The Warped 45s are looking forward to bringing some roots, rock and fascinating stories to the Slice, June 24.
The Toronto based band all have small town roots, which show on their new CD, “Matador Sunset,” which just came out, May 29.
They’ll sing songs about gospel, rum running Grandpa Carl, the northern Ontario bait salesman, trying to make a living in a dying town, but the main thing they want to you to do is get you moving and having a good time.
In the meantime, they are enjoying the first week of their tour of the CD.
“We haven’t played Lethbridge since 2009. I think it was next to what used to be an old fire hall,” said vocalist/ guitarist Ryan Wayne, just ready to strike camp at Golden, B.C, and continue the tour.
“We’re looking forward to being back and touring in B.C. and Alberta. It’s really about trying to develop a following in new cities. People like to see a band. We like to play music and see new faces,” he continued.
The band includes Wayne, cowriter/ singer/ guitarist Dave McEathron plus keyboardist/ multi-instrumentalist/ backing vocalist Kevin Hewitt plus drummer Hamal Finn Roye and bassist Alex Needleman. While the band’s roots are definitely in roots and folk music, they also blend more modern rock influences like the Tragically Hip, 54-40 and Blue Rodeo.
The CD drawn favourable response, which is to be expected as most the songs were already part of the live show and had been thoroughly road tested.
“ We’re happy about that and hope it continues. We’ve spent the last two years on the road, so we've been playing a lot of songs in the show, road testing them. So we chose the ones we though were working the best, and we added some ones at the last minute,” he continued.
The title track of the CD, “Matador Sunset,” is one of them which was inspired by being on the road.
“It’s a collection of road stories. John (Critchley, who produced the CD) and one of the record company guys liked it a lot, so we added it.”
Other songs, like “Grandpa Carl,” about the rum-running boater during Prohibition, are true stories.
“That’s my grandpa on my mom’s side. It’s about as factual as I could get it. Those are the stories I remember him telling me when I was growing up,” he continued.
Others, like “Blade Thrower’s Wife,” are not.
“Dave wrote that one. I can’t speak for him, but it’s about a character who puts so much into a relationship, but the other takes all credit,” he continued.
Still other songs, like ‘Live Bait,’ were born of observations on the road.
“Driving through Northern Ontario, we’d see all these little towns where the mill had closer, or the mine had been moved, and the only thing you’d see would be all these guys by the side of the road with signs saying bait for sale. Dave and I wrote the lyrics for that one. It’s hard to support an economy in area where the weather is not that great and where there isn’t that much industry.”
Other songs are just fun, like the gospel tinged rocker “ Grime of Earthly Glory.”
“None of us are really church-goers, but we have it in our backgrounds,” he continued adding Dave’s mother was an avid churchgoer growing up.
“But it seems to get people up and dancing,” he continued.
He said the band’s live show depends on the venues. They focus on their more rock or upbeat folk material for bar shows or on slower material for folk festivals.
“We’re there to have a good time and we get to meet a few people and maybe have a few soda pops,” he said.
They also trade lead vocal duties throughout the show, which leads to a variance of styles and sounds.
“It depends on the show. Probably Dave will sing six or seven of the 10 or I’ll sing three or four of them and the other guys sing such great harmonies. We spend a lot of time working on the vocal arrangements. So hopefully it shows,” he said.
“Dave an I are both always writing all the time. We just hope it will be something people can relate to. We give all of the songs a chance. Some of them might not work in rehearsal, or come together on stage. And all of the guys are such great singers. Harmonized vocals is always something I’ve been drawn to,” he continued.
Dave and I have been playing music since we were little, so we’re not going to stop doing it any time soon,” he said.
“We’re definitely looking forward to playing Lethbridge. The drive in is quite breathtaking and Alberta is such a great province for music.”
