An unexpected foray into americana yields classic sounds with a fresh twist.
Music’s winding road sometimes takes unforeseen turns. Sam Salmon & the Grand Manan Bandits is one of those projects that seemingly appear out of nowhere, making you glad for such detours. Formed by the members of Canadian punk trio Motherhood (Brydon Crain, Penelope Stevens and Adam Sipkema) and guitarist Keith Hallett, the band share their love for alt-country with their debut album “Down for Life”. However, the Sam Salmon project had been in development for a long time. The opener, ‘If I Needed You’, is a song originally written in 2013 (if the pandemic also stripped you of your bearings, that’s over a decade ago!), under the telling title ‘Country No. 1’, which remained unchanged until very recently.
“Down for Life” is a fun and to-the-point love letter to americana. Here you won’t find an attempt to reinvent the wheel or any pretentiousness. Just a collection of alt-country ballads with touches of rockabilly that boast enjoyable, thoughtful lyrics, or as the band puts it, “three chords and the truth”. Timeless themes of struggle, drinking, lonesomeness and romance are revamped with a modern sensibility and a narrative voice that’s both serene and self-deprecatingly honest.
“You say I’m riddled with doubt
You figured it out
You say I’m squaring up, fair enough
But don’t quit on me now
I’ve been spending time creeping around
As if I was a ghost
I know that no one likes losing
But I don’t like losing the most”
Even the use of classic imagery (old dusty backroads and six-shooter-toting cowboys included) comes across as fresh thanks to the way the band combines it with an overall feeling of messy youth. Unlike other artists who attempt an overly serious play on themes that can hardly harmonise with modern living, Sam Salmon and team play with these ideas as you might don a costume for the night, finding some truth in the fun of it. If anything, coming from other genres provides a different perspective and a sound that surges with personality. Much love is clearly put into each song, in a homage you’ll be glad not to miss out on.
