New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, Juno-nominated, Canadian rock duo Crown Lands - Cody Bowles (vocals and drums) and
Kevin Comeau (guitar, bass, and keys) - announce a new partnership with Spinefarm Records. The band are in good company, joining labelmates and fellow Canadians Death From Above 1979.
For the first order of business, Universal
Music Canada and Spinefarm Records together, proudly present two brand new live versions of Crown Lands previously released, acclaimed tracks "Context: Fearless Pt. 1" and "Right Way Back" today. Listen to "Context: Fearless Pt. 1" and "Right Way Back" live here. The live recordings are released alongside the performance video for "Right Way Back." Shot at Revolution Studio in Toronto, Canada, the video sees Crown Lands in their element, delivering the energy and big sound of their live shows. Watch the performance video here. Fans now have a chance to experience Crown Lands live set up-close-and-personal as the band have optimistically announced a hometown show on December 1, 2021 at the Axis Club (Formally The Mod Club). Tickets are available now on Ticketmaster.
The original versions of "Context: Fearless Pt. 1" and "Right Way Back" premiered with Rolling Stone on March 11. The two original tracks brought Crown Lands back to their prog-rock roots while connecting them to their legendary countrymen Rush, the band that served as their initial inspiration, in ways they never could have expected. "Context: Fearless Pt. 1" in particular is a full-circle moment for Crown Lands as their admiration for Rush is returned back to them by three producers who were vital to Rush's iconic career.
Early last year, Crown Lands revisited "Context: Fearless Pt. 1", a song they had been working on for years. They cut early demos with Terry Brown, Rush's producer for ten years - a dream come true for two massive Rush fans. After touring and performing the song live, it got sharper - so they decided to re-record it. This time around, they travelled to Nashville to collaborate with Nick Raskulinecz, Rush's producer in their later years. "These guys are the two most important producers in Rush's career," says Comeau. But the day before the scheduled session, Rush's legendary drummer Neil Peart died after a fight with brain cancer. Crown Lands assumed the trip was off, but Raskulinecz texted them with a message: "you guys need to carry the torch—you need to come down here." In the studio, the producer brought out a drum kit that Peart had used on the 2007 Snakes & Arrows album for Bowles to play - in what they call "the most spiritual experience in my life." Finally, to produce the vocals, the duo hooked up with
David Bottrill—who remixed Vapor Trails, Rush's 2002 comeback record. "He's the mythical third Rush-associated producer," says a disbelieving Comeau. "This one fucking song had the triad of Rush producers!"
The second new song, "Right Way Back," is a tribute to Peart that came almost effortlessly. They brought it to Nashville as a rough demo, working out the chorus and writing the lyrics on the spot. "It's about the feeling of trying to carry on from where your heroes left off," says Comeau.
Crown Lands' Juno-nominated, self-titled debut album, produced by Grammy-nominated Dave Cobb, was released in the summer of 2020, to widespread acclaim from the likes of Guitar World, Kerrang!, and American Songwriter; coverage from the BBC and the CBC; and placements in campaigns for Peloton, the Canadian Football League, and the incomparable "Hockey Night in Canada" franchise. Most recently, Crown Lands debut album was nominated for "Rock Album of the Year" alongside a nomination for "Breakthrough Group of the Year" at 2021 Juno Awards. But without the ability to tour during a global pandemic, the pair was frustrated by their inability to bring their blistering, hard-charging music to the people. So, like most of us, they adapted. They released an acoustic EP, Wayward Flyers Volume 1, including a cover of Neil Young's "Birds." They also focused on the politically charged song and video "End of the Road," which pays tribute to the Indigenous womxn, girls, and two-spirits who have gone missing on the Highway of
Tears in North British Columbia.
Hailing from Southwestern Ontario, powerhouse Canadian rock duo Crown Lands -Kevin Comeau (guitar, bass, and keys) and Cody Bowles (vocals and drums) - are a startling fresh jolt of energy, making music that brings together a range of influences from folk and blues to psychedelic prog rock. The group's name is indicative of their musical ambitions: "Crown Land" is territorial area belonging to the monarch - or, as Bowles (whose own heritage is half Mi'kmaw, an Indigenous tribe from Nova Scotia) puts it: "Crown Land is stolen land and we are reclaiming it."
