Winnipeg based “roots swing” group The F-Holes aren’t as dirty as their name sounds though some of their songs from their latest CD “Angel in the Corner” suggest they have lead more interesting lives than they let on.
Crowd favourite “Even Stevens,” which tells the story of a man sleeping with a married woman and waking up with her husband’s gun pointed at his head, may or may not be based on a true story.
“People like it because it tells a story. Um, no comment,” laughed F-Holes’ stand up bassist, pianist and vocalist Patrick Alexandre Leclerc as to whether it is true.
“Um, just about.”
They will be winding up their current tour in Lethbridge, Sept. 17 at the Slice.
“It‘s the last show of the tour so we’ll be giving ’er because we don’t have another gig for two weeks. Just the long drive back to Winnipeg,” he said.
Some of them, like one of their live favourites “Learning How to Swim” are just stories.
“I haven’t killed anybody,” he continued.
He is surprised by how many people listen to the lyrics of their music. Most people get caught up in the sense of fun, the crazy outfits, the relentless rhythm and of course the horns.
“We’ll have people come up to us and say how much they liked the lyrics. It’s surprising because we didn’t think anybody listened to the lyrics,” he said.
They are pleased with their new CD.
“The songs are a little more concentrated because we wrote them with the band in mind. They are meant to not only showcase the band, but each of the players,” Leclerc said.
“We wrote them in between the first and second albums and we already had a sound in mind that we were going for. And they are a little bit more collaborative,” he said.
They used D-Rangers’ Jaxon Haldane as a producer for this CD and were pleased with the result.
“He’s a good guy, had some really good ideas and a great producer,” he said.
They are looking forward to returning to Lethbridge, being impressed with the sound system and enthusiasm they received in June, the last time they played.
They will be taking a few weeks off after this tour, then begin another tour out east which will actually bring them back to the Slice in November.
“We‘ve had some really good shows. We love Alberta,” he said.
The F-Holes play the Slice, Sept. 17 at 9:30 p.m. There is a $10 cover.
