Jeremie Albino’s Past Dawn EP erupted from a year-long wave of limitations and sonic experiments, steadied by the robust and soulful songwriting we’ve come to expect from the Toronto-based musician. The 6-song EP, produced by Michael Trent of Shovels & Rope, features the unmistakable stylings of Trent’s previous productions, delivering smoky harmonies, soaring guitars, honkey tonk piano, and foot stomping grooves, set against a newly discovered intimacy from Albino. Past Dawn offers hints of Americana, folk, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll, with introspective storytelling and the spontaneous, kinetic energy that makes Albino’s live show well-known.
Spurred by pandemic-induced constraints, Albino got creative with his new material. “I couldn’t get in a room with anybody and rehearsals with the band kept getting pushed back. I thought, OK, how am I going to make a new context here?” he says. “In February of 2020 I had been on tour with [award-winning duo] Shovels & Rope and I knew Michael Trent produced his own records. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a long time. It just made sense to reach out and see if he was down to work on something from abroad.”
This necessity for openness led to new experiences in songwriting, recording, and production. Albino sent a handful of acoustic demos down to Charleston, SC, which began a surge of creative momentum. “I’d send Michael a version of something and he’d work on it and send it back,” Albino recounts. “We both brought something of ourselves to these songs. It was great to have external input in an otherwise isolating time.”
Odes to homes near and far are all over Past Dawn. So is a deep contemplation of illness and the loss of family, as well as poignant addresses to loved ones. Albino’s voice is equal parts warm and brisk on “Acre of Land,” a romping opener, written at a backyard BBQ with Khalid Yassein of Wild Rivers. “The Night Was Young” is an addictively anthemic, ballad-esque road-song, while a melodic sensitivity gives way to a plaintive gravel on “Buck,” a song co-written with Michael Trent. Albino’s delivery is signature throughout: moving from clear-eyed melancholy to upbeat riffs with a lilting timbre that’s refreshingly unfiltered.
The past few years have been non-stop for Albino, with Past Dawn following Blue Blue Blue, his 2021 release with Cat Clyde. After 2019’s Hard Time, that makes three records in three years. He’s moved to the city, leaving behind the farm in Prince Edward County where he lived and worked for over a decade. With a sophomore album and multiple tours in the works, he’s solidified himself as a touring musician who knows how to honour the histories of folk and country while staying firmly in the present.
Jeremie Albino’s Past Dawn EP erupted from a year-long wave of limitations and sonic experiments, steadied by the robust and soulful songwriting we’ve come to expect from the Toronto-based musician. The 6-song EP, produced by Michael Trent of Shovels & Rope, features the unmistakable stylings of Trent’s previous productions, delivering smoky harmonies, soaring guitars, honkey tonk piano, and foot stomping grooves, set against a newly discovered intimacy from Albino. Past Dawn offers hints of Americana, folk, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll, with introspective storytelling and the spontaneous, kinetic energy that makes Albino’s live show well-known.
Spurred by pandemic-induced constraints, Albino got creative with his new material. “I couldn’t get in a room with anybody and rehearsals with the band kept getting pushed back. I thought, OK, how am I going to make a new context here?” he says. “In February of 2020 I had been on tour with [award-winning duo] Shovels & Rope and I knew Michael Trent produced his own records. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a long time. It just made sense to reach out and see if he was down to work on something from abroad.”
This necessity for openness led to new experiences in songwriting, recording, and production. Albino sent a handful of acoustic demos down to Charleston, SC, which began a surge of creative momentum. “I’d send Michael a version of something and he’d work on it and send it back,” Albino recounts. “We both brought something of ourselves to these songs. It was great to have external input in an otherwise isolating time.”
Odes to homes near and far are all over Past Dawn. So is a deep contemplation of illness and the loss of family, as well as poignant addresses to loved ones. Albino’s voice is equal parts warm and brisk on “Acre of Land,” a romping opener, written at a backyard BBQ with Khalid Yassein of Wild Rivers. “The Night Was Young” is an addictively anthemic, ballad-esque road-song, while a melodic sensitivity gives way to a plaintive gravel on “Buck,” a song co-written with Michael Trent. Albino’s delivery is signature throughout: moving from clear-eyed melancholy to upbeat riffs with a lilting timbre that’s refreshingly unfiltered.
The past few years have been non-stop for Albino, with Past Dawn following Blue Blue Blue, his 2021 release with Cat Clyde. After 2019’s Hard Time, that makes three records in three years. He’s moved to the city, leaving behind the farm in Prince Edward County where he lived and worked for over a decade. With a sophomore album and multiple tours in the works, he’s solidified himself as a touring musician who knows how to honour the histories of folk and country while staying firmly in the present.
With a studied nod to old-time and bluegrass rhythms, his unvarnished sound effectively
smashes the barrier between past and present.
Hailing from his family’s farm in Southwestern Ontario, Rogers grew up building
greenhouses, growing vegetables, and living off the land. “Growing up my family drove a
big VW bus. We listened to a lot of fiddle music, going from festival to festival,” he says.
“These days I live in one of the barns, tap trees, and make music.”
It’s impossible to separate Rogers’ knack for brisk syncopation from the terrain he
knows so well. In fact, the intense tension of Rogers’ voice – complete with a sweeping
rasp and a flying drawl – seems to come directly from the farm’s wellspring. “There’s a
massive pack of coywolves and coyotes in the woods near us,” he says. “You can hear
them every night, howling and fighting.”
Delivering songs from a deep well of passion for storytelling, Rogers’ lyric sensibility is
rare among young artists. His most recent single, John Came Home, is a haunting take on
the murder ballad. “I’d had the riff for about six months,” he says. “I tend to write short
stories and convert them into songs.” John Came Home is full of upbeat boldness and
ghostly ire that culminates in a direct hit to the chest.
Rogers finds a way to match his instrument to the guttural twang of the voice. “I
inherited my great-grandfather’s violin when I was young,” he says. “So I grew up
playing that.” After a few years on six-string, Rogers began tuning his tenor guitar like a
fiddle. “Tenors are neat because they were only popular for a short time in the 1920s.
I’ve played about two-hundred shows on mine. It’s beautiful, and unreliable,” he laughs.
The unconventional nature of such a classic piece shines on Charlie Boy, where precise
picking builds to a dramatic peak. With sturdy backing by a sparse rhythm section,
Rogers offers a fresh and authentic contribution to the traditions of string-band sound.
2019’s Better By Now introduced Rogers as a unique talent in Americana. Inspired by
fellow troubadours Tyler Childers, Red Lane, and Colter Wall, Benjamin has shared
stages around the USA with the likes of Molly Tutle, Shovels & Rope, and The Milk
Carton Kids.
With a stream of new singles released over the past year, Rogers is riding a creative
wave. “I just set up a studio in the barn” he says. “I’m excited to start laying down new
tracks there. Sometimes we even get the odd coyote howl funnelled into the recording.”