Canada 1 Is Out Now
Ten years ago, I got a job with Air Canada, working as a reservations agent for their U.S. call center in Tampa. For the three years that I was under their employ, I hated every second of working in that office; answering phone calls all day just wasn’t my thing. So why did I stick around for so long?
Because of the benefits, of course. I love to travel. And – due to having kick-ass parents who liked taking family vacations north of the border – I’ve always had a fondness for Canada. With my job, I could go to any of the eastern provinces for 20 bucks. Flights to the central and western provinces would cost $30. And if I could find someone to cover my shifts (never a difficulty), I could go whenever I wanted to.
So I went. And went again. And went again. If I had no plans for the weekend, I’d hop a plane to Toronto. If one of my favorite bands – who never, ever made their way to Florida – happened to be touring in Canada, I’d head off to see them (The Divine Comedy in Vancouver, Tindersticks in Toronto, Broadcast in Toronto and Montreal). It was a lovely time, even though it eventually drove me to bankruptcy (the flights were practically free, but the hotel, poutine, and various entertainments definitely were not).
On all those trips, I brought my notebook with me. Whenever I’d get back home, I gather my notes together and pick up my guitar.
Canada 1 is the first of two (at the least) short EP’s gathering the songs that were inspired by my jaunts around the country. The first song – “Y.O.W.”, but you can call it “Ottawa” if you prefer – is about using my airline perks to run away from my problems, which is rarely a successful way to handle things. The second song – “Y.U.L.”, or “Montreal” – is about two people realizing that they’ve carved out a boring life for each other in one of the world’s most exciting cities.
“Y.O.W.” features a wonderful rhythm section comprised of J. Avery Vaughn on bass and Darrin Revell on drums. “Y.U.L.” features backing vocals by the lovely Christy Anderson. All of their efforts are greatly appreciated – this release wouldn’t be possible without their contributions.
You can stream the EP via the Soundcloud widget below. It’s free, don’t ya know – so feel free to hit that “download” button as you listen. If you prefer, you can listen to it over at the Bandcamp page as well. However you choose to listen to it, I thank you greatly for giving it some of your time.
Canada 2 will be released at the end of summer. The songs will take place in Vancouver and a large swath of Manitoba. I promise that neither will be named after airport codes.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for listening.
