Word just came down the pipe that Current Swell, one of Victoria’s hardest working bands, will headline St. Albert’s Canada Day live concert along with Shred Kelly and Locarno.
Co-founded by St. Albert-raised Scott Stanton and Dave Lang, Current Swell, known for its mellow folk-rock vibe, coincidentally just released their sixth studio album – When To Talk and When To Listen.
The 11 tracks tell stories about the human condition. At the album’s emotional core are songs that chart romantic heartbreak and spurned love to songs about the profound loss of a parent.
But there is no more interesting story than the title track that came about after Lang’s father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and given one month to live.
At the time, Lang’s wife was pregnant with his first daughter. Lang sat at his father-in-law’s bedside hanging on every word the older man said. He wanted to remember as much as possible to pass onto his yet unborn daughter about the grandfather she would never meet, explained Stanton.
Cancer is a disease that touched both singer-songwriters. Stanton was the first to experience loss after his mother, Marsha, died of breast cancer when he was in Grade 9.
“I still have an inner dialogue with her,” he explains. The song Marsha is dedicated to her as the one woman who still listens without judgment.
“I wrote, recorded and demoed the song in literally two hours,” says Stanton laughing, but is quick to point out most songs take much longer to tweak and massage into polished perfection.
At first it is difficult to imagine this foursome – the full crew includes Chris Petersen and Ghosty Boy – once dubbed a surf rock band for their light catchy hooks and sensuous West Coast grooves, as tackling heavy material.
Yet their deep love of prairie rooted music and admiration for recording artists such as Neil Young and Bob Dylan, singer-songwriters who touch the soul, is evident in their work.
Some of the credit goes to Grammy-winning producer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, Norah Jones) who produced the CD over four weeks in both Nashville and Vancouver.
Unfortunately their first session at Nashville’s famed Blackbird Studios got off to a rocky start. So were the guys goofing off?
“Everybody in the studio that day was on a high. Here we were, four dudes from Victoria in the most famous studio in Nashville and there was so much gear around us. We were really excited. But we’d play three chords and someone would stop. And then we’d play another four chords and someone would ask a question. Jacquire wanted momentum and gave us a talking to. We went for a walk and decided he was captain of the ship,” says Stanton.
From that moment on, the action flowed smoothly. Current Swell had the option to work with three different producers.
“At the end of the day, Jacquire was the best suited for our songs. He had the right vibe. He would offer positive encouragement and tweak songs – real simple things, but smart choices. We made sure we went through everything with a fine tooth comb.”
Current Swell put a lot of legwork into their tours before Nettwork and Sony came into the picture. With the album’s release on May 12, the band was committed to a 10-day American West Coast tour from Seattle to San Diego opening for The Cave Singers.
So what was the highlight?
Without hesitation Stanton responds, “surfing. Seattle was almost sold out and we see the crowds getting bigger. But we stayed put in Santa Cruz for four days surfing.”
Stanton grew up skateboarding and performing tricks. After moving to the West Coast, riding the surf was a natural transition.
“It’s about freedom. You’re riding nature. You’re riding a wave that comes from across the other side of the ocean and you have to be there at the right time, the right moment. You’re not performing. You do it for yourself. It’s a private moment.”
The West Coast tour was a return to the trenches to polish their act for a September European tour through England, Netherlands, Germany and Austria opening for Dispatch.
“We did a smaller tour in the States with them and really got along well. They have a great live show and a good message in their band.”
Shy about growing moss on their feet, the band performs about 120 gigs a year at concert halls, festivals and clubs.
“We’re excited to come back to St. Albert and we can’t think of a better way to spend Canada Day. And I’ll bring my dog.”
