Blue Umbrella (Album Release Show) w/ Lachlan Neville

If you know Ryan Meili, it’s probably as a Saskatchewan family doctor, author and former political leader. Now he’s gone and made a folk-rock album with some of the best musicians in the province: Sam Corbett (NUTANA formerly The Sheepdogs) Tyson McShane (Slow Down Molasses), Luke Ryalls (the Fjords) and Burke Barlow (formerly Deep Dark Woods).

Blue Umbrella’s debut album, Recklessly Yours, was produced by Corbett and recorded with Barrett Ross at Rec Hall Studios in Saskatoon. The record features guest vocals from Ellen Froese and Lachlan Neville.

The band name comes from a 1975 John Prine song, a nod to Meili's influences and to the tradition the album inhabits: folk-rock Canadiana, with clever and introspective lyrics and arrangements that move from sweet and simple acoustic to hooky, driving rock. A friend described Blue Umbrella as a Saskatchewan-famous dad rock supergroup. All the regular members are busy dads, which means juggling kid life makes scheduling rehearsals a challenge. It also means these well-known artists bring a maturity and depth of talent to the work, making this debut album feel like the work of an established team.