new orbit

A NEW ORBIT: DAVID USHER'S READY FOR A CHANGE

Author: Mike Bell
Source: Calgary Sun
URL: www.canoe.ca/JamMusic/jul8_usher-sun.html
Date: July 8, 2002

David Usher is getting his second wind.

He's been touring almost incessantly for the past year in support of his latest solo release, Morning Orbit.

But, after taking a week or so off, he can now see the finish line, which will come fairly soon after his Stampede appearance tonight on the Coca-Cola stage.

And then?

"I don't really know," Usher says.

"I've just been in the studio sort of tinkering around with some ideas that I've had, so I'm not really sure where it's going to go.

"I'm just going to finish up this tour ... and then figure out what I'm going to do next."

What he'll do next is something a great many people are waiting for, mainly because the musician is also the vocalist for popular Canadian rock band Moist.

There are some who wonder if the band will remain on hiatus indefinitely while its members pursue other things.

According to Usher, he doesn't even know.

"We're all working hard on different things, so we really haven't been talking about it much, to tell you the truth," he says.

It's not hard to understand why Usher, especially, would be more than content to continue the solo route, considering the success he's had with it, particularly of late.

He just took home two honours from the recent MuchMusic Video Awards and Morning Orbit, his second record, earned the best pop album Juno at this year's awards.

For him, the accolades are a double-edged sword.

"I've gone to the Junos a fair number of times and same with the MMVAs, but it's a little more intense this time because it's focused on me," he says.

"Which is good and bad. I find it very gratifying, but it's also a little stressful."

The positive aspect of the awards shows is that it gives him an opportunity to catch up with the other musicians who make up Canada's mainstream musical elite.

The interesting thing is, there seems to be a changing of the guard when it comes to the country's music scene, and the old guard, which Moist represents, is now being replaced by the new crew, such as Nickelback and their pets, Default.

As to what Usher thinks of the direction Canadian rock is going in, he sidesteps the question of quality and specific acts in order to look at the positive aspects of the scene.

"Well, the direction it's really going is that Canadian bands are having a lot of international success, and I like that," he says.

"I like the fact that Canadians are out there doing it.

"I was doing MTV Asia and we did this thing where it was pick 10 videos. I decided I'd pick 10 Canadian videos and try to figure out if I could pick 10 that they would have ... And they had them all."

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