Someone once heard someone else saying that “touring Canada is like walking back and forth in the hallway of an awesome party, you keep meeting back up with cool people along your way”.
For years, Five Star Homeless, Cracker Cats and Canary Mine have been sharing stages all across the Canadian provinces. It was in Saskatchewan were this story ends and begins.
It was in Mortlach, Saskatchewan for the Saskatoon Berry Festival. I was there to perform a set of urban hip-hop music. Looking out at the audience of Saskatchewan farmers, it just didn’t feel right.
So, mid-afternoon, I asked around and put together what I called “The Jimi Maze Bluegrass Band”. With fiddle, banjo, guitar, stand up bass, and myself on the mic, we pulled off a set like nobody had never heard before, and we liked it a lot.
That’s when Harley suggested that we should record this record. I was to return to Saskatchewan in 5 weeks time, why not we make an album in the Five Star Homeless studio?
On July 4th, we played the Saskatoon Berry Festival in Mortlach, Saskatchewan.
On August 18th, 2008 I arrived in Saskatoon from Alberta and played that night at Flint with Mark Caesar.
On August 19th, Five Star Homeless returned to Saskatoon from Manitoba. Harley and I did some rehearsing and set-up the studio. Matt was suffering from listeriosis, and was unable to join in.
On August 20th, I sat at Guy’s kitchen table and adjusted my chord charts. That night, we rehearsed in the studio. Melissa and Eliza from the Cracker Cats ladies arrived later with two carload’s of party people. We drank and rehearsed into the late-night.
On August 21st, we made the recording. Everything was live-off-the-floor, using six Shure-58 microphones, into a six-channel mixer, into a stereo reel-to-reel ¼ inch tape recorder. We’d ask “can we overdub a harmony?” “can we edit out that mistake?”, and Harley kept saying “We’re using 1938 technology here!” The answer was “no”.
At 11pm, we wrapped up the record. Harley had to work at 4am. Guy had to work at 6am. The Cracker Cats had some sort of going away party to get to. Harley handed me the reel. I had to make the 10-hour drive to Winnipeg to play the next evening.
Thanks for the add!! You can also keep with us through our website, Twitter, PureVolume, and Facebook. Also, be prepared for our EP, releasing this fall!
Hey1 Thanks for the add! On a rainy day like today, it was great to sit inside and listen to some fantastic music. Good-luck to you and your music in 2009! Have a great weekend and take care! - Pat
This is awesome! Maybe Yo' Momma has new life breathed into it. I'm diggin this. I just wrote a song involving crackers and homelessness -maybe a different kind of cracker, more like saltines.
