Our Lady Peace debuting new music on Halifax tour stop

When rock icons Our Lady Peace hit the Halifax stage, their greatest hits won't be the only thing on display.

Lead vocalist Raine Maida says it's important fans get a healthy dose of new music as well as their old, faithful favourites.

“As an artist, it's natural to want to have the same music to fall back on. It would have been easy to put on a nostalgic tour,” said Maida.

The band first hit the scene with 1995's Naveed, but forged into the frontlines of alternative rock with their massive album Clumsy in 1997.

Since then, they've released seven more albums over 20 years, including the recent two-part compilation, Somethingness.

“The timing was great for Volume 2 of Somethingness, which was just coming out. The energy around this tour — and fresh music — is a whole different animal,” he said.

OLP started their Atlantic Canada gigs March 2 in Newfoundland and Labrador along with fellow rocker Matthew Good. They also did a United States run in October and November in support of Somethingness Vol. 1.

“We played that volume and a few newer songs not released. It's amazing to see the crowd reaction to things they haven't seen before,” said Maida.

“They were really excited, and you love as an artist to see people getting jacked about new music.”

Maida said the key to longevity in the business has been for the band to continue to put out meaningful music.

“People love the new album, and we have always continued to work on new material. This one came together as one of our best,” he said.

“We are more brave and comfortable now, and we have no problem getting rid of songs that have no meaning to us. If it feels inauthentic, it's gone. I can stand behind every bar of music on this new album.”

He said touring with Matthew Good — known for such hits as 'Load Me Up', 'Apparitions' and 'Hello Time Bomb' — is a perfect complement for the two artists.

“Our Lady Peace played a festival in Alberta one summer, and to entertain people in a massive crowd over a whole day is amazing. We wanted a big tour like that,” he said. “Matt and I always shared the same ideals politically, social and musically. Some decisions he's made with his music lately and what he's doing puts us on the same plane.”

Maida says it would be easy for the band to “rest on their laurels,” but they've never been the type of people to phone it in.

“You need to want this every day. We have always asked ourselves how we can progress creatively. There have been moments where we haven't been as engaged where we should of been,” he said.

“But here, we had dedication and commitment going into the studio, and recorded live off the floor. There were no opportunities for micromanaging and getting in and playing music was just liberating.”

In a partnership with PLUS1, $1 from each ticket sold is going to support War Child in their efforts to assist children from war-affected areas.

“It was a no-brainer for us,” said Maida. “It's something I've been involved in since its grassroots.”

“There's a synergy between Matt and I, and we all have worked with NGOs and humanitarian efforts. There was no bureaucracy here, and we could see where the money goes. We wanted to help them save some lives.”

With only a few days to go until their big Halifax date, Maida says he has fond memories of the city from over two decades prior.

“Halifax is so amazing, and I love it. The first real show OLP ever did was during a college campus tour in the area 25 years ago,” he said.

“We have always loved the city, and we're looking forward to giving people a really wonderful show this time around too.”

Our Lady Peace and Matthew Good will be co-headlining the Scotiabank Centre on March 5.