It may seem like Saskatoon rock band The Sheepdogs exploded into the mainstream in 2011. Winning a contest to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, touring the world, appearing on TV and constantly being on the move seemed to define the life of the band for a few years.

The Sheepdogs – singer Ewan Currie, bass guitarist Ryan Gullen, drummer Sam Corbett, guitarist Jimmy Bowskill, and Shamus Currie, on trombone, keyboards, and tambourine – have been a band for a decade. Before their sudden rise on the charts they travelled throughout Canada making a name for themselves. Having released a new album Future Nostalgia in October the band is on a cross country tour that returns to Edmonton February 15th at Union Hall and Calgary February 16th at MacEwan Hall. They have dates in Lloydminster on the 26th and Grande Prairie on the 27th. GayCalgary.com caught up with Ryan Gullen recently over the phone, who talked about keeping motivated during the early years.

"Part of the biggest motivating factors was that we were told that what we did was not going to be on mainstream radio because we were playing old style rock n roll and although we might only get 20 people at a show sometimes, those people were really into what we were doing. It gave us a little bit of hope that if we got the opportunity to get some recognition for what we were doing, these people were super into what we were doing and we recognized there had to be more people out there. We spent 7 plus years driving across the country and the states trying to get something going and often coming back with a lot less money than we left with and feeling frustrated. We didn't have any thoughts that we were going to be as big as a U2 or a Nickelback. We were just doing our thing regardless of what people told us. Until 2011 we were doing everything ourselves. We wanted to keep doing what we wanted to do and get where we were going by doing that. We didn't want to change the music we made and have always stuck with that. As much as rock music isn't in the forefront of current music there is something to be said about the way rock and roll makes you feel. There are always going to be people that get behind it. What kept us going all those years was the fact that regardless if we played for 20 people or 1000 people they were really into what we were doing."

Then the Rolling Stone cover hit and suddenly five guys from Saskatchewan were everywhere.

"It definitely was overwhelming. It was a slow climb to it and then the Rolling Stone cover came out. We were doing so many things we didn't have time to over think because it was one thing after another. It was a festival then flying to New York to do something, then another show. The fact that we didn't have much time to think about it afforded us the luxury of not getting to worked up about the pressure and attention. We kind of had to roll with it and hope that you make the right decisions. Looking back on it, it is like wow I can't believe all the shit that we did. It was a wild time in our lives."

The band is now a multiple Juno award winner, who hope to add another award this year with a nomination for Best Rock Group. The band was in Toronto for the announcement, but touring obligations in the UK conflict with the awards, so they won’t be in Calgary for the big event. The same thing happened in 2012 when they took home 4 awards but were in Australia.

"Usually those are things you find out about on the internet so it was cool to be (at the announcement) and hear it called out. We are very excited and proud of the album we released so to get that recognition from the music industry is always a very cool honor. You don't necessarily make a record in the hopes that you get a Juno nomination but it is a nice tip of the hat to something we put a lot of work into. The first awards were a huge one for us because that was the year where things really took off for us. When we won those awards we were in Australia on tour so we found out we won via text message. It was 6am or something so I was half asleep and went back to bed immediately after. Those three that we won, we beat a lot of huge artists and it was a big year for us. It was a cool addition to everything else that happened over that time. We won video of the year in 2014 and we were at that Juno's but not at the awards dinner the night before where it was handed out. So the joke is that we only ever win when we are not there to accept the award. We were nominated for three other ones that we were there for (at the broadcast) and didn't win. So we figure if we want to win we have to not be in attendance. It's not intentional though. Our album came out in October and all we have been doing is promoting and touring. We are always playing and trying to spread the word. We knew the Juno's were there. We didn't expect to get nominated but there might be a chance. Regardless of the nomination we are just going to keep doing our thing which is travel around and spreading the word of Rock n Roll."

The band returned to their roots, renting a cabin in Ontario to create the new album.

"Every record you make, you take a different approach and try different things. It is a new chapter in your bands life. We were afforded a little more flexibility with what we could do. There are a lot of distractions when you are recording in a studio in a city and a lot of people involved between managers, agents, label etc. It is easy for them to come and be involved in those situations. We really wanted to separate all distractions whatsoever and have our only focus being that record. We lived in a cottage with an adjacent barn and we set up this studio and all we did was work on the record for three weeks. It really made us able to make it our focus on making the best record we could. With our last record we worked with Pat Carney from the Black Keys, the record previous to that we did at a house I was renting because we had no money to record in a studio. We wanted to go back to that idea where it was really cool that we were all working together on the record without the outside influence. We brought an engineer in from Memphis and we trucked in a bunch of gear and made sure it sounded good. The idea was to make an organic record similar to what we did with Learn and Burn but make it sound better. It was one of those situations that was incredibly relaxing and resulted in the record sounding a certain way. Like what it sounds like when we focused on an organic Sheepdogs Record."

Having toured extensively both as a headliner and on festivals, The Sheepdogs have had a lot of moments that they never would have thought would happen.

"Being on tour with John Fogarty, Creedence Clearwater Revival is someone we really looked up to so getting to play shows with him in Australia was pretty cool. He would stand side stage and watch us play and was very complimentary of what we are doing. We were involved in a few of these tributes to like Tom Petty and The Rolling Stones in New York. You find yourself in a party situation recognizing people and those kind of moments are weird. Getting recognition from artists we look up to are moments you don't really ever anticipate that happening and to get that recognition is pretty unique. You spend a lot of your youth listening to that music and it has shaped what you play, to have that person watch what you do and compliment you for what you do and watch you every night that you play is pretty wild."

An important part of the bands continued growth is the festival circuit. From major festivals in the UK and US to Canadian festivals like X-Fest and Folk Festivals, it is an opportunity to play for a variety of people and make new fans.

"It has been a big part of our career. It is an opportunity to play in front of people that wouldn't come to see you otherwise. It is also a chance to play a different kind of setting. We feel strongly about our live show and are always trying to make it better. When you are in those settings where outdoors and it is hot and sunny and open, there is something to be said about the way people are at festivals. People let their guard down more than in a club setting and open to letting themselves get lost in the moment. At festivals part of that has to do with drugs. But at a lot of the festivals whether it's a folk festival or a big US festival like Bonnaroo people go there to let their hair down. People tend to be more open to accepting a different experience and music. Even for myself I would find myself watching shows I never would have watched and getting it. It is a cool opportunity to exposure yourself to that greater thing, that event that is creating a memory for people. It has been a big opportunity to expose ourselves to new people who aren't familiar and to play in that kind of setting is a really great thing."

The last few years has seen a lot of Canadians being heard on the radio and gaining popularity both at home and around the world.

"What happens a lot is traditionally radio played a part in what young people are into. We grew up in a small city and your main way of finding out about music is on the radio. The music you listen to influences the music you are playing. People our age had access to music on the internet not just what people told you to listen to on the radio. Now with things like YouTube and Spotify you can seek out and discover new music. With a lot of these artists having a lot of success and being unique in the ways they are creating music and crossing over into the mainstream. Someone like Dan Mangan makes unique music that is great and you are seeing it in the mainstream. We are having a lot of Canadians that are being successful on the Billboard charts like The Weeknd and Justin Bieber but also people that are making different kinds of music. It is totally different."

With popularity comes negativity and people who can make disrespectful comments online.

"As much as there is an opportunity for people to discover new bands there is also the chance for people to shit talk. You can't pay attention to that. You want to avoid it but it is inevitable that you are going to see a tweet or a post that is negative and it bums you out. At the same time the moment that someone takes the time to take out a moment to shit talk you, even though they don't like your music they are taking the time to make a point of doing it means you are doing something right. For every hater there are hundreds of other people that love what you are doing. Music is subjective and there will be people that like and hate what you are doing. You can't pay much attention to it because no music appeals to every single person. It is a taste thing and you can't let it get you down. You just put out your music and hope people like it and can't let some dude on the internet ruin it."

The Sheepdogs are excited to return to Alberta to play for fans that have been with them from the beginning. Gullen promises some memorable shows.

"Being from Saskatchewan we have spent a lot of time playing in Alberta. Watching the cities build and meeting new friends and fans, a big part of that is that we have been playing there a long time. The last time we played Calgary in a club setting, all those years of playing small clubs and now coming and playing at somewhere like Mac Hall and seeing all the people excited to see us after years of playing small club shows, it makes you feel good. It reaffirms all the things you have done and it's great to play a wild show for people in these cities we have played in for so many years. Those memories stand out.  This tour we are doing a mix of old and new. We really try to make our live show something as fun and exciting as possible. We do some different takes on songs and do some jamming and make it a little different then the album. Rock n roll music makes you feel good and we want to emulate that on stage. We don't want it to be exactly how you listen to it at home. We make good time rock n roll and we emulate that and make our live shows as fun as possible. We have been playing a lot so we are excited to showcase the new songs and play some old ones and are really confident in our playing right now. It will be a good time."