Another Day
I grew up on stage.
Both of my parents are musicians, so I spent my summers on the road (often sharing the backseat of the car with my brother, Gabriel, and two guitar cases). My mother likes to joke that if I’d been a real rebel, I would have become a chartered accountant, not a musician. Instead, I followed in their footsteps after having grown up watching my parents perform onstage and occasionally, getting the chance to go up and sing something with them! I even have distinct memories of sitting at the merch table selling CDs at venues like the Calgary Folk Club–I always loved drawing the merch price signs and counting the $20 bills at the end of the night.
Just Another Day
My upringinging is part of the reason that I have felt so privileged to perform at festivals. The folk community is one that I cherish and so to be invited to play at one is always special. It may seem odd to some, but growing up, going to folk festivals was just another day. For me, the pandemic meant being isolated from the folk festival community that I love so much. I hadn't realized how important that connection was until it was missing due to the pandemic. Like many people during the lockdowns, it felt like having so much time at home should mean being much more productive. Instead, it started feeling like every day was the same with no end in sight. And, in case you hadn't noticed, this song is about being stuck in a rut. I hope that if you feel like I did when I wrote this song, you can take the time for some self care.
Early Demo Recording
One of the interesting side effects about recording in a pandemic was that I wasn’t able to rehearse with my band members before the actual studio session. Instead, I recorded first drafts at home (my voice and my mandolin) and I sent it so that my musicians could record their parts at remotely. I finally put it back together at home to get an idea of what it might sound like. This particular track had a lot of the arrangement picked out from the start. I thought I would share this early demo because this strange process led to the backup vocal lines and the whistle solo on the album. I was recording at home alone, and after recording the lead vocal and mandolin, I had time to explored how to fill the sound out with washy backup vocals, as well as trying to whistle in harmony. I don’t think I would have taken the time to try those had I not been doing it alone first.