Brother Neil’s new album ‘Away Avenue Away’ is only a month away. It’s a project that Neil laboured over with his childhood friend and music partner Mike Whaling for two years. The journey started and was completed at an old dance hall in Russeldale, Ontario that Mike had converted into a studio. Russeldale is a town without a population, a perfect setting to build a studio free of distractions. There was talk that the building was haunted and psychics had even evaluated the space years before. The mediums had claimed to feel the spirits of a woman and a small child. One of the spirits names was Sarah.
They agreed the hall should be called “Sarah’s Hall”. They felt welcome and comfortable in the space, and recorded most of the record in that great room. The natural acoustics created a remarkable atmosphere. A warmth that emulated the sound of classic soul recordings, with the effervescence and exploration of modern recordings. The classic sound envelopes first single ‘Off My Mind’, creating a vibe that has one foot in the retro stylings of the past, while also creating a signature unique sound, that only this location with these players could create. A track begging for the repeat button!
‘Off My Mind’ was the first song written and recorded for the album. It recalls the various methods one uses to clear the mind of suffering, taking the listener through moments of agony, chemical dependence, and heartache, while all along the answer was to find peace in nature. The album is formed around these ideas of idealistic escape, with ‘Off My Mind’ setting the tone for the subsequent recording sessions. -Brother Neil
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