Bud Rice debuts Piece of Heaven

Montreal singer-songwriter celebrates his second album with a release show at Petit Campus

On Saturday, Sept. 7, fans and local musicians alike gathered at Petit Campus to celebrate the launch of Bud Rice’s second studio album, Piece of Heaven.

Although not yet available on streaming services, the Montreal singer-songwriter hosted his release party to celebrate the completion of his project and perform the track list in its entirety. On stage, the frontman was accompanied by a full band, comprised of a guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboardist.

Rice, born Henry Rice-Gossage, is no stranger to the stage, having begun to perform live at 15. Following several years of playing covers, many of which from the great Bob Dylan, Rice began writing his own songs. But like most lyrics written at the tender age of 18, his first songs were self-admittedly awful. Years later at 23, he released his first album, Belfast.

“I’m really proud of Belfast,” Rice told The Concordian. “But I think there are some things I would have done differently and I think going into the second record I had a better head on my shoulders about how I wanted to approach pre-prod and utilizing the time in studio more efficiently- way better than the first time around. On top of that, having constantly played in pubs for that four year span, I think that my chops alone have gotten better.”

Bud Rice strums and sings to his newly released songs at Petit Campus. Photo by Jacob Carey

Rice showcased his improved chops when he started his performance with the first song off the album, “Evergreen,” which he recently released a music video for. Midway through the set, Rice’s father, Dave Gossage, a professional musician, took the stage to perform “St Henri,” “Heron On A Stone” and “Just a Little Grey.” Gossage played the harmonica on the first two songs and ended with a flute on the last one, having displayed his incredible talent and musical versatility.

“Dad inspired me with the concept that there is a craft,” said Rice. “There is art, and there is a spectrum that exists. There’s far-left artsy-fartsy and the far-right business-savvy dude. If this is a career you want to maintain, you have to be somewhere in between. You can’t be too far left or too far right. I think that watching him, who is like a phenom, being able to carry out a career as one of the best musicians I’ve ever met, to have him inspire me to want to do that continuously, was super beneficial for me.”

Being a professional himself, Gossage always pushed Rice to keep a business mentality when it came to playing music.

“[He taught me] the drive, the determination to wake up every day and not feel hungover, or not do anything,” said Rice. “It was like, be hungover and put in the work you need to put in to make something real. It was always ‘It’s a job – do your job,’ not ‘You’re a fucking free spirit, just play music man’. No. This is your fucking job, so be good at your job.”

Rice proved that he is indeed good at his job. Although he had his accompanying band with him for the duration of his performance, the encore of his recent single “Oh My Sweet Rose” was done solo, making it clear that the entertainer needs no back up to put on a great show.

 

Photos by Jacob Carey

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