The Arrogant Worms are gearing up to bring their quintessentially Canadian musical comedy to the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre.
Showtime is at 7:30 p.m. on March 9. Tickets are available at the Mary C. Moore Public Library, or by heading to lacombepac.com.
"We've just been at this for far too long," joked Trevor Strong during a recent chat from his home in Kingston, Ont. Rounding out the group are Chris Patterson and Mike McCormick.
It was way back in the early 90s when the guys first joined forces on what would become an tremendously original - and hilariously funny - creative journey.
"We were all at Queen's University in Kingston, and we met in a group called The Queen's Players - which still exists today," explained Strong, adding he also had a friend who had a middle-of-the-night campus radio show from about midnight to 2 a.m.
The guys would perform sketches on the show once a week for a time.
"That's how it started. We didn't even have a name at the beginning - we were just a bunch of people recording."
But things would turn a corner when they sent a cassette of their song Canadian Crisis Song to the CBC radio show Basic Black.
"They said, we'd love to play this - what is your name?" recalled Strong. And thus, the Arrogant Worms officially came to be."
To start off, there were four members - Steve Wood, John Whytock, McCormick, and Strong.
And according to their bio, "They played any place that would have them - bars, street corners, fringe festivals - as they developed their signature style of singing songs and yammering on that would make them the mildest form of famous."
Their debut self-titled album was released in 1992, and featured The Last Saskatchewan Pirate which has since been covered by groups including Captain Tractor and The Longest Johns. Around this time, Wood departed - making the group a trio.
"We started going further afield, and over the years the sketches kind of dropped off until it was just singing," said Strong. Their touring schedule took off, with the guys criss-crossing Canada several times a year.
Their second record, Russell’s Shorts, came out in 1994 and included Carrot Juice is Murder, which became the number one song on the Doctor Demento Show in 1995. Later that year they released C’est Cheese, which also marked the departure of Whytock.
Deciding to remain a trio, McCormick and Strong searched for a new member. And before too long, Chris Patterson, who they knew from the Queen’s Players, joined the group.
From here on in, their popularity continued to soar with the guys playing theatres instead of bars, and landing mainstage appearances at folk festivals across Canada.
Now, over three decades into a career where they have released 13 albums, they still relish the creative process - putting out a new song every month on their Patreon page, said Strong.
"People ask what inspires me, and I say deadlines," he added with a laugh.
He said it's a good thing, as it serves to stir up the creative juices, not to mention create a whole bunch of new tunes - many of which have landed on a new project set to be released in early March.
Musical ideas tend to come rather unexpectedly, he added.
"Sometimes, I'll just strum on my guitar, start singing, and see what comes out of my mouth. And if I'm lucky, something magically appears out of nowhere. It's really like doing improv by yourself."
As for Strong, music in general was a new thing essentially just before the Worms came to be.
"There was a lot of music in the group (initially), just not by me," he said. "My parents were theatre people so I would do the lights. But no, I didn't do any do any performing or singing."
Of course, that would change in a big way, as audiences far and wide have come to know and appreciate so well. And he wouldn't change a thing.
"Being paid to be a smart-ass is pretty awesome," he laughed. "It's hard not to like that - it's pretty good if you can get to that point."
Meanwhile, the guys have traded in the 12-hour-drives-incessant-touring-zaniness for smaller strings of shows now and then, and they are loving it the more relaxed pace.
But it still can be busy - for this upcoming stretch of performances, they are doing 13 shows in just two weeks.
"We are doing two shows on the first day of the tour, so we can wreck our voices," he joked. "it's going to be full-on. But Lacombe gets us early - nice and fresh!"
As to what they will hit the stage with, Strong has always written the set lists. "We do 20 or so songs, and about 10 of those are pretty much set. We have a bunch that people who come to our shows expect us to do.
"Besides that, we will shake it up! Sometimes, we will bring songs back from years ago, or try something new out for kicks. Other times, we will ask people on Facebook what they'd like to hear at a show."
Whatever lands in a given show, the goal remains the same - provide some delightful escapism and lots of laughs.
"Mainly, we are just trying to have fun. It's a good time! That's what we are trying to get."
Again, tickets are available at the Mary C. Moore Public Library, or by heading to lacombepac.com.
