Long-Distance Lund

Corb Lund’s new CD has him on the verge of American stardom, but this gambler still misses Edmonton

You don’t know where you’re going, they say, until you know where you’ve been. But what if the place you want to go is the place you call home?

Even as Corb Lund celebrates the release of his band’s sixth album, Losin’ Lately Gambler, he seems a tad homesick — a little removed from the place and music scene he knows so well. A true hometown hero, Lund never forgets where he hangs his hat, but Gambler seems destined to get him much more American exposure (and keep him further from Edmonton) than he ever imagined.

Lund reflects on his days in the decade-defining Edmonton punk band The Smalls and how he was reminded of those days over the sunny months in Edmonton. Sure, his time as a Small may not have garnered him the success he’s currently enjoying, but he seems to long a little for those simpler times. So, other than prepping for the release of his biggest album ever and an impending marathon tour, how did Corb Lund spend his summer vacation (at home)?

“Summer was so cool,” Lund tells me from the Vancouver International Airport, having just flown in from Nashville, “because it’s been so long since I’ve got to be there. You know, I got to see bands, hang around, and see some of the venues. It’s funny, because for years I was super-involved in the scene with The Smalls or my band — I knew all the bands and all of the venues, but we started touring eight months a year and I got out of touch with some of the bands. So it was cool to just hang around.”

Lund laughs about how he’s lost touch with Edmonton a bit — how it took some time this past summer to readjust to the city he’s lived in since 1989. “I feel nostalgic to go around [Edmonton] because I tour so much and I’m never home,” he says. “It feels like I’ve kind of lost my social setting — I don’t really have a setting that I’m part of, ’cause I’m always on the road.”

But even when Lund is on the road, he still puts his hometown first — and that includes his beloved Oilers. He laughs when I ask him about his hopes for the upcoming Oilers season; like a true fan, he musters a lot of blind faith but takes the strong possibility of disappointment all in stride. His dedication to the team takes on a new dimension this year too: “I rewrote the lyrics to ‘Roughest Neck Around’ and they might be using it a theme song for the Oilers,” he says. “It’s about the Oilers’ history — it turned out pretty cool.”

And unlike other a lot of Oilers fans, Lund doesn’t subscribe to anti-Flames sentiment quite as fervently either. “Well,” he says, “I grew up in Taber, so I’m close to Calgary too. I know a lot of people disagree with me about this concept ... but I actually cheer for the Flames, as long as they aren’t playing against Edmonton. I prefer the Oilers but if it’s Calgary versus Florida or something, I’m gonna cheer for Alberta.”

So, now that we’ve established that Lund is not, in fact, a true Oilers fan (because you can’t cheer for the Flames if you are), what aspirations does he have for his upcoming season? “I hope we can beat the Americans,” Lund quips. “No, that’s the biggest test. This is our first major American release, so it should be pretty interesting to see how that works. We’ve worked up a whole career in Western Canada — I mean, this is our sixth record — but down there, it’s kind of like our debut. It’ll be interesting to see if it builds up our following.”

The 2009/2010 Corb Lund schedule includes a quick Edmonton stop on the second leg of his “Losin’ Lately Gambler” tour. I guess until then, we’ll have to settle for hearing Lund’s voice at the hockey arena and watching his rising success keep him further from home. But Lund doesn’t want us to think he’s forgotten about where it all started. “Tell ’em I miss Edmonton,” he says. “Tell ’em I miss living there. Tell ’em I miss being in touch with the music scene there.”

Corb Lund’s Losin’ Lately Gambler (New West) is in stores now.