Grady brings dirty, rock and roll sound back to Fredericton
Published Thursday November 5th, 2009
A blast of thundering drum beats, rumbling guitar chords and howling vocals will shake the walls of Nicky Zee's next week as cowboy-metal kings Grady return to Fredericton.
Former Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson, who sings, plays guitar and is the chief songwriter in Grady, said the band is touring in support of its new album, Good As Dead.
He said they're having fun playing the new material in front of audiences.
"This record really sums us up pretty accurately," he said.
"It's the ongoing development of our sound and it's the stylistic statement we wanted to make. I think the first two records were evolutionary records and this one is kind of like, 'We're home. We're good. This is us.'"
Songs like Whatchewdid and Alberta Bones capture the spirit of boozy barrooms across Texas, while new takes on Willie Nelson's Whiskey River and The Tragically Hip's campfire classic Boots or Hearts are pure fun.
Johnson said Grady's version of Boots or Hearts found its way onto the album after an impromptu jam session in the studio.
"I'd never heard the song before," he said. "Our bass player (Big Ben Richardson) brought it to the studio and was like, 'Hey, what do you think of this song?' I hadn't heard a lot of Tragically Hip songs before, so I was like, 'Why don't you play me one?' and I thought that sounded really cool. I thought we could make that into a Grady song."
He said living in Austin, Texas gives him access to some of the best music happening today and allows him to record and produce albums by other artists at the famous Pedernales recording studio - a place owned by Nelson.
"I love bringing artists into that studio. Willie Nelson's studio has a spell," he said.
"When artists get in there, they get so inspired and it brings the best out of you. I've seen that happen to every artist I bring in that place."
The show starts at 10 p.m.
Music fans ready to party with Elliott Brood at The Capital Bar
An exciting mixture of sandpaper vocals and country-rock stomp makes Elliott Brood a fun band to see.
Capital region music fans will have that opportunity when the group returns to Fredericton on Nov. 10 for a performance at The Capital Bar.
Catchy tracks like Write It All Down For You, The Valley Town, and Without, Again show the band's ability to mix traditional instruments like the banjo with driving rock and roll drum beats.
Multi-instrumentalist and singer Mark Sasso said a lot of praise has been heaped upon their Polaris Music Prize-nominated album Mountain Meadows.
But he knew the band had something special as soon as the recording session wrapped.
"I think we had enough time to make the record we wanted to make. We didn't have to walk away with stuff undone," he said. "We were given time to make the songs that we wanted to make and have them come out exactly how we heard them in our heads. We were happy with it when it came out and all of the accolades aren't why you make a record. Those things are nice, but we knew we had something right from the get-go."
Sasso said Elliott Brood will soon embark on their first tour through the United States after they complete a quick swing through the Maritimes.
"We're going into uncharted territory," he said with a laugh.
"It's always nice to go play clubs you've heard about or always wanted to play. We're playing a couple of shows with Heavy Trash and we'll get to release our record down there. It's starting to get a bit of life down there now - only about a year and a half (after its Canadian release)."
The show will start at about 10:30 p.m.
Maple Blues Award nomination for Ross Neilsen & The Sufferin' Bastards
The intense work ethic and overwhelming talent that's become synonymous with Ross Neilsen & The Sufferin' Bastards has been recognized with a Maple Blues Award nomination. The band has been named as a finalist in the New Artist/Group of the Year category, and will learn if they've taken top honours when the winners are announced on Jan. 18, 2010.
Neilsen said the band is proud to be honoured with a nomination.
"This nod means a lot. We pride ourselves on being an extremely hardworking band and we're flattered to be acknowledged in this way," he said in a release from the road.
Adam Bowie is a staff reporter at The Daily Gleaner. If you have a community event happening, write to him at bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com.
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