BandWagon Magazine - April 2024 - Corb Lund

Quinn Ayers

Necessary Emotions

A girl’s voice carefully seeps through the phone-speakers, leaving its last message for a love that is not lost, but must leave. A love that lived in the illuminated streets of Las Vegas, where the paths of a girl from Salt Lake City and boy from Colorado intertwined into a beautiful, but now broken story. Once she has nothing left to say, the call cuts out, and so does the connection between the young lovers. This is the story that Quinn Ayers tells on his latest EP “Necessary Emotions.”

On this project, the Las-Vegas artist, formerly based in Northern Colorado, paints an emo-tinted alt-pop soundscape that takes listeners on a gloomy journey through Quinn’s emotions following a heartbreak. The work takes on a mellow, somber tone through acoustic guitar riffs and soft vocals, while delivering a powerful, authentic message.

The opening track, “Broken,” builds up a deep texture of guitar strums and drums, crescendoing into a broken moment of isolation, as Quinn’s harmonious call, “I can’t seem

to make you stay,” rings out, hopelessly seeking a lost love. It is the loneliness of this moment that listeners rest in for the remainder of the EP.

Despite remaining emotionally fixed on themes of loss and isolation, Quinn’s versatility shines through the voices he uses to communicate these feelings. In the bridge of “Want You, Need You,” the vocals make an abrupt jump from slurred to intense with a 2000s-punk-esque falsetto.

“Necessary Emotions,” more so than any of his previous works, showcases Quinn Ayer’s ability to take on different voices and styles to convey emotion.

Between the silky violin section on “Out of Place, Yet So in Place,” and the folkish melody of tangled guitar plucks on “Over Lies,” a plethora of memorable musical moments shine on this project. The most experimental of those moments comes on “Restless,” a creative composition featuring progressive voices and an undeniable hook.

The journey that Quinn Ayer’s takes listeners on in his latest project, “Necessary Emotions,” is a raw, intricate exploration of love and loss. As Quinn continues to stamp himself as a defining voice in the underground alt-pop scene, this EP is exemplary of the creative focus and emotional honesty he is capable of. Be sure to check out “Necessary Emotions” wherever you get your music, and connect with Quinn Ayers on social media @ quinnayers

Landon Ungerman BandWagon Magazine

CORB LUND'S 'EL VIEJO' - STORIES, ROOTS, AND REVELATIONS

BY ELY CORLISS

Corb Lund is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Alberta, known for his distinctive blend of country, western, and roots music that he has assembled into a large catalog of originals over the past 3 decades of releasing music. Born into a family with a long history of ranching, his music often draws upon his experiences and heritage, offering narratives that span from personal anecdotes to broader themes of life in the rural West, environmental issues, and even historical events. Before embarking on a solo career, Lund was the bass guitarist for the indie rock band the smalls. Transitioning to a focus on country and roots music, he has gained critical acclaim and a dedicated following around the world for his storytelling, humor, and musicianship.

Over the years, Lund has released several albums, both with his backing band, The Hurtin' Albertans, and as a solo artist. His work has earned him multiple Canadi-

an Country Music Awards and Juno Awards nominations, reflecting his significant impact on the Canadian music scene. His newest effort "El Viejo" out now on New West Records stands as yet another milestone in his storied career in songwriting and storytelling. "It's one of my favorites, actually. I think it's our 10th record of originals so it's nice to have a good one that far in. We didn't peak..." His words, delivered with a touch of a Canadian accent and his well apparent humor, underscore a career that has defied expectations, continuing to evolve and resonate with his audiences.

"I get bored of love songs.” Corb confessed. “I like to write about weird shit... There’s so many other interesting things to write about and I get bored easily.” Jaida Dreyer, a name well-recognized in the realms of country and Americana music, lent her songwriting prowess to "El Viejo" on several tracks including "Redneck Rehab" a song

that elicits visions of methadone withdrawal in a double-wide. "I wrote another song on this record, strangely, it's called 'When The Game Gets Hot' with this guy Brian Koppelman who is a friend of mine. He's got a podcast and discovered me that way," Lund shares, shedding light on another unexpected but fruitful collaboration. Brian Koppelman, renowned for his work as a screenwriter on films like "Rounders" and "Ocean's 13," among other Hollywood projects. The partnerships between Lund, Dreyer, and Koppelman are a testament to the universal appeal of good storytelling.

Inspiration for the title track comes from the legendary Ian Tyson, Lund reveals. "That was our nickname for him. It means 'The Old Man'," Lund says, sharing the story behind the title track of "El Viejo". The album was recorded almost entirely live with his band. This method, rooted in simplicity, gives the album a distinct and consistent character,

setting it apart in an era often dominated by heavily produced music. "I put a ton of work into the songs and I had them a lot further along when we went to record them than I usually do." he explains. Lund's commitment to authenticity shaped the very foundation of "El Viejo." "I did it all acoustically and super organically. There's no computer trickery, there's no layering, there's no replacing parts, it's just the 4 of us sitting in a circle with a bunch of microphones, all playing together," Lund describes the recording process for the album which was recorded in his living room in southern Alberta. The acoustic nature of "El Viejo" is a testament to Lund's love for the pure, unadulterated sounds of traditional instruments. "It's all acoustic too. There's nothing electric on it all. It's all mandolins, banjos, and acoustic gui-

tars. I just love acoustic sounds," he enthuses. This choice not only highlights Lund's musical preferences but also lends the album an “airiness” as Corb called it, a quality that allows the vocal harmonies—particularly those between Lund and his new bass player, Sean Burns—to shine. "My new bass player Sean Burns sings so well with me that we really wanted to showcase our vocal harmonies," Lund shares.

The first single, "That Old Familiar Drunken Feeling," recounts a particularly memorable experience with edibles before a show in Laporte, CO. Lund's recounting of the ordeal is both humorous and harrowing: "It was awful. It's not my thing. We all ate a gummy bear and one of my guys are pot guys so it was no big deal for them, but I was fucked." The song is a testament to Lund's ability to

transform even the most challenging moments into compelling stories and what is certainly the most viral track on the new record. "It's psychologically challenging to play a show anyways sometimes. It's not an easy job... Then if you're high and your mind's playing tricks on you and you get paranoid... it was very bad. I had to drink my way out of it," he recalls with a chuckle.

As Corb Lund and The Hurtin' Albertans prepare themselves to present "El Viejo" to their fans, the album stands as a banner addition to his already impressive body of work. Rooted in the rich “organic” soil of his experiences, Lund's latest venture not only enriches his musical legacy but also continues to solidify his position as a storyteller of the first order.

LIVE AND IN CONCERT:

APRIL 17 LULU’S DOWNTOWN COLORADO SPRINGS, CO APRIL 18 THE ORIENTAL THEATER DENVER, CO APRIL 19 MOXI THEATER GREELEY, CO

JULIE KOENIG

BREAKING BOUNDARIES FROM JAZZ STANDARDS TO SONGWRITING AUTHENTICITY

BY DAN ENGLAND

Julie Koenig grew up wanting to be a jazz singer. She even recorded a jazz album. But as she prepared her second EP, “Intruder,” she found herself stifled by the music.

It began to bother her that most jazz standards, if not all, deal with love, and only love. It Had To Be You. My One and Only Love. There Will Never Be Another You. Koenig loved how jazz’s improvisa-

tion, complex chords and blazing tempos challenged her, but as a songwriter, she wanted—needed—to talk about deeper topics.

“There were things I wanted to say out loud that I hadn’t expressed,” she said. “I was giving a voice to the stuff in my head. I wanted to talk about something more important than a love song.”

Koenig, instead, turned to Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple, Sara Bareilles and Carole King and other stalwarts of songwriting, women she admired for their lyrical prowess as well as their singing, and the result is her new five-song EP available now on her website and on streaming services such as Spotify.

Koenig explored her own songwriting during the pandemic, when she would motivate herself by entering a challenge of writing a song a day for a month. Koenig, 32, had gigged for nearly a decade by then as a jazz singer and pianist who also sang popular covers with soul and played at church and taught lessons. She wouldn’t put out many of those songs today, but that time at the piano forged her style. It surprised her, she says today.

“It just played what I felt,” Koenig said. “As I started writing, it was a lot more rewarding to write something and take ownership of it, rather than trying to emulate these other singers. I felt more like an artist.”

Koenig doesn’t hide the fact that the songs are about her own mental health, and that some may find them a tough listen. It was hard for her, too, to expose herself to a wide audience.

“I do want people to know that I am OK, guys,” Koenig said and laughed. “I do think we are in an era now where it’s common for songwriters to put it all out there. Some of it is pretty dark, but I think some of the best stuff comes from darker moments.”

Even “The Architect,” her first single, sounds upbeat, but the lyrics talk about her intrusive thoughts—“here I go again, playing out scenarios in my head”— pushing her to cry outside a Target. She “waits patiently for her good sense to return to me,” and you don’t get the idea that she isn’t fine at the end of the song, even though she pleads with herself, the presumed architect, for it to happen.

So far she’s pleased by the reaction and the respect she’s gotten for putting herself out there.

“I’ve had a lot tell me the music has been therapeutic for them,” Koenig said. “I’ve voiced things they’ve been feeling or that sort of thing.”

Writing the EP changed her as an artist as well. She no longer markets herself solely as a jazz singer, and she’s starting to listen to her bandmates who encourage her to playing her originals instead of just the covers. And the covers? Well, she’s rethinking those too, moving away from the lovesick standards she grew up on and moving more toward the songwriters that helped her shape her own music.

“I’m looking into more songs that fit more with my own originals now,” she said.

BANDWAGON PHOTO OF THE MONTH | PHOTO BY: KYLE SAUNDERS WYATT FLORES | LINCOLN THEATER - CHEYENNE, WY | 3/22/24