helpful when the producer is also a musician. Colin played a lot on this album, but he also has a band.
AS: Absolutely. It helps to have someone who’s so used to being a producer and producing all his own music with his own band and solo stuff, as well as countless artists, and isable to wear those different hats. He can just as easily be a backup singer, guitars, bass, or you name it. He did triple duty by doing engineering work at the same time.
AH: Was deciding which songs would go on this album part of a conversation with Colin?
AS: That was both our decisions. I had written about 15 songs, and I sent 14 to him. Then we went through the songs on our own, then we told each other what our favorites were, then they were actually all the same! That made it very easy for us. We had a Facetime meeting when I was actually still out hunting at my cabin, in mid-May, with my family. We discussed which songs we wanted to work on and it was easy. Everyone who was involved in the album were all on the same page in terms of which songs they liked the most. But even the songs that didn’t make it on the album, they were great songs, too. They weren’t quite as worked as the other ones. We loved those other ones, too, but they needed more work, and we only had a certain amount of time.
AH: I know that you and Colin had been friends for some time, but do you think when you’re working with someone else on your music, you need to have a thick skin about what feedback they might give?
AS: I’ve worked with other producers, and with other producers, sometimes I’ve found it uncomfortable when they come in, and are critiquing the songs, or making changes to arrangements. I’ve been uncomfortable with that, but I’ve always gone with it and had to compromise. But with Colin, he does it in a way that doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable, and if there’s something he’d like to add or make adjustments to, I’m always happy to do it. Almost all the time, it’s making something simpler.
As an artist, you can often be trying to say too much when you’re writing a song. But Colin would say, “Hey, why don’t we cut this part out? Here’s what it would sound like.” Then it would be, “Wow! That’s ten times better than it was before!” He never shuts anything down, too. If I have an idea, he’s always willing to explore that idea. A lot of time, he’ll build that idea up to what I envisioned it to be, and he makes it better. That’s what I love about Colin, and he’s the kind of producer where I allow him to do what he does. I try not to get in the way of what he’s trying to do because he’s such a capable person in so many ways, and a great character, all around.
AH: It seems like the key thing these days is for artists and producers to actually get to know each other. If that doesn’t start things off, there’s more likely to be difficulties.
AS: Totally, I agree with you. To know each other, and how you approach recording and building songs really does help. I’ve even spent some time opening for Colin and his band.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=9Y68ljKx27A%3Fsi%3DX2ngz8tGLjvvmAkK
AH: I know that you also worked with Colin on your previous album, but that was remotely during the pandemic. Do you feel there are sound developments on Precious Diamonds compared to your previous work? Are there things you are particularly happy with?
AS: Yes, though both albums turned out great, for this one compared to the previous album that we worked on together, you can definitely hear the energy of the band playing, since we actually had the whole band in the room. There’s sort of an organic feeling to everything that you can hear. I noticed that, too, when we were tracking. I noticed that if I didn’t sing with a really strong emotion, there would be slightly different playing from the band. But if I really tried to lay it down every time with the vocals, even if it was just for tracking the band, it made a difference. Typically, we do vocals live. To me, it felt like the band would play more aggressively when I sang that way. It felt that way to me.
There’s definitely a difference in how the whole album feels. It’s polished, but you have that rustic kind of feel to it as well, which is who I am. I think that’s a big part of who I am. People polish me up because they want people to see me a certain way, as an artist, but I’m also not that person. I can be who I need to be, at times, but I’m also this guy who hunts to live, who lives in the bush, and has lived a very rough life. I’ve been in survival-mode for so long. You can kind of see both sides of me, and you can hear that, too, I hope.
AH: I feel like there are some points in the different songs where the energy build up is really intense, and I think that’s something that must have been possible because of you all playing live together. They could pick up on the vocal changes and really give that extra explosive quality to things.
AS: I noticed that about all the songs, really. Colin and the band were able to take that song, from start to finish, and get into a nice groove, and then really build that song up to the point that there was so much energy. Then it was just like riding that big wave right to the end of the song. I feel like every song on the album is like that. You feel that tension starting to build, about half way through, you’re starting to think “wow!” Then after you’ve heard the songs a few times, you’re waiting for those moments. Those guys really came in and blessed us with their talents.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=B7-I0qIFo6A%3Fsi%3DYLcD9M7SIu1sxOKB
AH: What you were saying about the different versions of yourself is really relatable. You say all this very well in the video for “Precious.” You all filmed that with several versions of yourself, all getting into the jeep, one by one. It seemed to me you were saying, “These are the different parts of my life, but they all have to come together for this music or it’s not going to work.”
AS: Yes, you’re right. All those different versions of me all blend together, seamlessly. Maybe I have to become a protector, a hunter, and that person, when I’m on the land with my family and kids. It’s like a different person that takes over. Because we’re talking about polar bears, because there’s a polar bear sleeping 500 yards from my tent. There’s a different thing that takes over. [Laughs] But you are the same person, it’s just that sometimes a different part of you is in the driver’s seat.
AH: By the way, I saw an Instagram post that you put up of a polar bear paw-print, and it was so giant! I can’t even imagine being close to that.
AS: I was out on the coast that particular summer, and there were a lot of bears out on the coast. That’s their hunting ground usually, hunting seals on the coast. We came across that set of tracks one day. That’s not even the biggest bear out there, but it was definitely a good-sized bear.
AH: Do you think that different parts of your personality, whoever’s in the driver’s seat, still contribute to your songwriting? It seems like being an observer all the time would play a part.
AS: Yes, I think when you’re a place that’s wild and untamed, you are more aware of everything around you. You’re more connected to the earth. Then, for me, I feel close to something bigger than us. I don’t feel afraid. Especially out there. It could be the connection to my ancestry, a connection to those who were there before us, but there are a number of different things. You’re observing a number of different things. You’re in tune with the weather, the birds, the trees. When you hear the trees start to creak, you know the wind is going to pick up. There are all these things to become in tune with.
AH: That seems like a better space to be in, mentally, than we find in a lot of modern settings. We spend a lot of our lives looking at social media, the news, or politicians, but that way of looking at the world seems more like a grounding thing.
AS: Yes, it’s more of a grounding thing. When you look at social media, and all these kinds of things that we uphold, even institutions, when you put everything aside, or peel everything back, and look at the world for what it really is, I guess you question things. You begin to see what’s most important. Right now, in my life, I’ve learned things now, in my late 40s, that I wish I had learned when I was younger. I would’ve spent more time with my loved ones and keeping good company. I think those are the most important things. I feel like the past 20 years have been the blink of an eye. I feel as if I’ve done a lot, but if I decided to live my life with my family for the rest of my days, I think I’d be happy. It took me a while to realize that.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=nvsJSA02Q00%3Fsi%3D5qQ8Hgul4QFVOLo0
AH: The song “My Rebel Spirit” also reminds me of this because it’s about a certain sense of distance, maybe a necessary one, from the rush of the world.
AS: I think because I have trouble with being around a large group of people, I have a hard time fitting in. I really like being alone, but not always. There are also times when I need people. We need each other. What I’m saying is that it’s been hard to fit in. I’ve been like that my whole life. I do make the effort to be in people’s faces when it comes to music because you have to kind of let them know that you’re there. I’ve always had a little bit of that rebellious spirit in me, too.
Is someone going to tell me, “You can’t do this,” or “You can’t do that,” or “You’re not good enough”? If they do that, I’m going to try to prove them wrong. [Laughs] That’s where that song comes from. If you’re one of those people who feels that it’s hard to fit in to certain crowds, you may feel like an outsider, or a loner, or maybe a bit of a rebel. This is a song for that kind of person. I don’t want to try to be something I’m not. I’m not a “hip” person and I don’t belong in a “hip” crowd. I’m not that cool! I’m not outgoing. If I were to try to be that, I would be phony. Instead, I’m being who I am. That’s where that line comes from, “I’d rather be lonely, than be something phony.”
Thanks for chatting with us Adrian Sutherland! Find more information on his website here: https://adriansutherlandmusic.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Adrian Sutherland “Precious Diamonds”
