New Album Out Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the release of my new album SCRAPPER.
I’ve got so many mixed feelings and emotions about putting a new piece of music out into the world right now. It’s one of those things that I’ve always felt so nervous doing in the past… Either out of fear of not being heard or accepted or that the music was still too pre mature and not ready. In other occasions it was the opposite… Where I felt like I’d outgrown the songs… Just like the clothes that don’t fit me anymore. But this time around it’s a different story and sensation all together.
Considering the state of the world over the last 16 months, we’ve all experienced this universal trauma as one. Which sure makes it feel strange to be promoting my own music in these times. It’s been hard for me to justify and appears to be such small change in perspective to our bigger picture. However… through the process I’ve learned that I must share and not be too precious with this work. It’s not only part of my job but this is part of who I am…My hope is that this music, if even in the smallest of matters, can help you in some way.
On an intense September day in 2020 we cut all of these 10 songs live off the floor in one session at Riverdale Recorders in Edmonton, AB. Scott Franchuk was at the helm behind the board and engineering with Andrew Scott on Drums, Nigel Gale on bass and yours truly on guitar and vocals. Neither of these guys knew any of the songs going in. We rehearsed them for the first time the night before the session. I purposefully didn’t want anyone to know the music ahead of time so that there was no room to overthink or second guess the parts. I wanted the instruments to be played unconventionally and to leave an open space for complete spontaneity and trust in one another’s roles in serving the songs. Scott captured the moment.
Over the next few months I had the luxury of writing and recording all of the overdub parts between my apartment studio and my folks place in Sturgeon County. Everything was done remotely due to covid… We mixed and mastered the album over zoom. The outcome is SCRAPPER. Ten songs that speak about our existence and survival… Before, during and through this pandemic. There is a little fighter inside all of us and it’s rejuvenating to see us slowly coming through to the other side!
I see friends hitting the road again, folks are starting to gather around stages across the world, festivals are being planned for next summer. It’s a beautiful thing to be sharing some new music with you.
I’ve got all of my updated shows listed on my website and I will be planning an album release show in Edmonton and Calgary for when it feels safe to do so. I can’t wait to take this show on the road. BC - I will see you in November, Europe - I will see you soon enough as well.
For now, I want to thank all of you for your support and love over the last 16 months. I am really proud of this record and these batch of songs. I hope you check out the new album and that it might strike a chord in you.
Xoxo
Joe