Better in Stereo with The Honest Heart Collective
As told to Shannon Lepere and Rebekah Skochinski, Photo by Erin Collins of Blueprints and Shannon Lepere
The Honest Heart Collective has gone from four to two, coming out the other side with a new acoustic EP, a tour with Matthew Good, and a full-length album waiting in the wings. We sat down with Ryan and Nic MacDonald to chat about music, their Westfort upbringing, and what’s next for the two brothers who collectively still have a lot of heart.
The Walleye: Your first band was named after the street you grew up on in Westfort, which got you through your teen years (until Nic was old enough to join the band, that is). When did The Honest Heart Collective take shape?
Ryan: I retired from music and I went to school, and I was going to go become a recording engineer, which I did. And then I couldn’t find any bands to record because I lived at my dad’s house in Ottawa, and we were on the other side of town from campus. So I just started writing my own songs for my school assignments, and then that became The Honest Heart Collective.
TW: How would you describe the Westfort neighbourhood?
Nic: It’s a place where you can drink a beer on your front stoop and no one cares. Actually, my girlfriend and I, last October, purchased a house in Westfort. We’re on Francis Street now. It’s the same block, just the other side of Amelia. So, yeah, I can see my childhood house from the back lane. It’s beautiful. I just love the neighbourhood. We’re so close to the train yard, too. So the trains just rock you to sleep.
TW: The band has had some significant changes this year. Can you share with us what these last few months have been like?
R: It’s been kind of tough. We’ve been a band for over a decade now. And, inevitably, life catches up. You know, we’re no longer 22 years old, touring in my old Chevy Astro playing for whoever will listen. It’s now at a point where money is a big obstacle. And responsibilities and people’s partners and pets and houses and rent and bills come first, and we really did our best to try to accommodate that, especially in a post-pandemic world. Unfortunately, for some of us, it just wasn’t quite sustainable. Jay and Kevin had to leave the band this year, which was sad. I think it will always and forever be a soft spot, you know, because we sort of prided ourselves on being a band of lifetime friends and they weren’t like family, they were family.
TW: And yet through all of that you’ve been performing and you recently released an acoustic EP. How did that come about?
R: So, I’m always kind of working on something. I don’t write a lot of songs, but there’s always something. They’re usually voice memos on my phone, and sometimes they never see the light of day. But for this time around I started recording them at our studio. We needed to put something out—that bridge piece—and we sort of found it in a couple of these songs that I had written.
TW: Is there a favourite song?
R: The title track, “The Lower End of Expectations,” is probably one of my favourites that I’ve written in a while. It’s a very personal, almost sort of a letter to somebody, talking about one of my own insecurities about not being enough for somebody. I’m really proud of the way that I was able to write those feelings down and put them to that melody.
N: My favourite song on the EP is “She Isn’t You.” It’s more upbeat, a little more fun, and could be a great song to have a full band rendition of one day.
TW: And one day a new full-length album?
R: It’s been done since December of last year. It’s our best work and I don’t think I could leave this thing with my head held high if I didn’t give this record a chance.
N: Yeah, it keeps us motivated. It keeps our eye on the prize.
TW: From your early days to now, are there any career highlights that stand out to you?
R: I think a highlight for me is just now in the hallway when JP [Jean-Paul De Roover] told me he loved the rock photo of me throwing my guitar up in the air that got captured when we were at the All Your Friends Fest. Earning that respect from our peers both locally and abroad is a big career highlight for me.
TW: What’s the best thing about being a musician?
R: It’s hearing people’s stories when they tell you how your music’s affected them and impacted their lives. We’re very grateful to be a part of people’s stories.
The Honest Heart Collective will be playing a live edition holiday special on December 14 at The Outpost.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To hear more, find the expanded interview on our Better in Stereo podcast on Spotify, iHeartRadio, and more.
