10 years later, Black Pistol Fire is finally breaking through

Black Pistol Fire isn't entirely sure how it ended up being nominated for breakthrough group of the year.

The Toronto-born, Austin-based rock duo may be new to the Juno Awards, earning its first nominations this year (it's also up for rock album of the year), but guitarist/singer Kevin McKeown and drummer Eric Owen have been making music together for over a decade — and that's just in their current iteration as Black Pistol Fire. (The two first met in elementary school, and began playing music together in high school.) 

Owen notes that a band can't just leap into the group-of-the-year category without a previous Juno nomination, and that is true according to the Juno guidelines. But breakthrough group, an award that doesn't explicitly indicate something new but nevertheless implies a newness, feels like an odd fit. Black Pistol Fire's debut, self-titled album was released in 2011. Look Alive, the album that finally caught the attention of the Junos, is the band's sixth. 

That said, McKeown and Owen are still grateful for the recognition, and during a recent interview with CBC Music, even expressed excitement over attending the ceremony this year, noting the convoluted route they'll have to take between tour dates to fit it into their busy schedule. 

Black Pistol Fire officially formed when McKeown and Owen moved down to Austin, packing the firepower of a full rock band into just a guitar and drum setup. Their explosive sound is fuelled by the southern rock and blues of their new surroundings, placing them at the intersection of bands like the Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys and fellow Canadian rockers the Blue Stones and the Glorious Sons. Through opening gigs, festival slots and more relentless touring in between it all, Black Pistol Fire has slowly but surely gained a strong following, leading to millions of streams on Spotify alone. 

CBC Music caught up with McKeown and Owen ahead of the 2022 Juno Awards to discuss their nominations, what they think their biggest breakthrough moments have been, and what they think of the current state of Canadian rock. 

Black Pistol Fire is up for two Juno Awards this year: rock album of the year and breakthrough group of the year. The latter category is interesting because your band has been around for over a decade. How does it feel to be nominated for breakthrough group? 

McKeown: I think that's a category that I'm still unsure of. I'm not sure what consists of becoming a breakthrough act, but I think it's just nice to be acknowledged, that you're on somebody's radar. But like you said, we've been a band for over 10 years. 

Owen: It's funny, but great. I'll take anything. 

What were your personal breakthrough moments? When did you realize you had made it as musicians? 

McKeown: There's been so many milestones in the past five, six years. Just getting to play big marquee festivals was a really big deal for us as a band, getting to be onstage at places like Lollapalooza or Bonaroo. And then having a song do really well on radio in Canada a few years back. That meant a great deal to us because to actually get played on the radio in Canada, where all our friends and family can hear it kind of means a little bit more. They can understand more of the journey of how much work went into getting to that point. 

Owen: Our band never had this huge break. It's been constant little upticks, always. It's just been constant growth. I know, for me, something like selling out a show in London, U.K., way in advance was a huge moment that felt really good. Or playing a festival in Madrid. We got to play the main stage at Voodoo Fest five years ago, and the Foo Fighters headlined that night. They were one of my favourite bands growing up, if not my favourite, and I just remember 12-year-old me watching their videos on MuchMusic. If that 12-year-old only knew then that one day he was going to play with this band, he would start weeping. It's kind of a dream come true. 

But the biggest thing was, as Kevin said, the radio play and being on the Billboard charts for 10 weeks. We didn't expect ["Lost Cause"] to do that well, but it helped us in Canada a lot. Prior to that, we hadn't really toured Canada much. We had done Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, but not a lot of the other cities in between so that gave us the opportunity to be able to do that.

You two grew up in Toronto, but have since relocated to Austin, Texas. What was your time like in Toronto as musicians? 

Owen: Black Pistol Fire never existed in Toronto. The band actually didn't start until we were in Austin, but that's not to say we didn't play music there. Kevin, do you remember when we did those management showcases as Black Pistol Fire?

McKeown: Kind of, vaguely. 

Owen: It was interesting. This was a couple years into Black Pistol Fire existing, and we were trying to get a manager in Toronto. So we played this showcase and it was very strange; we played in a conference room and got turned down by a lot of industry people. There's no hard feelings, though. Things happen for a reason. But that was the only time Black Pistol Fire was a band in Toronto.

McKeown: But we would always come back around Christmas time. Every year since 2010, we'd come back to see family and it was always around that time, around middle-to-late December, where we were like, may as well do a Toronto show so all our friends and family can come out and see what we've been up to down in Austin. I loved playing venues like Lee's Palace, the Drake Hotel ... I have really fond memories of playing all these places and slowly watching more and more people show up. 

Owen: You name a small Toronto club and we've likely played it during Christmas. Every year a different place.

And that's really how you've built such a strong following over the years, right? I feel like a lot of early praise for the band was for its electric live performances. 

McKeown: Yes, in the beginning that was the kind of thing where, before there were streaming platforms and all these things, it was all word of mouth. When we were starting out, we were so used to playing in these small little clubs to nobody, maybe just a few people and the bartender. And in order to kind of cut through the noise and get people's attention, we would try to find ways to create a live experience that would have people going home saying, "Wow, who was that?" and make sure they came out the next time we rolled through that city. That was always the top priority in the beginning. Then, as time went by, we started really focusing in on the recording aspect: making albums, song crafting and the writing side. I think the bands we look up to the most are bands or artists that have captivating, explosive live energy, but they also have the catalogue and the songs to back it up. That's the band that we strive to be. 

In previous interviews, you've talked a lot about how Austin has this healthy competition mentality because of how many great musicians there are. Who are some artists who have inspired you, or pushed you to be better musicians? 

McKeown: There are so many great acts there. Gary Clark Jr. is somebody in Austin who's a bit of a legend in Texas in terms of blues, rhythm and rock. And we talk about him a lot because he was gracious enough to take us on the road so many times, and really expose us to a wider audience where we got to capture a whole new fanbase. We're forever grateful for that. Then there are guys like Shakey Graves, Blackillac —  

Owen: Spoon just keeps releasing good album after good album. They don't miss. 

McKeown: Then you have the rise of a band like the Black Pumas, who exploded over the last couple of years, and they're really holding down the solid throwback soul vibes. Austin's always been a melting pot for all these different artists and musicians who come to town, and you don't have to look too far in the city to be inspired, that's for sure.

Since you've been in Austin for so long, what are your thoughts on the Canadian rock scene and what's happening up there now?

Owen: It seems like it's doing really well. We've met the Beaches, those girls have some great music. Also the Blue Stones. Seems like a good amount of Canadian bands are starting to do well internationally as well. There's definitely some good stuff coming out.

McKeown: Right when the pandemic hit, we were actually on the road with the Glorious Sons and we really enjoyed those guys. As far as the Canadian rock scene goes, I'm sure there are tons of bands that are coming up right now that we're not even aware of, but that's one thing I always remembered when we were growing up in Canada, is that we had a lot of great Canadian rock 'n' roll going. Some were maybe not as known to the rest of the world, but there were complete treasures like Sam Roberts, Metric and the Sheepdogs. 

As mentioned before, you're a band that's been around for a long time now, and you're continuing to break through in new and exciting ways. What do you attribute to your band's longevity? 

Owen: Just the love of playing music. 

McKeown: That's it. I know how hard it is to cut through all the noise and be fortunate enough to have any kind of success in this career. So every year was just focusing on the love of writing and recording, and getting out in front of a live audience. Nothing will ever compare to feeling that energy from a live audience. The drive comes from wanting to honour that. Ten years is a long time to stay committed and driven, and remain together.

Wherever you are in the world, you can tune in to the 2022 Juno Awards on Sunday, May 15. You can watch live on CBC-TV and CBC Gem, listen on CBC Radio One and CBC Music and stream globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos.