In Tupelo Honey’s just-released single Best I Could, a song about the hardship of blue-collar life, there’s a line that goes, “As long as I can say I did the best I could.” And for new lead singer Dan Davidson, that’s pretty much the band’s motto these days.
In the last eight months this distinctive St. Albert born and bred rock band has experienced unsettling times followed by strong bursts of creativity.
Perhaps the biggest change is that Tupelo Honey parted ways with original lead singer Matt Landry. Their website states there was “no falling out or personal differences,” and they prefer to keep band business private.
However, Davidson, one of the group’s founding guitarists, did say this: “Officially he wasn’t committed to being a part of the band. It was the lifestyle. Matt was a good singer, but it was time for the band to go on to a new chapter. We’ve kept busy and since then our productivity has shot up.”
For the band musicians – Davidson, Tyler Dianocky (guitar), Steve Vincent (bass) and Greg Williamson (drums), it meant laying tracks for their first full-length album and going through the stress of auditioning new singers. But no one seemed right.
Davidson, who happened to be working with Shiloh, was encouraged to try out. The band approached producer Jeff Dalziel for consultation and Davidson received the go-ahead.
“I always did lots of singing and I had a big part in the melody. I think me stepping in was an easier transition for the band.”
While Davidson is the first to acknowledge he doesn’t perform Landry’s vocal acrobatics, he points out his strong voice with long, powerful notes adds its own dynamic. “It’s more rock and roll, but I can still connect with ballads.”
Tupelo Honey has also added Sturgeon County guitarist Brad Simons, a local gun for hire, to fill Davidson’s heavy riffing.
The band is particularly hyped about a recent publishing partnership with Casablanca Media, a firm that shops music to film and television directors.
One of their songs We Are from the Machines and Robots CD received airplay on the surfer animation Stoked and on Degrassi: The Next Generation. And royalty cheques go a long way in funding albums and concert tours.
“We were blown away. Degrassi is played in 30 countries. We’ve rerecorded all our strongest songs and they’re all being pitched. It’s exciting and it raises the band’s profile.”
As of yet, there’s no release date for the new album. “At the moment we’re trying to get support slots for concert tours in the fall. We want to see how the single does on radio and we want to get solid numbers.”
In the meantime, fans can get a free download of Best I Could at www.tupelohoney.ca.
