August 4, 2000
Peace train
OLP engineer festival show of the season
By JOHN KENDLE
"We're obviously proud," says Jeremy Taggart.

"We're proud of the fact that we can ask bands from other countries to come with us across Canada and that we can put on shows of this quality," he says.

Taggart is talking about Summersault, Our Lady Peace's travelling roadshow which -- after debuting with four shows in out-of-they-way places like Newfoundland and New Brunswick in 1998 -- is now making its way across Canada on an eight-show tour which will also mark the final Canadian shows by Smashing Pumpkins, whose leader, Billy Corgan, has said the band will stop touring at the end of this year.

To Taggart, the fact Our Lady Peace can put together a tour of such magnitude is due all the hard work the group has done since making its debut with the Naveed album in 1994.

"I think it comes with the mutual respect that comes with all the hard work that we've done all over the world -- in Canada, the States and Europe.

"Since we started we've done more than 1,500 shows and we've played with almost all the bands on the bill," Taggart says. "It's neat that we're accepted in the community like that.

"Bands like Catherine Wheel and Eve 6 heard about the tour and wanted to do it -- so it's become a really happening thing."

"I mean, we make records for us and we are happy by those standards, but to be respected by your peers is always gratifying, too."

Taggart was still in his teens when Our Lady Peace began, so he's literally grown up with the band -- which includes singer Raine Maida (husband of Winnipeg singer Chantal Kreviazuk), guitarist Mike Turner and bassist Duncan Coutts -- and he's watched with some awe as it has developed into a million-selling rock machine on the basis of Naveed , 1997's Clumsy and last year's Happiness ... is Not a Fish That You Can Catch.

"If I think about (all that has happened to the Juno-winning band) I get a little weirded out by it. I much prefer to do what we're doing now, which is getting together every day to write songs for a new album and preparing for a tour.

"But I guess some things are pretty cool. I mean, getting a chance to work with (Foo Fighters members) Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins is cool.

"I'm looking forward to hanging with them. We should have a very musical community travelling down the road."