A Conversation with Leonard Podolak (continued)

LP: And so I called up Jordan McConnell, who I'd played with in Scruj--basically what happened was when the main guitar player, Jeremy Walsh, quit Scruj, Jordan has been sort of budding as an Irish guitar player in the Winnipeg scene, not really doing many gigs, playing around the pubs and sort of in the Irish session scene. So we called him to fill in for Jeremy Walsh in Scrooge. And it was really tough, because I immediately recognized his talent and knew he was going to develop into just a monster player. But it was real bummer because the guys in Scruj didn't see it. They just saw him as a replacement. And when they saw something better come along, they didn't want to stick with him. And so I actually had to fire him from the band.

PM: Oh, what a drag...

LP: But I said, "Jordie, this is"--I mean, there was this other guy in town, Lindsey Bart, that was also a great Irish guitar player, and Jordan certainly recognized how great Lindsey was, and that the band wanted to try doing some gigs with him. And he took it like such a trooper. And I said to him, "Man, I'm going to be playing music with you again, I promise you that. And I know how great you are."

PM: Yeah, for a young guy, he seems a very enlightened character, indeed.

LP: Yeah--oh, my God. And it's crazy where he's at now. I mean, now I would consider him to be a brilliant genius on the guitar, as well as--

PM: A monstrous dude.

LP: He plays the pipes, he builds guitars, he does this--

PM: He plays the Irish pipes, right?

LP: He does play the Irish pipes, and he's developed into a really great piper. I mean, he would never say so. He'd still say, "Oh, I have another ten years to go on that thing before I'll be a piper." But man, it's killer. It's really great.

PM: And I'm told that instrument's a real bitch.

LP: Yeah, it really is. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to try to play the thing.

[laughter]

LP: So when Jessica was in the picture, I called Jordan and said, "Look, man, I know I fired you from Scruj, and it was one of the worst things musically I've ever had to do, but I'm starting a new band, and I'd like to play with you." And he said, "Well, that's all fine and dandy, but do I know you're not going to fire me when something better comes along?"

PM: [laughs]

LP: And it was a fair question--

PM: Absolutely.

LP: --because it had already happened. And I said, "Jordan, I'm not hiring you, I'm asking you to be my partner. I want to be in a band with you." And he took me at my word. He said, "Okay. I'm going to Europe." This is in, I guess, the summer of 2001. He went to Europe, to Spain to study with a classical guitar builder, to hone his studies as a luthier.

PM: Wow.

LP: And came back in the fall, and we started jamming together. And there was obviously a connection with Jessica and me. And so we started playing together.   continue

print (pdf)     listen to clips      puremusic home