THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Friends, I’m proud to announce the release of my new record Lost Country on Department Store Records.
Not unlike my previous theme records with my band Lost Country — A Bakersfield Half-Dozen and We Gotta Lotta Truckin’ To Do, and to an extent our debut together, Music for Taverns, Bars and Honky-Tonks — we aimed to turn back the clock to play country music the way we love to hear it. Presented with passion and respect. and accompanied by a stellar group of veteran musicians, we’re updating the classic honky-tonk template with 10 tracks that pay tribute to many of Canada’s forgotten country music heroes, most of whom never became known outside of their home regions. I’m talking legit local legend, regional star status.
This record is the culmination, or really the continuation of my ongoing work to preserve and promote Canada’s country music legacy. It all began when I served as host of Boots & Saddle on CKUW (Dec. 2016-May 2022) and further investigated on the podcast The Northern Report, launched in 2021.
Although Canadian country music history is focused around the artists who managed to find success south of the border, the truth is that those who never made it down there created music that was just as good, or even better, than their more famous peers. With Lost Country, I’m doing my part to give these artists, musicians and songs their due. This is my love letter to the regional record labels like Arc, Boot, Paragon/Marathon, Rodeo, Banff, etc. And it’s my greatest contribution to Canada’s canon of country music.”
