After a successful Kickstarter, delays at the vinyl factory, and all the restrictions that come along with a pandemic, Corduroy Gordon’s first album, “Werewolves and High Tides”, is finally available for everyone to listen to on most online streaming platforms.
Releasing an album can be a hectic process during the best of times. During a pandemic, it’s even tougher. The band had hoped to book the St. Marys Town Hall Auditorium and throw a big album release party/concert, but alas, public gatherings are on hiatus until the vaccine is thoroughly distributed.
That hasn’t stopped the local band, comprised of Chet Greason (vocals, ukulele, harmonica) Emily Lagace (vocals, guitar, kazoo) Kevin Lagace (vocals, banjo) Dan Bechard (bass) and newest member Aimee Jesso (vocals, percussion, fiddle.) The Kickstarter they organized this past summer resulted in fans near and far opening their hearts and wallets for an early shot at the album, which helped to cover the costs of ordering all those vinyl records, CDs, and t-shirts.
A delay in production at the vinyl pressing plant meant the project was pushed back by almost a month, but the Kickstarter orders were finally delivered in late November. After that, it was just a matter of working out digital distribution and updating the website before “Werewolves and High Tides” was made available to the world at large.
The album is comprised of 10 songs, including eight originals and two covers. Most of the tunes are upbeat fusions of folk, bluegrass, and pop, with a handful of slower songs that even out the energy.
It’s not your typical album full of ballads about unrequited love. Instead, song topics include apocalyptic meteor strikes, ghost pirates, seasonal affectation disorder, blowing up the moon, a St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl, Dick Tracy, and the Vincenzo Natali science-fiction/horror film Cube. A few of the songs contain strong language, so the band is reminding listeners that it may not be appropriate for young children. Throw in two covers — one being the beloved Canadiana classic Log Driver’s Waltz, the other a genre-bender originally by rap icon Eminem — and you’ve got yourself one of the most eclectic albums of the year. It was mixed and recorded by Charlie McEvoy at In Tune Audio in Stratford. The cover art, as well as the designs that adorn the band’s new t-shirts, was done by Kevin and Emily’s incredibly talented son Eric Lagace.
The vinyl records, CDs, digital downloads, and other merchandise are now available through the band’s website, www.corduroygordon.com, and the entire album can be streamed on most online streaming platforms, including Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, and Amazon Music. The band hopes that listeners will like, share, and help spread the word about the new album so that, once the pandemic is over and the band can start performing live again, they can use it to shop themselves around to some of Ontario’s many music festivals. Plus, it’d be great to whip these new songs out at a live show and have everyone singing along!
The St. Marys Independent
St. Marys Ontario News
