The Sheepdogs promise non-bummer pandemic rock and roll with new album Outta Sight

Outta Sight will be out June 3 via Warner Music. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Hailing from Saskatoon, The Sheepdogs are one of Canada’s most successful bands amassing a legion of fans worldwide with their rich harmonies, rounded guitar tones and classic rock influenced sound. The Sheepdogs have had 9 top 20 songs including 3 number one singles in their native Canada. Their albums Learn & Burn and The Sheepdogs both went platinum and yielded the platinum singles “I Don’t Know” and “Feeling Good.” They were the first unsigned band on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine, performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon twice and have been nominated for 10 Juno Awards, winning four. Their new album Outta Sight will be out June 3 via Warner Music. (The Sheepdogs, 2022)

The Sheepdogs took all of their pandemic-induced feelings from the past two years and channeled them into the one thing that made sense: good, old-fashioned, non-bummer rock and roll music. The band—Ewan Currie, Ryan Gullen, Sam Corbett, Jimmy Bowskill, and Shamus Currie—were, like the rest of us, confused, cast ashore, and feeling isolated during COVID, but their output during that time produced the grooviest, simplest, and most penetrating album of their career, Outta Sight. With no roadmap and an overall uncertainty hanging over the universe, the band circled up, plugged into their amps, shared riffs and melodies, and leaned on each other for inspiration. The guys say it was the least prepared they have been while cutting a record since their self-titled album in 2012, but bassist Ryan Gullen calls the music they made a “life raft,” claiming that their initial sessions for Outta Sight saved them from their anxieties. “Playing rock music kept us grounded…kept us going.” 

The Sheepdogs shared another piece of Outta Sight with album-track “So Far Gone,” a J.J. Cale-sounding slow burner recorded with a vintage Rhythm Ace drum machine and fuzzy, straight-into-console electric guitars. Keeping with a simple “get in the room and play the song” mentality, the band landed on most of the album’s final tracks within three or four takes, letting a vibe, rather than a concept, guide their hands. Fans can hear “So Far Gone” now at this link, check out the Sheepdogs’ previously-released single, “Find The Truth,” right here, and pre-order or pre-save Outta Sight ahead of its June 3 release here. The Sheepdogs’ North American tour throughout the fall is on sale now. A full list of tour dates can be found below.

The strength of The Sheepdogs in full throttle straight-up appeals to your senses. Without pretension, it is urgent, rhythmic, clear, and fun; it is a break from slick production and gazing at your navel and proclaims the joy and jubilation of drums, bass, horns, and electric guitar. The Sheepdogs make tunes that make you nod your head. The artistry, however, beneath the stadium riffs—the harmonies, the multiple guitar parts, the groove behind a rhythm section that hangs out together when they are not on the clock—is battle-honed and spit-shined between vans, garages, thousands of soundchecks, and, yes, headlining shows. 

“Rock ‘n’ Roll is about cheering us up. Simple as that. We hope our music does the same for the listeners at a time where things still can feel very tough. There’s no greater truth than rock ‘n’ roll.” – Ewan Currie

Catch The Sheepdogs on tour:
September 16 – Fredericton, NB / Harvest Music Fest
September 18 – Charlottetown, PEI / PEI Brewing Company
September 20 – Burlington, VT / Higher Ground
September 22 – Montreal, QC / MTelus
September 23 – Quebec City, QC / Palais Montcalm
September 24 – North Bay, ON / Capitol Centre
October 7 – Bristol, UK / Thekla
October 8 – Manchester, UK / Gorilla
October 9 – London, UK / Electric Ballroom
October 13 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
October 14 – Belleville, ON – The Empire Theatre
October 15 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm Studios
October 17 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
October 18 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
October 20 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall
October 21 – Washington, DC – Union Stage
October 22 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
October 24 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
October 25 – Nashville, TN – Basement East
October 26 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade – Purgatory
October 28 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs)
October 30 – Dallas, TX – Tulips
November1 – Austin, TX – The Ballroom
November3 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi Fi
November4 – Detroit, MI – El Club
November5 – Kitchener, ON – Centre In The Square
November18 – London, ON – London Music Hall
November19 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
November20 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
November22 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
November23 – Regina, SK – Casino Regina
November25 – Saskatoon, SK – TCU Place
November26 – Calgary, AB – The Palace Theatre
November27 – Edmonton, AB – Midway
November28 – Red Deer, AB – Bo’s Bar & Grill
December 1 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
December 2 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
December 3 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
December 4 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
December 6 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
December 7 – Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan Lounge
December 8 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
December 9 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
December 11 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
December 12 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
December 14 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
December 15 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
December 16 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom

Blue Dogs are back with new album Big Dreamers

South Carolina good times rockers Blue Dogs are back with new album Big Dreamers, due out June 3, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

With a wild drum fill and a swirl of chorus-affected guitars, Carolina’s favorite band Blue Dogs kick off their brand new single “That’s How I Knew”—their first studio-recorded music released since 2004’s Halos and Good Buys. For fans of the long-running band, it is only the first of more to come from an entire album of new music. Big Dreamers is set for release on June 3, 2022. (Blue Dogs, 2022)

Produced by accomplished guitarist and longtime Blue Dogs fan—and at times, guitar player—Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit), Big Dreamers marks a long-awaited comeback for the band and an inevitable full-circle moment for their producer. “I have a history with these guys,” Vaden says. “They used to hire me when I was 18 or 19 years old to play with them. I’ve always admired their sound, even on their albums before I started playing with them, but this record represents the best part of the Blue Dogs in my mind. It’s return to form that also brings out the highlights of their last record. Some things are polished and some things are a little more raw.” Vaden is not the only fan of Blue Dogs contributing to Big Dreamers; legendary Texas songwriter Radney Foster sings background vocals on “That’s How I Knew,” which he co-wrote with Bobby Houck along with the greasy, mid-tempo “If Ever,” and dobro master Jerry Douglas joined the boys on the bluegrass-inspired “The Road You Don’t.”

JamBase premiered the music video for “That’s How I Knew,” Blue Dogs’ irresistible ode to finding the right relationship, and BrooklynVegan highlighted the track, calling it, “a warm, breezy song that finds the long-running band in fine form.” Fans can watch the video at this link and pre-order Big Dreamers ahead of its June 3 release. The band will be celebrating the release of Big Dreamers with a concert at Isle of Palms, South Carolina’s famed Windjammer beach stage on June 3. Tickets are still available.

Founded in 1987 and based in Charleston, the group is still led by songwriters Hank Futch (bass) and Bobby Houck (lead singer, acoustic guitar), who grew up together in Florence, South Carolina. After nearly two decades on the road, the Blue Dogs took an extended break from touring in 2007 as Futch and Houck accepted jobs outside of music to support their new families. Yet they both filed away occasional phrases and potential titles just in case they ever had a chance to make another album together. For this project, they were joined in the studio by guitarist Dan Hood, steel guitar player Charlie Thompson, and longtime drummer Greg Walker. Keeping it all in one big Blue Dogs family, former member Phillip Lammonds co-wrote three of the new songs.

“We’re doing this to follow that dream of playing music and sharing our sound with whoever wants to listen,” Futch says. “We’ve probably been Americana before that became a term. But we didn’t feel like we had to be anything other than ourselves to write these songs.” Houck adds, “We still have something to say. We can write good songs that we like, knowing other people will like them too. We’ve got a lot more to do, more places to play, and maybe bigger places to play. Because of this album, we get to live this dream longer than we thought.”

Big Dreamers track list:
The Good Ones
Big Dreamers
Young Love
All Night Long
That’s How I Knew
Love Is Love Is Love
The Good Road
If Ever
The Road You Don’t
Carolina Grand
All Out Of Time

1654263360

  days

  hours  minutes  seconds

until

‘Big Dreamers’ release date