SPILL FEATURE: WE’RE LIKE A SMALL BATCH BOURBON MAKER – A CONVERSATION WITH THE SHEEPDOGS’ EWAN CURRIE

WE’RE LIKE A SMALL BATCH BOURBON MAKER

A CONVERSATION WITH THE SHEEPDOGS’ EWAN CURRIE

Following a massive 2025 that saw them share the stage with Bryan Adams, the release of a pair of EPs, Paradise Alone and Hell Together, and the launch of their own record label, Right On Records, The Sheepdogs are back with their first full-length album since 2022. Keep Out Of The Storm drops this Friday and sees the Canadian classic rockers return, true to form. Singer, songwriter, and producer Ewan Currie shares the story behind the music of Keep Out Of The Storm.

Amid the many highs of 2025 the year also saw the departure of drummer and founding member, Sam Corbett. Currie describes it as amicable, reflecting, “We parted on good terms, but it was a sad closing of a chapter; this was a guy I’ve been playing music with since 2004.” In between all of this, The Sheepdogs got started on making their eighth full-length studio album, Keep Out Of The Storm. As Currie tells it, “I don’t approach writing songs differently album to album. When it’s time to go to work, I sit down, and I go to work.” He continues, “I was working on the music when I was in Nova Scotia, just in a studio banging them out. I’d play a little guitar, run over here, play a little drums, and just sing whatever was on my mind.” Going deeper on his process, Currie explains, “I go through my phone that has voice memos, I skip the bad ones, and when I hit on one that I think is cool, I pick up an instrument and I rock. I try to turn this little nugget into a song… I don’t fight it. If something’s not working, I leave it alone and find what is working. I try let it be real natural and follow what works. The songs are right there, you just have to release them and let them come out.”

KEEP OUT OF THE STORM ALBUM REVIEW

The resulting album is a collection of 11 songs absolutely steeped in the ‘70s rock sounds of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers and The Band. The sound is furthered by the band’s no-frills approach to recording, “We set up in a room, playing together, eye to eye, and we just cut it… I think the further we get along in this career, the simpler making the records becomes. It starts off overthinking everything and the further we get, now we just jam and make it sound good” as Currie tells it. Among the 11 tracks, Currie highlights “Playing All Night Long,” citing his love for the halftime feel, and “Bad for Your Health,” stating “The riff on that just kicks like a mule” as two of his favourites. He also shines a light on the title track, “Lyrically, I think “Keep Out Of The Storm,” what is life if not a series of storms. Rock ‘n’ roll to me has always been safety or safe harbour. Its almost like a suit of armour; I get to put on my rock ‘n’ roll suit of armour. It’s protected me since I was a young man. It makes me feel cool, makes me feel tough, it gets me. That’s what I’m trying to create for other people… a safe place in this crazy world.” For all the song represents, it came together particularly organically, “It was one of the last songs I wrote. I had a half hour left at the studio I was renting, and I wanted to challenge myself to write something completely out of thin air, so I wrote that basic, palm-muted chugging, Tom Petty kind of thing… It came out of nowhere.”

Keep Out Of The Storm drops on Feb. 27, marking the inaugural full-length release from Right On Records, the new label created by The Sheepdogs. “We’re a DIY band in a lot of senses. We have our own label, we’re managed by Ryan [Gullen], our bass player, I produced all our records. We operate on a DIY sort of thing,” Currie tells me. He continues, “It’s a difficult landscape for artists, so the more power and control you can get, the better… We’re a rock band, we’re like a small batch bourbon maker. We’re crafting this old school form of artistic expression that we’re trying to sell to connoisseurs of rock ‘n’ roll. Its not the same as plugging into something massive like pop or country.” Between Keep Out Of The Storm and the official launch of Right On Records, it would appear that 2026 marks a new era for The Sheepdogs as they continue to demonstrate their worth as a vital classic rock band of our time.

Listen to the full, unabridged conversation with Ewan Currie, including more insight behind Keep Out Of The Storm, sticking to their independent roots, his approach to producing records, and his desert island records, on episode 59 of Beats By Ger on Spotify and YouTube.

Tour Dates

MAR 13 – Chatham, ON – Capitol Theatre
MAR 14 – Kitchener, ON – Centre in the Square
MAR 15 – Meaford, ON – Meaford Hall
MAR 16 – Kingston, ON – Grand Theatre
MAR 18 – Lavaltrie, QC – Chasse-Galerie
MAR 19 – Montreal, QC – MTelus
MAR 20 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial Bell
MAR 21 – Peterborough, ON – The Venue
MAR 23 – North Bay, ON – Capitol Theatre
MAR 24 – Wingham, ON – Wingham Town Hall
MAR 26 – London, ON – London Music Hall
MAR 27 – Toronto, ON – History
APR 17 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
APR 18 – Saskatoon, SK – Coors Event Centre
APR  19 – Yorkton, SK – Anne Portnuff Theatre
APR  20 – Edmonton, AB – Winspear Centre
APR  22 – Cranbrook, BC – Key City Theatre
APR  23 – Lethbridge, AB – VisitLethbridge.com Arena
APR  24 – Calgary, AB – Grey Eagle Resort & Casino
APR  25 – Regina, SK – Casino Regina
APR  27 – Thunder Bay, ON – NV Music Hall
APR  28 – Sault-Ste-Marie, ON – The Machine Shop
OCT 16 – Halifax, NS – Light House Arts Centre
OCT 17 – Halifax, NS – Light House Arts Centre

*Additional Dates To Be Announced Soon

Artist Links

Photo Credit: Mat Dunlap