Today is the day.
After being awarded funding from the Conseil et des arts et des lettres du Québec in 2016, I began work composing and arranging a handful of new songs, which eventually coalesced into the album I’m releasing today, entitled That Cold Year. It has been an amazing odyssey getting here, and this is probably the most intricate project I’ve worked on in my life.
Over two months in the fall of 2016, we recorded at a total of three different studios around Montreal: drum and bass tracks were laid at Seratone Studios before I spent a couple of days recording on a pair of pianos and a Hammond B3 at Studio 270; finally, we had the pleasure of finishing off the vocals and overdubs at the very cool Freq Shop. Overseeing the entire recording phase was my friend and unrivaled engineer, Max Desmarais. A lot of what sounds good on this record can directly be attributed to his unwavering need to get perfect takes in the studio.
Post-production was led by Terry Brown, of Rush and Blue Rodeo notoriety. His legendary talent added another dimension to the record, and really made me feel, for the first time, that I had achieved some kind of sound, while still staying true to my 1970s rock roots.
And the seeds from which all of this sprouted: my amazing band. Olivier Boyer-Masutti, Al McElcheran, Tim van de Ven all deserve a lot of gratitude for their incredible talent, which fuels my creativity whenever we play together. A special shout out also should be directed to Mélina Laplante, Carol Schumph, Jessica Diane Steiner, and Jon Davis, a few of the amazing back vocalists that lent a sweet gospel vibe to the proceedings.
The album is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music, or to download on iTunes. If you want to show some love without spending a dime, follow me on Spotify.
Updates will follow very shortly regarding the February launch shows, and subsequent Canadian tour.