SPILL FEATURE: LIVE LOUD – A CONVERSATION WITH CONE McCASLIN OF SUM 41

LIVE LOUD

A CONVERSATION WITH CONE McCASLIN OF SUM 41

Live Loud is returning for its second year on September 10 at Massey Hall in Toronto! Presented by the non-profit organizations the Matthew Perry House and Make Music Matter, the Live Loud benefit concert will honour the memory of beloved Canadian actor Matthew Perry, amplify awareness of mental health and substance use health, reduce stigma around mental health and substance use health, and support those on the path of healing and recovery. Hosted by Lauren Ash and Bruce McCulloch, the concert features an amazing lineup of incredible musicians, including Bif Naked, Sum 41 members Cone McCaslin and Dave Baksh, Fefe Dobson, Sekou Lumumba of Big Wreck, The Strumbellas, and Todd Morse of The Offspring, among many more. Proceeds from ticket sales will support mental health and addiction recover initiatives. Ahead of the Live Loud concert, I chatted with Cone McCaslin of Sum 41.

“I’ve been involved with Make Music Matter for a long time now,” he shares. “Darcy [Ataman] always has some great ideas on how to raise money and awareness, so when he decided last year to partner with Caitlin [Morrison] and the Matthew Perry House, the concert sounded like a great idea. We did it last year, and it was a great success, and a lot of fun for everybody, and raised some money, so here we are again this year. He was like, ‘You want to do it again?’ and I said, ‘Hell yeah, Darcy! Let’s do it again!’ This lineup is awesome too. Dave and I are both doing it, and we’re playing with different musicians. This year we’re playing with our friend Todd from The Offspring, Ale [Serritiello] of The Creepshow, who has been filling in on drums for Billy Talent a little lately, and our friend Hill [Kourkoutis], who has been a friend of mine for a long time; she’s gonna be on keyboards. We’re gonna be doing a cover. I don’t want to give it all away. We’re gonna be bringing up another friend of ours, Menno [Versteeg] from Hollerado on guitar. Lots of people playing with us this year.”

McCaslin is happy to be part of the Live Loud concert again and to see some familiar faces. “It’s just nice to see people you haven’t seen for a long time come together and do it for this cause and seeing how passionate people are,” he says. “It’s gonna be great to see some old friends like Menno from Hollerado. I do a radio show, so I’ve talked to some of these people on it, like Bif Naked. Will be cool to see my old friends, The Strumbellas. Fefe Dobson I haven’t seen her in, I don’t know how long. It’s probably been 25 years since I’ve seen Fefe, so that will be cool. My friends from Billy Talent a couple of them are showing up… Last year there were Billy Talent, Dallas [Green] of City And Colour, Hank Azaria, Serena Ryder, and Kevin Drew. I’ve known all these people for so long, but then it’s awesome when these charity events get put on, and everybody is into it, wants to do it, and wants to help. I think that is the best thing, just seeing all these great musicians do this all for a great cause. Obviously, we are not getting paid. It’s all going to these charities so that’s nice to see because musicians get stuck in this thing of touring and making records and touring and making records their whole career and its for fans and its for your career but when something like this gets put on it becomes one of those things like ‘Oh this is a great thing we can do for other people that are in need.’ Matthew Perry House obviously deals with addiction and mental health and Make Music Matter does a lot of stuff in Africa, so I think it is just great when musicians can all get together and do something good for other people.”

Audiences can expect to hear some magnificent music at the concert! McCaslin is really looking forward to playing some songs from The Operation M.D., a side project he does with Todd Morse of The Offspring. “We just don’t get to play those songs very often because me being in Sum 41 and him in The Offspring, we’re busy all the time,” he says.

Additionally, musicians and performers can tell stories they have of Matthew Perry or share their own experiences of dealing with trauma, mental health challenges, or substance use challenges. “I played with Hank Azaria last year, and we did some [Bruce] Springsteen covers, and he was very close with Matthew Perry, so he said some words about Matthew,” McCaslin states. “If musicians and performers feel comfortable speaking, then they will. Last year a couple of people did, and a couple of people didn’t, but we’re all there for the reason of helping the Mathew Perry House and Make Music Matter.”

Since its release, one of Sum 41’s most timeless songs, “Pieces,” has resonated deeply with fans struggling with mental health struggles, loneliness, and loss of identity. “The first line kind of says it all: ‘I tried to be perfect, but nothing was worth it,’” McCaslin shares.  “When we released that in 2004, we had a lot of young fans, obviously, at the time and growing up as a teenager, as we all know, there is a lot of pressure of what are you gonna do after high school, and what’s your plan for the future. All that stuff starts to weigh on your shoulders as a teenager because you are basically forced to map out your life as a 16- or 17-year-old and that’s a lot of pressure, so I think that song really struck a nerve with that generation of people and that age group of people. Then, as time goes on, I think people can still listen to that song and think about their own situation in life, and I think it’s just one of those emotional songs for people that you can self-reflect and know that you don’t have to grow up trying to be perfect all the time. We all have flaws. We’re all human. We’re not perfect people.”

For those looking for a nice night out with great music while supporting an important cause, be sure to catch Live Loud on September 10 at Massey Hall in Toronto. “There are a lot of great performers, and it’s gonna be a fun night for everybody, but I think when these types of concerts come along, when you can actually do something for other people and donate to these charities that are doing great things, I think that’s the biggest reason [to come],” McCaslin states. “We all live our lives in this world. Most of us have jobs, and we’re trying to make money for ourselves and our family and stuff like that, but there’s this other side in life where you have to look at where people aren’t in the situation like we are. We live in Canada, and we have socialized healthcare, so we can go to the hospital or see a doctor whenever we want. We have food available all the time for us, and I’ve been to the Congo – Sum 41 went to the Congo in 2004 – and that’s not the case over there. If you can think of people that are less fortunate in other parts of the world, I think that’s a big reason to go to this concert and other events like this is to give back and to help other people in other parts of the world that don’t have what we have over in Canada. So yes, you are gonna go and hear some great music, and it’s gonna be a fun time, but you’re also doing this other thing while you’re doing that. You’re donating to these charities that go boots on the ground over in Africa and boots on the ground helping people with addictions and mental health problems. For me, I’ve been doing charity work for a long time now, and it’s very fulfilling to be able to help like that. So, know that if you’re buying a ticket to this, you are doing just that: you are helping other people… There’s gonna be lots of prizes, there’s gonna be a lot of guests on each others’ songs, and you’re helping Matthew Perry House and Make Music Matter, who are doing good things around the world.”

Sum 41 Links

Cone McCaslin Links

Matthew Perry House Links

Make Music Matter Links

Live Loud Link