Alberta-born Zaac Pick has been a rising star in the Canadian music scene since 2009. This spring he made the leap from an EP to full-length album with the release of Constellations. Zaac took the time to chat with GayCalgary about his upcoming tour, breaking into the music scene, and more.

GC: 2015 has started off great for you! A new tour and the unveiling of the first full-length album! Can you share your thoughts about touring and the emotion behind releasing new music for your fans?

ZP: It’s shaping up to be pretty exciting, yeah. It’s been a year and a half since my last proper tour, and about three years since my last EP. This new record Constellations is actually my first full-length album. Much of the record was recorded separately, with my band mates and I sharing files over email and Skype, so having people finally hear these songs, and getting to go on tour and play them for people together, is the reward we’ve been looking forward to for months.

GC: Lyrically, what songs are you most proud of?

ZP: I have always liked lyrics that paint pictures, but also that have layers, that read well on a page, like poetry. Early on in the writing process, I was reading a few Hemingway titles and somewhere he’s giving advice to other writers to ‘write hard and clear about what hurts’. So I challenged myself to try and write more honestly about things I spend a lot of time thinking about, but normally might not put into a song. I definitely spent more time crafting the lyrics on each song from Constellations than I have in the past, and I’m proud of all of them. A number of the songs have to do with the forces at work in relationships; the impermanence of feelings; learning to trust another person.

Here’s an example from a song called "Maps": the continents have broken / torn where the road ends / I’m looking out on oceans / between bodies of land / but love ain’t an island / a place we arrive in / or a way of surviving / a difference of views.

GC: When did you fall in love with music?

ZP: My grandma passed away when I was really young, and my family inherited this great big organ, with bass pedals and a drum machine built in. I was completely fascinated with the sounds it could make. I guess I fell in love with sounds, and the way they can change your mood first, and fell in love with music later, after I discovered my dad’s old Yamaha guitar.

GC: What era of music has inspired you most, as a musician and as a music fan?

ZP: There’s great music to be found in every era I think, but the ’60s seems to have more than its fair share. There was so much happening culturally, and you hear that in the music, like reading the news. Audiences seemed open to anything, as long as it was saying something.

GC: How has your sound evolved since you first entered the music scene?

ZP: My first couple of EPs were more acoustic-guitar driven—I didn’t really have a band when we recorded them, but we added other musical elements as an accompaniment to the songs. The songs on Constellations have a much more cinematic feel; more of a musical landscape for the lyrics to live in. When I started work on these songs, I had been playing with an amazing group of musicians regularly for a couple of years, and I wanted to experiment with the songs together and try to find a more interesting way to present them.

GC: How different is it playing in your home province in comparison to international shows?

ZP: It’s always nice to play some familiar places, to familiar faces, to see so much of your home province or country, more than most people might get to. Playing abroad though, I’m reminded more often just how amazing it is to be able to share music with people who sometimes don’t speak the same language, but yet are excited about your music. I feel very fortunate.

GC: What have been some of the most memorable venues? Fan experiences?

ZP: There have been quite a few! Sometimes for the wrong reasons, ha. One of my favourite shows might have been opening up for The Civil Wars at the Rio Theatre in Vancouver a few years ago. It was right before they won a bunch of Grammys. A friend of mine knows their manager, and I got the call to do it on the day of the show, after their opener got stuck at the U.S. border. They’re some of the most kind and generous people, and so were their fans. They were pin drop silent for me, and incredibly appreciative. I still get fans coming up at my shows who first saw me there.

GC: What is your favourite track on Constellations?

ZP: They’re all my children, ha. But I’m pretty excited to play "Impossible Blue" for people live.

GC: What do you hope fans take away from your music?

ZP: I have always loved music that takes me on a journey, that makes me feel more connected to other people, like a good book you remember well years later. I hope my music has a similar affect on people.

GC: Any advice to Canadian musicians and artists?

ZP: Try not to tour in the dead of winter; it’s actually insanely dangerous. Also, don’t eat fast food. Buy a small cooler and fill it with healthier fare. You’ll feel better, have more energy, and enjoy the music a lot more.

GC: What’s the best thing about being raised in Alberta?

ZP: I was born and raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta, but I live in Vancouver now. I do miss those big open skies though. Guess that’s why I need to enjoy being in close proximity to the ocean.