DEARLY BELOVED

The Jaguars of Rock Dearly Beloved go on the prowl from Toronto’s urban jungle and pounce

by Christine Leonard September 21, 2006 When singer-songwriter and bassist Rob Higgins embarked on the journey of creating his new album You Are the Jaguar, he was so involved in wrestling with his personal demons that he couldn’t see the forest for the trees. Emerging from the shadow of successful groups such as Doctor, Change of Heart and Our Lady Peace, the Toronto-based Higgins yearned to move away from the energy-sapping teamwork approach that required him to constantly be at the mercy of his bandmate’s personalities. Add to that the inestimable stress he experienced while keeping vigil at his father’s deathbed and soon it became apparent, even to Higgins himself, that he needed to step away or risk succumbing to the mental cancer of depression and hopelessness. "I was having trouble getting down to work on the new album," says Higgins. "I was focusing so much on my father and his circumstances that I was losing my own mind. Seeing him struggling with cancer day after day in the hospital, I just lost my shit and took off and sat on the beach for a week. I was having all kinds of anxiety and panic attacks and finally getting away gave me a chance to relax. Once I calmed myself down everything gelled and I was able to finish the album quite quickly. My little excursion to Florida left me with a much better outlook and I was able to continue to be an active contributor." Upon returning from his self-imposed solitude with a suitcase full of songs and an acoustic guitar in tow, Higgins set about arranging his masterpiece. Pouring out all of his rage and angst he crafted an album that is surprisingly upbeat. Resplendent with heavy bass riffs, hard-rockin’ guitar licks and passionate he/she dual vocals, his cathartic musical venture goes far beyond the typical turning lemons into lemonade scenario. "The record is an extension of what I was going through during that period but it was never meant to be sad," Higgins acknowledges. "I wanted to make a record that was irreverent and makes you wanna shake your ass and to celebrate living more than mourning. That’s the only way I could deal with things, I couldn’t stand to be negative, that was the last thing I wanted, it was much more important to me to remain positive." Drawing on his need to vent and his love of performing for a crowd (this long-time groupie is the nephew of Rush’s Geddy Lee), Higgins discovered that his most painful experiences could be the most rewarding as he came to appreciate the kindness and support of the friends and family members who rallied around him in his time of need. Morphing from a solo act to a full fledged band in a matter of weeks, Dearly Beloved came to encapsulate fast friends and co--conspirators. Joining Higgins onstage are vocalist Niva Chow (Sticky Rice), guitarist Damon Richardson (Danko Jones), guitarist John Pogue (Change of Heart) and drummer Alex O’Reilly (Doctor). "Dearly Beloved is really just a vehicle to make our own records and not wait for anyone else," Higgins admits with a chuckle. "The name reminds us not to let things get to us and to remember the love in life. I feel the band name Dearly Beloved made sense because of who’s involved – close, trusted friends. It speaks to the great wells of strength that we have inside and how strong humans can be. It’s very admirable and inspirational. The feeling when we play live is primal and full of raw aggression, we really get into playing and it’s quite intense." Once again finding himself immersed in a group setting, Higgins is eager to take his band on the road and has planned an extensive two-month stint cordially dubbed the "Rugged Casual Tour." This much-anticipated round of live performances was chiefly arranged by ex-Trailer Park Boys Cory Bowles who invited Dearly Beloved to join the bill of his own band, Aide-de-Camp, and recognized the rocking potential that lurks within the artistic depths of You are the Jaguar. Having made peace with his past, Higgins looks forward to a bright future, one that he faces with unbridled confidence and optimism. "I’ve studied the cultures of the ancient Maya and Aztecs, so I chose the title You are the Jaguar because it represented their warrior class and what my father went through with his illness was almost like going to war. Even if war is not something you can actually relate to, in times of crisis life is reduced to the fundamentals and you have to stop and take stock. It just kept sticking with me as an image. Symbols like the jaguar are drawn from base elements and there’s no putting limits on those. No sense of pressure, just good stuff."