(Interview) Winnipeg Country Trio Petric Release New Album Flashbacks
Petric, a Canadian country trio consisting of brothers Jason and Tom Petric and longtime friend Jordan Day are starting their 2021 off strong, having recently released their latest album “Flashbacks”. The album took the trio on quite the journey, taking them from New York to LA and all over Canada over the course of 2 years. Produced by Grammy nominated, Canadian producer Chris Baseford (Meghan Patrick, Avril Lavigne, Nickelback), Flashbacks features the group’s latest singles “If I Was Your Man,” “All Who Wander” and their early September release of “Déjà Vu,” which immediately captured the attention of industry and fans with their high energy, rich vocals and alluring songwriting.
Petric was discovered by JUNO Award winner Dallas Smith while showcasing at Country Music Week. Since then, the Manitoba trio have racked up over twelve million streams, 315K+ views on YouTube, three Top 20 singles on Canadian country radio, and eight Manitoba Country Music Awards. But accolades aside “Flashbacks” is certainly the most “Petric” album so far, with the band making the conscience effort to put more of themselves, more of their ideas, song choices and lyrics into the record. The trio wanted to prove that they were a solid band, and “Flashbacks” does just that.
We had the opportunity to chat with Petric about their journey, the new album, how they’ve grown as a band, what’s coming up next and more. Click below to listen to “Flashbacks” and keep scrolling for our interview with Petric!
You’ve just released your highly anticipated new album “Flashbacks”, how does it feel to have it out in the world?
It’s such a proud moment to share with our band and fans. It was over 2 years in the making, and it took a huge team to accomplish, so it feels great to show people what we had worked so hard on.
Writing and recording Flashbacks took you from New York to LA, and all over Canada and has been over two years in the making. Can you tell us about the journey that you took to create this album?
The journey started November 2018, when Tom, Jordan and myself met at The Forks market place in Winnipeg to discuss the future of Petric. 2018 had been one of the toughest years for us as a band. It started with our manager, Janice Starodub passing away on new years eve. Shortly after that our label dropped us, and around the same time Jordan had to take a step out of the band. It was a really tough year for Tom and myself to navigate, but we did, and I think we learned a lot of ourselves and what we wanted… We wanted Jordan to be part of this band. We wanted to do an album, an album that we had creative control over. Not full of programmed instruments and autotune. We wanted to write songs for this record, and have a choice in what songs we were going to move forward with. And most importantly, we wanted to prove to ourselves and everyone else that we are a solid band. So that November the 3 of us shook hands and went for it. We flew our producer up to Winnipeg a few times, we took writing trips down to Nashville, Los Angeles. During the making of this record, music took us to New York City, all the way to British Columbia. It truly was a journey we embarked on. Jordan and I ended up getting a few tattoos in some of the random cities as well haha it was great!
What was the thought behind releasing the album in early January of 2021? Why now?
We wanted to start 2021 off the right way, and there is no better way than with new music! One thing that was important to us was we wanted the opportunity and time to release some of the songs as “singles” prior to the full album. We’re really happy with how we’ve been able to share this music, and the response we’ve received from our fans.
Which three songs do you think are most representative of the album?
That’s so tough. I think each song shares something that feels meaningful to us. “Kids” is definitely one of the most “Petric” songs on the album. The harmonies, the tempo, the lyrics, the guitar licks. All of it came really naturally to us, and I think it’s a perfect representation of who we are as a band. White Lyin’ has to be one of my favorites on the album as well. I guess we’ll see what our fans think!
Had the pandemic affected the release of “Flashbacks” in any way?
Not really. Flashbacks kind of saved us in the pandemic. It gave us something to work on and look forward to. I honestly can’t imagine what we would have done if we hadn’t had this project to work on. Me personally, it would have been really tough.
Flashbacks was produced by Grammy nominated, Canadian producer Chris Baseford (Meghan Patrick, Avril Lavigne, Nickelback). How was working with Chris and how did working alongside him affect the album?
Chris is such a great guy. He’s very smart and very talented. We trusted him from day one, and I think he trusted us as well. On the past Petric albums, we never had the chance to share our opinion to be honest. We were told what would work by our producer, and what songs were going to get recorded, and they pretty much just added Toms voice at the end of the record. It was really cool to have the opportunity to work as a team, and collaborate. We learned a lot about each other and ourselves. It was a lot of fun getting to play guitar, and come up with parts, and melodies that we thought best represented us. Chris encouraged all of this, and it made us better as a band, and people. I can’t wait till we can all get in the studio again and hammer out some more songs.
What do you think the Canadian country scene will look like after the pandemic is over and restrictions are lifted?
You’re guess is as good as mine. But I hope fans, artists, radio, and everyone who loves music appreciates it more then ever. Music has been devalued so much over the past years. With iTunes, and now streaming, people have stopped buying CD’s and got into the habit of not wanting to spend money on music. I hope that changes. I miss concerts so much. Not just performing, but being at a show, watching one of my favorite bands. I’d pay pretty much anything right now to go to a show.
What is one of your favourite memories of playing live music?
Our last show at The Burton Cummings Theatre was pretty magical. It was for sure our biggest headlining date we’ve done, and it was a complete success.
You formed in 2015 and you’ve come a long way since, racking up over 14 million online streams. How have you grown as a band since then?
We’ve learned how to deal with each other better. Being in a band is not easy, especially for two brothers. But, the past few years I think we’ve all learned who excels at what, and who needs help with what. We’ve become a really strong team, and because of that I think we are in the position to accomplish a lot of the goals we’ve set for Petric.
If there was one piece of advice that you’ve learned as a band over the last five years and could share with new bands, what would it be?
You can’t do this alone. You need to find people you trust to help you accomplish your goals. We’ve worked with some great people, and we’ve worked with some not so great people. Regardless of how certain relationships have transpired, the band has always believed in each and stuck together. Without that team, we wouldn’t be here.
What are some of your favourite Canadian artists?
There are so many. I am a huge Nickelback. Being from Manitoba, we all love Doc Walker. The Weeknd is unstoppable right now. It’s a pretty special time for Canadians.
What do you think have been your most listened to songs so far in 2021?
I honestly have no answer to this question. The past few months, I have been focusing on our release of Flashbacks, and few other new artists I have been working with that I haven’t really just thrown an album on to sit back and listen to. Maybe that’s a 2021 resolution for myself!
What do you guys have planned for 2021?
Our single Kids has been released to radio in both Canada and Australia! We’re going to continue to put out content and music videos, and find ways to connect with our fans. We’re all very optimistic and encouraged that we are heading towards the end of the pandemic, so we’ve been discussing touring and plans to get back out there! We’ll see where it all leads us.
