Interviewer: Good afternoon Jim Cuddy and Colin Cripps. How's it going?

Jim Cuddy: Oh, it's going great.

Interviewer: Uh . . . so we got Beachfest coming up . . .

Jim: yup

Interviewer: And you new album coming out on Tuesday and then you're at HMV next Tuesday doing a live in-store gig.

Jim: yeah . . .

Interviewer: A little busy now!

Jim: Publicity! I'm telling ya . . . (makes a sound like he's being strangled)

(There is incoherent chatter and laughter)

interviewer: Tell me about the new album, All In Time. It's out in stores . . .

Jim: . . . It's in stores Tuesday it's ah - the single's been out for a while. And Colin, and ah, Bazil from Blue Rodeo and Gavin Brown and Melanie Doane made it for me.

Interviewer: Oh yeah?

Jim: And it was made . . . you now it's been finished since January. So it's been around for a while. Um, Blue Rodeo was touring so of course I couldn't put it out. But, ah, we started making it two years ago (he laughs). We started it September of /96. I knew it was going to be . . . at least wasn't going to be released until ‘97 or ‘98. But I didn't realize it'd be this long.

Interviewer: Colin, so do you write (corrects himself), co-write some of the songs?

Colin: No

interviewer: No? Okay. So it's all your songs, Jim. What's it like -

Jim: He's the guitar genius.

Interviewer: He's the guitar genius! (Laughter) What's it like, now your recorded songs are put out on an album, and the songs are two years old . . . Jim: Well, you know it's not that they ever seemed like they're two years old they were written for the record, so they . . .

Colin: They're written for two years in advance. (Laughter)

Jim: They were written . . . you see we wrote . . . it was basically the whole procedure was spread out over two years. We did - we did a recording session and then, uh, we did it last fall of ‘96 or something like that. And then Blue Rodeo made a record and toured and then I did another spade of songs in March of ‘97 and then mixing. I mean, we just gradually did pieces as I had time to do it. So it always seemed like it was pretty fresh and then finishing it was what was hard. Because I mastered it in January and I was done but I couldn't stop. (Everyone laughs) I was tinkering. I'd phone in a new sequence (laughs), "Maybe I should cut a minute from this and do that." It was just, you know, separation from anxiety. I had had it for so long as a kind of pressure release from whatever I was doing, that I didn't want it to end. And then all of a sudden it becomes real and you have to play it as a band. See what - give it to other people. (Makes his voice noticeably deeper) "Hey this really sucks."

Colin: "We gotta do this live? How are we going to do this?" (Laughter)

interviewer: Anything different from writing in a band like Blue Rodeo and then you sort of have the creative freedom to do whatever you want. What kind of differences were involved there?

Jim: It's different because, to write for Blue Rodeo is to consider a lot of other voices, you know. Blue Rodeo is like a choir of voices. There's no point in writing something that would be just me and the band would be way in the background. You should utilize all the characters that is there; Greg's guitar playing and singing . . . the drums . . . For this one I had to tell more the story with my voice and never having worked with the people I worked with in the band that was a complete unknown - what that would contribute to the songs. Now the guitar playing becomes quite critical to it, cuz Colin came up with a lot of stuff but it's a much more simpler dialogue. You're not getting the clamour of Blue Rodeo. You know, with everybody: (makes his voice higher pitched) "Look over here! Look over here!" (Everyone laughs)

Interviewer: "Me! My turn!" (Laughter)

Jim: (In the same high-pitched voice) "You'll be paying attention to me in almost ten seconds!" (Talking normally) So it's a much simpler sound.

Interviewer: It's kind of interesting. Colin you're playing - you're in Junkhouse and then you're in Blue Rodeo, I guess working with the schedule kind of played with the two year too.

Colin: Actually it worked out fine. Because we did it in such . . . not like a long period - we did two week spots where we recorded. It was quite easy. The worst time came when we had to figure out a couple of gigs before this time frame, because we're both busy with our bands. But it was actually quite good. I made time for it, and everyone else was sympathetic too. Interviewer: Excellent. Why don't we hear a couple songs from it. What are you guys gonna do?

Jim: Okay, this is called All In Time, the title track.

(Performing All In Time)

interviewer: All right! That was great guys!

Jim: Thank-you

interviewer: Jim Cuddy with Colin Cripps. All In Time, title track off your new CD. That's great. Great sound. Got another one for us?

Jim: Sure, sure

interviewer: We're on Mix 99.9 by the way.

Colin: (laughs) yeah . . . just to let you know.

Jim: This is called, Too Many Hands

(Playing Too Many Hands)

interviewer: Excellent. Excellent job. Jim Cuddy, along with Colin Cripps; and Too Many hands, off the new CD, All In Time on the Mix 99.9. Really nice job guys. Really nice.

Jim: Thanks a lot.

Interviewer: Sounded good. Remember 4:00 Beachfest, Monday, Q-Gardens down at the beaches. Remember it's absolutely free. Let's go through you appearances too. . .

Jim: (laughs hysterically) Oh god! You just wanna rub this in!

Interviewer: (laughs) Next Tuesday HMV. On Saturday night actually we have the album world premiere of the new CD right here on the Mix; so if you want to hear the whole thing, listen in on Saturday night. And you're going to be singing the national anthem too!

Jim: (laughing) At the ball game, yeah! I think if I can fit something in around breakfast on Labour Day - why waste that time slot?

(Everyone laughs)

interviewer: Colin, thanks for coming in. And Jim once again – really good sound.

Jim: Thank you very much