Nashville culture inspires Alberta musicians

It’s a couple of rare songbirds that fly to Nashville, write 10 tunes around a theme and record an album live with an animation backdrop.

It’s pretty clichĂ©d to say that Alberta based musicians James Murdoch and Jay Sparrow think outside the box. But it’s this unconventional approach that is creating a buzz for their Nashville North concert at the Arden Theatre on Friday, Feb. 3.

Not only is the duo debuting their songs, but they also plan to record the concert in one take. While the music rolls out in the foreground, a black and white animation created by animator Matt Schuurman will play as backdrop.

Schuurman, who works in the vein of macabre illustrator Edward Gorey, has created a gothic, almost surreal look that complements the rootsy musical vibe.

Western Canadian Music Awards nominee James Murdoch was first tapped by the Arden to mount a concert. But he wanted to go beyond the scope of a performance.

The cultural Olympics performer was strongly inspired by Nashville, its history, the story-telling ambience and the song-writing camaraderie.

“It was a way that I could see home from a different point of view. I could write about Canada from a different perspective.”

But Murdoch didn’t just want to throw together songs about home. He had a bigger project in mind and invited Murder City Sparrows punk-rock guitarist Jay Sparrow to collaborate on a woven narrative of songs.

“It’s almost like a libretto for rock opera except it’s roots/country,” Murdoch explains.

Although both singer/songwriters had different musical styles, Sparrow was the ideal collaborator.

“I wanted a project that would be a challenge. I knew he would take something out of me that I wouldn’t get from someone else. We definitely kick each other’s comfort zone and push the boundaries.”

Never having worked together, the duo spent two weeks in Nashville last August soaking up the culture and working out a steep learning curve.

“It was unbearably hot and there was lots of music happening. It was long days and we condensed a vast amount of stuff in that time,” recalls Sparrow.

“We were sitting in different studios, parks and historic spots. We had two guitars and worked on it until something started to make sense.”

What came out of it were 10 songs about two people – Madeline and Lavadeire – born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec at the turn of the 20th century. As teenagers they have a crush on each other and as life unfolds they make their way across Canada. They have up and down love affairs, miscommunication and suffer personal tragedies before meeting up in the Yukon.

Murdoch is originally from the Yukon and the real Lavadeire, a long-time resident of the northern territory inspired the storyline.

“He was a lonely neighbour of James. He would grow vegetables and feed a small community and we found it romantic,” Sparrow says.

Rounding out the duo is a five-piece band with St. Albert’s Nathan Carroll (pedal steel and guitar), Morinville’s Chad Melchert (drummer), Dustin Roy (bass), David Aide (piano), Brock Tyler (mandolin/guitar).

Excited about the upcoming concert, Sparrow says, “When you’re recording a record you usually have lots of opportunities to record. With this concert, there’s only one opportunity to get it right. It’s scary, but it adds an adrenalin rush and excited energy.”