The Sheepdogs Release New EP ‘Paradise Alone’.
THE SHEEPDOGS DROP NEW EP TITLED PARADISE ALONE, Celebrating 20 Years Of Rock & Roll. DIGITAL RELEASE OUT TODAY, THURS 22nd AUG 2024, KICKING OFF NEW ERA OF FULLY INDEPENDENT RELEASES ON SELF-OWNED LABEL “RIGHT-ON RECORDS” WITH NEW SINGLE “TAKE ME FOR A RIDE”
NEW ALBUM: PARADISE ALONE
OUT NOW | STREAM IT HERE
Photo credit: Mat Dunlap
L to R: Shamus Currie, Ricky Paquette, Ewan Currie, Ryan Gullen, Sam Corbett
Canadian rockers The Sheepdogs unveil their new five-track EP, Paradise Alone, alongside a video for new single “Take Me For A Ride”. Recorded with Grammy-award-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang, Paradise Alonemarks the beginning of a new chapter for the band who celebrate their 20th Anniversary this year.
The band, who have just wrapped up a Quebec run of dates with fellow Canadian Bryan Adams will embark on a massive European headline tour this autumn and are excited to play new tunes on the upcoming tourdates from the new EP.
Bassist, Ryan Gullen states: "It was a blast touring across Europe with Larkin Poe last year, but a bit of a tease playing such a short set. Can't wait to come back and jam a full night of music with a whole bunch of new songs for folks. It's gonna be a real good time"
The Paradise Alone EP, released on the band’s newly minted label Right On Records, marks The Sheepdogs’ first full independent release since leaving Warner Music Canada, ushering in a new era for the multi-platinum and four time JUNO-awardwinning quintet. Embracing their independence with a fresh approach to releasing music, The Sheepdogs plan to eschew the traditional album cycle, and deliver shorter, razor-sharp collections of music on their own schedule.
Says frontman Ewan Currie of the 70s glam-stomping single, “That one’s just a good old fashioned, dumb rock song, which is one of my favourite things. If a song makes me feel like I'm driving in the car with the windows down, that’s a good start to an album to me.” The new single joins the beautiful, previously released acoustic ballad “Darlin’ Baby”. Watch the video HERE.
A masterpiece in miniature, Paradise Alone showcases some of the best music of The Sheepdogs’ career and notably the first official recording featuring guitarist Ricky Paquette who’s performed with the band since 2022. Produced by frontman Ewan Currie, Paradise Alone was recorded over a five day period at Southern Grooves in Memphis with Grammy-award-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang who the band first met in 2014 at the legendary Sun Studios while filming a CBC Music Backstage Pass celebrating Elvis. At the time, Matt was a young engineer working at Sun who the band brought to Canada to engineer Future Nostalgia in late 2014, his first album engineered outside of Sun. Since then, Matt has gone on to become one of the most sought after engineers in the US, working on many albums including Jason Isabel, John Prine, Al Green, Marcus King, Rival Sons, Margo Price, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones.
The seeds for Paradise Alone were planted early in 2023. Following some difficult times in his personal life, Ewan Currie found himself alone in the Florida Keys. Absorbing the dulcet ‘80s and ‘90s country of Alan Jackson and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – not to mention the lavish, drinking-from-a-coconut spirit of Margaritaville – he sat at the end of a bar drinking mezcal, watching other people have a wonderful time.
Back home in Toronto, those lovably unironic country tones percolated in his mind. But it took a while to channel them into songs. At the same time, the prospect of turning 40 (not to mention The Sheepdogs’ 20th anniversary in 2024) loomed in Currie’s mind. “It was not lost on me that the potential for a midlife crisis was in front of me. But I chose not to fully go into it. I just had a bad time, and then I went ‘alright, I'll write some songs’. It’s what my life is. I'm a musician, it's what I do. I'm so fucking lucky to do this job for a living.”
That sense of joie de vivre came flooding back in April 2024, when the band – armed with a Dropbox of demos and zero practice – headed to Memphis. Surrounded by heaps of beautiful vintage gear in Southern Grooves, it was a joyful albeit intense time. With only five days there, they did a song a day and worked “insane” hours. Still, there was something special about following only their orders, working hard but savouring the experience.
After parting ways with Warner Music Canada in 2022, The Sheepdogs have since been able to buy back their award-winning catalogue and distribute the music along with future releases via Right On Records, the band's own record label distributed through The Orchard worldwide. This newfound freedom has empowered the band to make a major shift in how, and how often, they release music.
On top of the new label - and what many might not know - the band runs the majority of their business activities independently and in-house including management, marketing, and production, which they have been doing successfully for over 6 years, building a true DIY community. 2024 sees over 80 headline tour dates across Canada, the US, Europe, and the UK, including the band’s recent 5 show run supporting Bryan Adams in Quebec, and Blue Rodeo in Saskatoon.
"We've been a band for 20 years, and pretty comfortable with who we are and how we do things. We've lasted this long by staying true to ourselves, doing things our way, and not chasing trends," says bassist Ryan Gullen. “Acquiring our catalogue and starting our own label is about taking things to the next level. We want to be in the driver’s seat, doing things our way, and maybe even helping other artists do the same. With so much constantly changing, we're focused on staying true to our approach.
He adds, “In a world of content, we believe that the best thing a band can offer is music, and that’s how we want to approach our releases. While funny videos are great, people ultimately are here for the music, so we're setting up a system to deliver as much of it as possible (and yes, we’ll still make those funny videos too). This record is the first in a series of planned releases, allowing us to experiment, collaborate, and take risks. Instead of sticking to the traditional album cycle, we want to challenge ourselves creatively and share more music with people.”
Paradise Alone Tracklist
My Baby
Let Me In
POS
EU Tour Dates - AUTUMN 2024
Nov 09 - Santiago de Compostela, ES @ Outono Codax Festival - Sala Capitol
Nov 10 - Madrid, ES @ Sala Mon Live
Nov 11 - Barcelona, ES @ Sala La Nau
Nov 13 - Munich, DE @ Strom
Nov 14 - Dresden, DE @ Beatpol
Nov 15 - Berlin, DE @ Frannz
Nov 17 - Hamburg, DE @ Bahnhof Pauli
Nov 18 - Aarhus, DK @ HeadQuarters
Nov 20 - Stockholm, SE @ Debaser
Nov 21 - Oslo, NO @ John Dee
Nov 22 - Copenhagen, DK @ Loppen
Nov 24 - Groningen, NL @ De Oosterpoort
Nov 25 - Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg (Pandora)
Nov 26 - Cologne, DE @ Luxor
Nov 27 - Paris, FR @ Badaboum
Nov 29 - Porthcawl, UK @ Planet Rockstock
Nov 30 - Bristol, UK @ Strange Brew
Dec 01 - Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Dec 02 - Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
Dec 04 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Dec 05 - London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall