You would think that with the impression that they have made on the Alberta music scene, Captain Tractor would have received a promotion by now. Possibly Commodore Tractor or even Vice-Admiral Tractor...something to show for their dedication.  But the Tractors seem to be happy with Captain, and the proof is in them returning to their roots. Starting in Fort MacLeod.

“Fort MacLeod is the first out of town show we ever played when we began touring in 1994,” says guitarist/vocalist Chris Wynters. “That started six years of touring and we didn’t know that was going to happen. We then played South Country Fair for the next ten years in a row. I wouldn’t say we were a house band at South Country, but it was like a second home. And the Empress Theatre in Fort MacLeod is that way too, that is why we started our CD release tour there. And, the theatre scene is something we would like to do more of.  We could play in the bars and pubs but we aren’t hungry twenty year olds anymore.”

“Also,” added keyboardist/vocalist Jason Kodie, “Beyond the Fair and the Empress, where else would you play in for MacLeod?”

Bringing their Famous Last Words CD release to the Roxy Theatre is only natural then. But, as it were, there almost wasn’t a band to make a CD to release.

“If it weren’t for the fact we were in huge debt we would have broken up long ago,” jokes Wynters. “We went to try and break up and we looked at the books and realized we had two options. We could declare bankruptcy or play our way out of debt. So we worked hard and we got to the other side of that and realized it’s still fun. We all had side projects and the like and still work, but we don’t play Moose Jaw on a Tuesday night anymore. We play places that are going to pay us. With that said, we also realized that we better make another record if we want’ people to keep being interested in us.”

“And it’s nice to have new tunes in the set as well,” Kodie says. “We knew that we would be out there working anyway and when we finally got around to it everything fell into place. The band sounds as great as it always been.”

You would think then that the initial idea of getting Tractor back together to make a new CD would immediately excite Wynters. Not so much.

“I have to admit, I was marginally sceptical,” says Wynters.  “We only had a few songs; we didn’t really know what everyone was going to bring in. Then we got into the studio and Jason and Scott Peters had some great songs and the vibe was really good. We jammed and hung out. It all made sense again.  We are doing this on our own without any of the pressure. We are having fun and it comes across in the recording.  And this whole web 2.0 thing has taken off. Originally we had a problem finding our fan base, but now, it’s exciting. We put stuff on iTunes and Bandcamp, and it’s moving. I’m excited about the whole digital era and how it makes us adapt. Tractor has a massive catalogue; it’s impressive. And in 17 years, we’ve played enough Tuesday night shows in Moose Jaw for the life of any band. It’s time to use things to our advantage.”

Here is to another seventeen years of Captain Tractor. And maybe, after those years have passed, Moose Jaw will finally get its shit together on Tuesday nights.