HARD FACTS on Near To The Wild Heart Of Life

2012-2013: DEATH BY TOURING

Our second album, Celebration Rock, was released on June 5, 2012. In support of that album, we embarked on what seemed like an endless world tour. The so-called "Celebration Rock Tour" began on March 8, 2012 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and would continue, through heaven and hell, for nearly two full years. On November 10, 2013, after performing over 200 shows in over 40 countries, we played our final show in support of Celebration Rock in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We would not perform live again for three years.

2014: FROM STAGE TO PAGE

Having finally freed ourselves from the tentacles of touring, we decided to take the first half of 2014 off in order to rest and recover from the road. During this time, I moved from Vancouver to Toronto (and later, Mexico City), redefining our notion of 'home' and totally transforming the way we write/work. In the fall of 2014, we reconvened in New Orleans, renting a house where we could both stay and play while immersing ourselves in the sights and sounds of one of our favourite cities. As a slow and steady schedule of writing/rehearsing in Vancouver was no longer possible, we would spend the next year writing/rehearsing in similarly short and sporadic sessions together, always alternating between the handful of cities we now call (collectively) home.

2015-2016: THE DIFFICULT THIRD ALBUM

Our third album, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life, was written clandestinely throughout 2014 and 2015 in Vancouver, Toronto, New Orleans, and Mexico City. It was (mostly) recorded by Jesse Gander (who had previously recorded both Post-Nothing and Celebration Rock) at Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, BC (September-November, 2015). One song, True Love And A Free Life Of Free Will, was recorded by Damian Taylor during an exploratory recording session at Golden Ratio in Montreal, QC (February, 2015). The album was mixed by Peter Katis at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT (May, 2016) and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in New York, NY (July, 2016). Like Post-Nothing and Celebration Rock, the album is 8 songs. This is because 8 songs is the standard template for a great rock n roll album: Raw Power by The Stooges, Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen, Marquee Moon by Television, IV by Led Zeppelin, Horses by Patti Smith, Paranoid by Black Sabbath, Remain In Light by Talking Heads, Master Of Puppets by Metallica, etc. Like Post-Nothing and Celebration Rock, the album was sequenced specifically for the LP. On Near To The Wild Heart Of Life, side A (songs 1-4) and side B (songs 5-7) each follow their own loose narrative. Taken together as one, they form an even looser narrative, with the final song on side B (song 8) acting as an epilogue. Keen observers may also notice sequencing similarities to Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones.