It’s been an amazing ascent for the latest significant contribution to the Canadian rock and roll scene from the city of Kingston, Ontario.
Already boasting the Tragically Hip, Sarah Harmer (Weeping Tile), Hugh Dillon (The Headstones) and members of Moist, the Limestone City has now unleashed The Glorious Sons, a band that has a hard-nosed rockin’ attitude that would make Don Cherry or Dougie Gilmour happy, but with enough melody and nuance to appeal to a broad cross section of music fans.
The band came together in time to win a prestigious HTZ-FM Rocksearch contest in 2013 and by the end of 2015 – a mere couple of years – the band had five consecutive singles make the top 10 on Active Rock Radio charts (Mama, White Noise, Heavy, Lightning and The Contender), won two Sirius XM Indie Awards in 2015 for Group of the Year and Rock Group of the Year, and garnered a 2015 Juno nomination for Rock Album of the year for their full-length masterpiece, The Union, released in 2014, a year after issuing their breakout EP, Shapeless Art.
After hundreds of shows at various venues throughout North America, The Glorious Sons are back in Kingston for a short time before a number of festival dates. It’s been a whirlwind of rock and roll adventure for the talented quintet comprised of brothers Brett and Jay Emmons (vocals and guitar respectively), new guitarist (as of last year) Chris Koster, bassist Chris Huot and drummer Adam Paquette, who are taking some well-deserved time to process the remarkable events and accolades of the past two years and also work towards the creation of their next album.
“We do have some stuff on the go but we have no real timeline for new music. We’re working on it right now and we’re thinking of releasing it in the New Year. We’ve got a bunch of stuff written and some stuff recorded, but we’re also still demoing material. It’s kind of in a disorganized state because there’s so much written and so many ideas but it’s going to take some time to sift through those and find the ones that really get us excited,” said Brett Emmons.
“And at this point, we’re not working with a producer because it’s still pretty early in the process. We’ve got a couple of guys in mind but we haven’t pulled the trigger on that decision yet. We have been in the studio and recorded some really good stuff and stuff that could easily be put out on an album tomorrow, but we’re still pretty sure we want to work with a producer. I think by the end of the summer we will see the album start to take shape into a more organized process that we can kind of attack and really make progress on.”
Following on the heels of a very successful album like The Union and the momentum it created for The Glorious Sons on a popular level and within the music industry history has shown that bands in similar situations usually go in one of two major directions. The first is to not mess with a formula that is working and try to replicate what made the previous album successful. The second is to see the album as a benchmark that establishes the bona fides of the band as musicians and songwriters and to keep pushing those skills forward into new, exciting and creatively fulfilling directions.
Emmons said he and his bandmates are opting for the latter course.
“With anything in life there comes a sort of pressure. For us it’s not really pressure, it’s more of a challenge to step up to the next level. We decided probably a year ago that we didn’t want to make the exact same record that we made with The Union. We are very proud of that record and it did a lot for our career, but we don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves and be a one trick pony for the rest of our careers. We want to keep on challenging ourselves and challenging our fans and creating new things – things that kind of impress us and excite us,” he explained.
“Listen, we could go in and do a 10-song meat and potatoes rock and roll album 15 times over, but there is just something very unfulfilling about doing something twice. We knew there would be a little bit of a challenge and a little bit of pressure of what I guess you can call growing pains as we move along, but it’s actually been really exciting. You can see everybody getting their minds wrapped around the process and everybody growing together as a band and growing as individual musicians as well.
“The only thing we haven’t done yet for this new material is put all the pieces together and when we’re able to do that, we’ll know we’re ready and heading in the right direction because you just get this feeling; it’s indescribable but you definitely feel it. So when that eventually happens I think we’re going to be very happy and we’re going to release an album that we’re very proud of.”
Emmons stressed that the new music is not going to be so ‘out there’ as to alienate fans of The Glorious Sons, but that it would head down some interesting rabbit trails.
“You can’t let your mind wander too much or get too impatient because when you get too impatient, you could start writing bad songs, or at least rely on the bad songs rather than continuing to keep compiling ideas together and keep searching for great ones. We’re trying new things without getting carried away. We know we’re not Rush,” he said with a laugh, but did point to another legendary Canadian band as a prime example of what he was talking about.
“If you notice with The Tragically Hip, it was in the nuances of the albums more than anything else, especially the early ones. If you take Up To Here and Road Apples and compare the two, in some ways they sound like different albums but they’re still The Hip, they’re still rock and roll, still bangin’. It’s just a matter of us getting our heads wrapped around the new ideas we have and trusting ourselves. Like I said, we’re not Rush: we don’t want to overthink it and get too analytical.”
Speaking of The Hip, Emmons said he and his bandmates looked to Gord Downie, Gord Sinclair, Rob Baker, Johnny Fay and Paul Langlois as true hometown heroes and role models of how to be both commercially successful and retain one’s artistic integrity. Not able to get tickets to the Tragically Hip’s hometown show to wrap up their current tour – most likely their last because of the illness of frontman Downie – on Aug. 20, he will indulge his admiration for the band gathering with thousands of others at Springer Market Square in downtown Kingston to watch the show on the big screen.
“It’s going to be a giant celebration. It’s going to be a great day, but of course there is a bit of sadness too. What he is going through kind of makes you realize how small your own problems are. But you know I think for The Hip and for Gord and for the city, the best thing we can all do is go out there and watch the show and have an amazing time,” he said.
“And of course they were an influence – 1,000 per cent. I don’t think you can grow up in Kingston and be a musician and not be influenced by The Tragically Hip, especially for rock musicians like us. I have met them all at different points over the years and they’re all gracious, awesome guys and they have all been really nice to me and have had kind words. It’s very eye opening to meet five guys who are so humble and so willing to take the time out of their day to compliment you or talk to you and just be kind and encouraging.”
Emmons and his bandmates are excited to take a break from their creative musings to have an opening slot for The Sam Roberts Band this Thursday, July 22 in Belleville as part of the annual Empire Rockfest concert series.
“I have always listened to Sam Roberts. We have played with him before and he is one of the coolest entertainers to watch. He’s got this really cool individual style; it’s very sincere on stage. It’s going to be a great show and I am sure a lot of our friends and family will make it out for that one. And believe it or not, we have never played in Belleville – ever, which I think is crazy,” said Emmons.
For more information on the band, visit http://www.theglorioussons.com, or their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theglorioussons.
* Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com
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