THE NORTHERN PIKES ACOUSTICALLY REIMAGINE FAN FAVOURITES FROM SNOW IN JUNE ON TENTH STUDIO ALBUM TIME TO TIME
ALBUM SET FOR RELEASE JUNE 2
Iconic Canadian rock band, The Northern Pikes, are proud to announce the upcoming release of their tenth studio album, Time To Time, on June 2. The band has released the first single from the album; the reimagined acoustic version of “Dream Away”
The band has revisited “Dream Away” in a beautiful, driving, acoustic arrangement. It’s infused with gorgeous vocal harmonies, dobro, and pulsing rhythms, offering a fresh take on a well-loved song. The original is from the group’s 1990 LP Snow In June—one of the most revered rock albums in Canadian history. “Dream Away” was inspired by a reworking Bryan Potvin previously explored with Kevin Kane as a duo.
“Kevin and I had been performing ‘Dream Away’ in our Kane & Potvin shows for many years,” said Potvin. “So, the model for this version was established by the two of us a while ago, and further augmented by the rest of The Pikes. I feel the new take more closely mirrors our original intention for it when we first wrote it all those years ago.”
The Northern Pikes are one of a handful of acts that have a permanent footprint on the psyche of generations of Canadian rock and pop fans. Since first forming in Saskatoon in 1984, the group has had one platinum album with 1990’s Snow In June, four gold LPs, and eight hit singles that remain mainstays across the country.
Their forthcoming album, Time To Time, finds the band taking a step back to reflect on and revisit the best-loved tracks from Snow in June. The Pikes have stripped the songs down to their essentials and created fresh acoustic arrangements of “Dream Away”, “Love These Hands”, “Kiss Me You Fooll”, “She Ain’t Pretty”, “Green Fields”, “Girl With a Problem”, and the title track. They’ve also included three new songs that seamlessly fit into flow with “Only A Lover’s Dream”, “The Things You Saw In Me”, and “Taken”. All of the tunes feature The Pikes’ core trademarks, including gorgeous vocal harmonies, pulsing basslines, lush and piercing guitar, and kinetic, creative drumming.
The band’s lineup includes vocalist and bassist Jay Semko, vocalist and lead guitarist Bryan Potvin, and drummer Don Schmid, who’ve been together as a working unit, on and off, since 1986. It also features vocalist and guitarist Kevin Kane, co-founder of the iconic Grapes of Wrath, who joined as a full-time member in 2017. In addition, the recording includes guest appearances from violinist Donald MacLeTnnan and keyboardist Glenn Patscha.
The original intention was to have Time To Time released to correspond with the 30th anniversary of Snow in June in 2020. The band began sessions in October 2019 and planned to continue in spring 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic left it unable to reconvene face-to-face until September 2021. At that point, The Pikes were finally able to spend several further weeks recording and mixing the album, together with co-producer John D.S. Adams, at Stonehouse Sound in Mahone Bay, NS.
“The original thought was to make a sort of ‘everybody around the campfire’ album,” said Semko. “But once we began working out ideas and arrangements, we began to expand our scope on the songs and what we wanted to try with them, all while keeping in mind the acoustic roots intent. The cool thing about The Pikes is our ability to listen to each other. Once recording began, there was a sense of adventure in terms of the potential for each song. When you trust the musical ideas and concepts of your bandmates, a sense of confidence emerges through the group conscience.”
“So many of Snow in June’s songs were composed on acoustic guitar, so it felt natural to reinterpret them acoustically,” said Potvin. “The process was about recolouring the songs, which included addressing tempos, keys, and instrument selections, including using dobro, mandolin, and banjo in some places.”
“When it became apparent our Snow in June 30th anniversary plans weren’t going to come together in 2020, we made the decision to expand the record’s scope to include the three new songs,” said Schmid. “The goal was to create a project that further developed Snow in June’s original material, while ensuring everything was cohesive and fit together seamlessly. It also captures our raw, intuitive thoughts on where to take the material in a natural way, without too much analysis.”
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