Petunia and the Vipers: of Vipers and Vapours and a Vancouver return

There ended up being a last minute problem with the last Petunia and the Vipers gig here in Vancouver, previously scheduled at the Rickshaw in October, but - having played various venues around the province in the interim, developing his set - he returns to city stages on Monday, December 13th for a gig at the New Amsterdam Cafe, a pot paraphernalia shop on Hastings that brings up a relevant question about the band's name. Being a "viper" actually stems from 1930's American slang, referring to the hissing sound made when one sucks air in around a joint to cool the smoke. While I don't know the details of Petunia's own pot consumption, I have always wondered if calling his band "the Vipers" was revealing of anything? 

"That was part of the whimsey behind the band's name," Petunia explains to me, apropos of the gig. "We were previously called Petunia and the Hillbillies, the Petuniabillies, Petunia and the Hound Dogs...there were 4-5 other names, but Vipers stuck." 

So what country and country swing does one listen to when high, anyways? Petunia has no recommendations, saying that "Everything gets new light under that scope, every time." One wonders what listening to Petunia baked would be like - it's not something I've tried. Were I not booked for surgery next week - and needing to avoid anything that might complicate or delay that surgery - I'd go test it out... because if there were ever a gig to see Petunia stoned at, this is it!

Petunia has other things in the works - a New Years' show, and maybe another residency like the one at the WISE Hall a few years back, neither of which were fully confirmed at press time. We didn't really get into detail about a lot of things in our most recent exchange - I asked him if the band has been affected by the recent floods in the province, or if this would inform the song choices, pointing him to a fun Dylan tune about flooding, but he doesn't really groove on Dylan, only having covered him a couple of times - once here, an ambitious take on "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)." 

The remainder of this interview ran shortly before that cancelled Rickshaw gig, then was taken down. At that point, Petunia had just returned from his usual summer tour back east - "fun and excitement abounded," he quips; but this time, he'd gone without his usual travelling companion, Al Mader (the Minimalist Jug Band). Did he miss him?

"Well, we do love a good card game," Petunia says. "And that didn’t happen many free waking hours, like it usually does when we tour together. I did miss some of that atmosphere. And the fun he brings to life. He is superstar fun, which was missed by many of his fans out in the Maritimes. And missed by me."

I had actually observed Mader - the Minimalist Jug Band - and Petunia at cardplay at a restaurant off Commercial, when I'd interviewed Petunia for the Straight. It's one of those details - like Petunia's cowboy hat or Al's love of the racetrack - that makes both men seem slightly surreal, like supporting characters in The Straight Story rather than flesh-and-blood musician-and-writer types. And of course, Petunia's involvement in twilight-zoned projects like The Musicianer doesn't help ground him in the real very much, either. For a country musician, there's an aura of strangeness to what Petunia does, an unpredictable otherworldly, agreeably surreal element... 

...Tho' I'm pretty sure he experiences touring solo as real enough. Sans Mader, Petunia's yearly trip was "a solo, meditative journey for me, which was rewarding in it’s own special way."

A brief email interview follows!

Allan: A lot of people have used COVID to get projects done; have you?

Petunia: Not formally. I put down my guitar at the outset of the weirdness and rarely ever picked it up for almost a year. Which was a small glory in and of itself for me. I haven’t put my guitar down like that in over 20 years. When I finally did pick it up again, I played it and sang for pure enjoyment. Not for work related reasons. This process yielded a whole new double album’s worth of songs. 25 songs or so. All written between January and July! I’m estimating it’ll be out in 2025.

Did you get to do any other "self-work" during the last year and a half?

Eating way better now that I’m not on tour, where one finds oneself eating at truckstops, fast food joints and generally eating for speed and efficiency instead of health. Speed and efficiency are called for on long tours. Exercising way more. I even have a formal calisthenics regime I’m on. First time ever. Feels great! Jogged a bit. Also first time ever. Being in one place as we all were, it was the first time I’ve seen all the seasons in one place since I was a teenager. Rooted like a tree for a year. Pure glory. Camped a ton - I finally understand what all the fuss is about for Canadians who look forward to their two weeks of holiday time camping. I get it now. Saw more of my daughter than I ever have in my life, which is the best part.

Any new musical discoveries, favourite bands that you got to delve into because of COVID? (It seems like almost everyone did that with Sparks this year - including me - but I don't necessarily see you as a Sparks man).

You’re right, I didn’t really do that.

What's the status of The Musicianer? Have you recorded further episodes? Is there an approved way people can see the first one?

It’s up for free now on themusicianer.com. A 22 minute episode that won awards across the USA during it’s indie film fest run there. The crazy times stopped its momentum dead in it’s tracks…which may have knocked out the opportunity for more episodes. The idea now is to move forwards with a feature film.

What's your history with Noah Walker? He's filled in for Stephen before - will he be filling in on the 16th, as well? How does playing with Noah change the band dynamic (or the overall sound of things), versus playing with Stephen?

Noah and I have been sharing music, playing sporadic gigs over the last ten years. I first played with Noah when he was playing in Something About Reptiles led by Burcu.

Noah and Stephen rock in different ways and in their own unique styles. Both are all fun and exciting to play and travel with.

The WISE Hall weekly small gigs that you were doing, as I recall, were about working up material for a new album. What is that new album, and when will we hear it? Can you give us the history of any one song on that album that went through the WISE filter, and tell us how it developed over subsequent performances?

That new album has been ready since just before lockdowns. I’m guessing that I’ll be able to dig out of the pit of debt that we’re all in and release it in a couple years, if things go well.

ALL of the songs on that new double album, “went through the WISE filter”. All the songs were heard and experienced and related to by our regular, semi-regular and sporadic fanbase there at the WISE lounge every Monday night. The excitement of these Mondays was one the high points in the history of Petunia and the Vipers as a band. I’m proud of what we’ve built and managed to achieve there with the help of our friends at the WISE lounge. Community, fun, sharing, excitement, exchange, love. The weekly communal exchange of emotion through sharing song with that crowd was felt every time we played ANY song. That vibe and energy exchange absolutely affects and colours the experience of creation.

Looks like you have a few shows lined up in the future, but I'm curious about the "Leonard Cohen Show." Are you going to cover Cohen? Is approaching covering his songs intimidating? Do you have any "paths crossed" stories with Cohen? Favourite periods of his?

Yes, I’m part of a collective that will do a Leonard Cohen tribute in the spring. A tribute to the spirit of his gifts in song. I’m enjoying very much covering his songs in my own way. He has a lot to offer.

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See here for varied video clips of Petunia & the Vipers performing. More info on the gig - which has a very small number of seats available - here.