Skydiggers

Skydiggers Live in the Green Sanderson Hall at Hugh's Room, 296 Broadview Avenue
Show at 8pm, Doors at 7pm
$50+ in advance, $57+at the door

 

Iconic songwriter Harlan Howard believed that songs exist in the air all around us.
That’s how these new Skydiggers songs began — in the air.
There were no charts given in advance. There were no tunes that were road-tested.
These 14 songs were new.

It began with some off days during a busy November tour, with a revisit to the Tragically
Hip’s Bathouse Studio.

This studio, a heritage home transformed into one of the unique recording rooms in the
world, is not just part of Skydiggers history, but is also part of our Canadian Music DNA.
Surrounded by trees on three sides, and water on the fourth, it is a setting without
distraction. The silence of the vast lake provided the perfect tone for what was to occur.
The creation would begin when each song was first played in the studio’s kitchen by Josh
with a guitar and Andy’s voice — many of these songs heard by the larger group for the first
time.

After a quick huddle, the musicians would move to their stations. There was little time to
think. Most importantly, there was little time to overthink.

What followed was instinct. What unfolded is a magical euphoric reflection of the chemistry
that these musicians have developed over years of beautiful nights in the nation’s most
beautiful soft seaters and the country’s most gin soaked bar rooms.

Yes, their sound has evolved. The acoustic guitar, harmony guided Skydiggers sound of our
youth is still an arrow that is in the band’s quiver, but now there is more.

Led by original band mates Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson, and featuring Noel Webb on
drums, Derrick Brady on bass, Jessy Bell Smith on vocals, Aaron Comeau on guitars,
and Michael Johnston on keyboards, Dreams & Second Chances reveals these
Skydiggers at the peak of their ability - a collective with the intrinsic ability of finish each
other’s musical sentences and weave a sound that is uniquely their own.

With 2 songs channeled from the nostalgic imagination of Jessy Bell Smith, 4 songs graced
with keyboardist Michael Johnston’s curiosity, and brilliant new additions to the catalogue
from Finlayson and Maize, the band’s vast influences are on display as never before.
Over the album’s journey, the band seamlessly moves to wherever each song needs them
to. Roots, Rock, R&B and Country, all have a place. In the trust of these musicians, and
steered by the guiding hand of engineer Nyles Spencer, each new musical journey is
delivered from a place of confidence.

Together, the soundscapes and voices capture the emotions of characters at moments of
catharsis — characters travelling to places that reside on the other side of boundaries never
before crossed. Characters who navigate the challenges of adulthood and loss in a place
where comfort and worry walk side by side. Characters who find comfort in introspection.
These are voices from our lives and imaginations that exist on the roadside of life’s journeys
— voices that lift us when we feel the threat of doubt, and encourage us when we are
weary.

On ‘I Love You, Too, Maybe…’, writer Maize brings us a meditation of grief, the wonder of the
stars, and the never-ending love for one’s child. ‘Walk With the Stars’, penned by Finlayson
and Jim Bryson, acknowledges and celebrates their mutual connection to Gord Downie,
while the reassuring mantra of ‘Don’t Change A Good Mind’ stems from an expression
overhead by Josh while on the road in Woody Point, Newfoundland. ‘All Good All the Time’
allows the band to mark the passing and revisit the joyful life of John Farnsworth, the man
the music community knew as ‘Farns’.

As with all of these songs, we are gifted with the knowledge that on the other side of this
journey, our spirits will arrive again at that place of hope and optimism that is still fueled by
Dreams & Second Chances.

What started as a chance to work on some songs between live shows quickly became
something more — an album in the truest sense. A document that captures that rare
moment when the right people are in the right room at the right time. The result is a
melodic collection where the wisdom of adulthood walks in step with the unbridled spirit and
optimism of youth.

Dreams & Second Chances. A time of possibilities. A reminder that our best days are on the
road ahead. Friday June 5.

 

296 Broadview is not yet a fully wheelchair accessible venue, with stairs between all levels. Our goal is to fix that, and we need your support to do so - please consider making a donation towards our goals to make HRL the best listening room in Toronto!