Welcome to this week’s Launch Box featuring The Strumbellas
If you like: Boy & Bear, The Avett Brothers, Shovels & Rope, The Rayo Brothers, The Lumineers
FolkRock, PopGrass, AltCountry – describe this Juno award winning 6 piece Canadian band however you’d like, but you’re going to want their fusion of haunting lyrics and infectious, dance-able melodies as part of your playlist.
Formed in 2008 in Toronto, the band consists of songwriter Simon Ward on vocals and guitar, David Ritter on vocals and keys, Jon Hembrey on lead guitar, Isabel Ritchie on violin, Darryl James on bass guitar, and Jeremy Drury on drums. Hembrey, James, Drury and Ward are all originally from Lindsay, Ontario, while Ritter and Ritchie joined after Ward posted a call for additional musicians to Craigslist.
Their self-titled EP was released in 2009, garnering positive reviews. Their Southern Souls videos by Mitch Fillion received a lot of attention online, and won them an ongoing Monday night residency at Toronto’s Cameron House.
2010 was a busy year for the band playing landmark venues like the Horseshoe Tavern and the Peterborough Folk Festival. Their full-length debut album, My Father and the Hunter, was released independently in 2012 and was nominated for a 2013 Juno Award.
The band later signed with Six Shooter Records, releasing their second album, We Still Move on Dance Floors, in 2013. The album was produced by Ryan Hadlock. We Still Move on Dance Floors won a 2014 Juno Award in the Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Group category.
After a heavy touring schedule, the Strumbellas got off the road in early 2015 and back into the studio. They set up shop at downtown Toronto’s Lincoln County Social Club to record their forthcoming new album with LA Producer/Engineer, Dave Schiffman (Johnny Cash, Haim, Weezer). During three recording sessions in the first half of 2015, Schiffman and the band harnessed a vivid sound that was itchin’ to get out of them. Bigger. Bolder. Beckoning.
With poignant yet sing-along-able lyrics and undeniable rock noir musical undertones, Spirits, the first single from the new album – out April 2016, embodies the essence of what has been attracting fans from across North America.