A blast of thundering drum beats, rumbling guitar chords and howling vocals will
shake the walls of Nicky Zee's next week as cowboy-metal kings Grady return to
Fredericton.
Former Big Sugar frontman Gordie Johnson, who sings, plays guitar and is the
chief songwriter in Grady, said the band is touring in support of its new album,
Good As Dead.
He said they're having fun playing the new material in front of
audiences.
"This record really sums us up pretty accurately," he said.
"It's the ongoing development of our sound and it's the stylistic statement
we wanted to make. I think the first two records were evolutionary records and
this one is kind of like, 'We're home. We're good. This is us.''
Songs like Whatchewdid and Alberta Bones capture the spirit of boozy barrooms
across Texas, while new takes on Willie Nelson's Whiskey River and The
Tragically Hip's campfire classic Boots or Hearts are pure fun.
Johnson said Grady's version of Boots or Hearts found its way onto the album
after an impromptu jam session in the studio.
"I'd never heard the song before," he said. "Our bass player (Big Ben
Richardson) brought it to the studio and was like, 'Hey, what do you think of
this song?' I hadn't heard a lot of Tragically Hip songs before, so I was like,
'Why don't you play me one?' and I thought that sounded really cool. I thought
we could make that into a Grady song."
He said living in Austin, Texas gives him access to some of the best music
happening today and allows him to record and produce albums by other artists at
the famous Pedernales recording studio - a place owned by Nelson.
"I love bringing artists into that studio. Willie Nelson's studio has a
spell," he said.
"When artists get in there, they get so inspired and it brings the best out
of you. I've seen that happen to every artist I bring in that place."
By Adam Bowie - The Daily Gleaner