The fire still Burns in Juno-nominated Regina musician

Marshall Burns has gone solo — with plenty of help from his friends — after more than a decade with award-winning indie-rock group Rah Rah.

Published Jun 23, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 4 minute read

Regina musician Marshall Burns, a former co-founder of Juno-nominated indie-rock group Rah Rah, has released a new solo album, I love My Friends. Supplied photo by Ringo Jedlic.

Regina’s Marshall Burns used to be known as a Rah Rah guy.

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However, after a decade of relentless touring with the popular indie-rock group, Burns’ single-minded focus has been replaced by a more casual approach to his reincarnation as a solo performer.

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“There’s no giant tour being booked or big publicity campaign,” says Burns, 34, who held a sold-out album release show on April 14 at The Exchange. “I just wanted to put the record out and have my friends come and watch the show. It wasn’t a full-time (commitment). I’m very open to doing more gigs but it’s not the main focus in my life.”

Burns does have some shows planned this summer, including a free concert on July 12 (7 p.m., Central Library) to launch the Regina Public Library’s monthly series, Music on the Mezzanine.

His new album — aptly titled “I Love My Friends” — is an ode to the people who helped get his self-funded project off the ground. He produced the tracks alongside close pal and fellow performer Chris Sleightholm, who has access to a studio. Several other friends were enlisted to contribute as musicians.

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“As long as I’ve been involved in making music in Regina, that’s always how it has been — people supporting each other and working on each other’s projects. It’s cool to be a part of that community,” says Burns, whose album can be found on Apple, Spotify, etc.

“It’s available for people who want to seek it out, but my relationship with music has definitely evolved in comparison to the Rah Rah days. There was so much focus on putting 100-per-cent of ourselves into that project. This project means a lot to me and I’m loving it but it’s all about keeping things in balance.”

Burns’ passion for music was forged early in life.

He began taking violin lessons around age seven before picking up a guitar at 12. Burns was writing songs almost immediately and, about two years later, started collaborating with Erin Passmore.

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Kyrie Kristmanson was next to join, helping launch Rah Rah in 2006 while they were still in high school. Kristmanson eventually left Regina to pursue her education and is now a professional recording artist in France.

Rah Rah in 2014. Photo by Chris Graham

Burns and Passmore welcomed some new faces to Rah Rah over the years, including Joel Passmore, Kristina Hedlund and Jeffrey Romanyk. The band released four full-length records and received a 2014 Juno nomination for alternative album of the year (The Poet’s Dead).

Rah Rah toured extensively across North America, Europe and even Japan before going on hiatus in 2016. The group briefly reunited three years later for a proper farewell.

“It was a pretty amazing experience,” says Burns, emphasizing that the group split on good terms. “My take on it now, with a few more years and distance to reflect on it, is the band just sort of ran its course. The way we approached that band was a huge commitment. It was our job.”

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That came with additional pressure to deliver on and off the stage.

Despite some mainstream success, the financial side was challenging.

“It’s a tough business to make a living,” notes Burns. “There was a point where we were a relatively successful band in certain ways and in other ways it was difficult to cover your rent and pay your expenses. I liked touring but it wasn’t easy all the time or necessarily romantic the way it’s sometimes depicted in movies. We were in a little bit of a middle ground that maybe was hard to sustain.”

Shortly after Rah Rah disbanded in 2019, Burns played a couple of sold-out shows at the Artesian in conjunction with the release of his debut solo record, Dogs and Booze.

Unfortunately, plans for 2020 were interrupted by the pandemic.

“I was grateful we got (the album) out, but disappointed that we didn’t get to do a bit more with it,” says Burns, who played just one show that year — a drive-in concert put on by the Regina Folk Festival.

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With live music at a relative standstill, Burns and Sleightholm turned their attention to a new record. “I Love My Friends” was born largely from existing songs that didn’t fit onto the previous record.

“Chris was gung-ho and supportive,” Burns says. “We usually get together every week or two to hang out anyway. So it was like, ‘Why don’t we just get together every week and make a record?’ We started chipping away at it. Fast forward a year later, we had a record.”

Along with his solo efforts, Burns has played in several local bands since Rah Rah’s demise, including Wolf Willow and the Alley Dawgs. The latter called it quits in December after a seven-year run, giving Burns more time for his own projects.

“I’ve really been focused on trying to pick and choose the music I’m doing,” he adds. “I’m at a place in my life where I want music to just be enjoyable and sort of in check with other priorities.”

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