A celebration of Lost Country

Following a somewhat aggressive pre-sale/pre-release campaign my new record, Lost Country was finally released this past Friday. Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered or has since picked up a copy online or off-stage. Hope you’ve been enjoying the music. Our release show Friday night at the Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club was one to remember. I was so happy you folks came and filled the room for us and were there in time to catch our friend, Amy Nelson deliver a dynamite opening set. We wanted something/someone special to kick the show off and Amy and her group did not disappoint. It was also really special to have Mike Weber in from New Hamburg, ON for the show. Mike played approximately 1200 shows with my late Father in the early 1980’s and he stars on my record with his incomparable pickin’ on the Pedal Steel guitar.

Following the show, I was utterly and entirely exhausted. The lead-up to the release and show had been consuming me. I’ve never worked so hard or put so much energy into a record or its subsequent release and as trying as it proved to be some days, I’m proud of my efforts. Lost Country is the finest piece of Honky-Tonk and Country Music I’ve ever put out. Inspired by regional record labels like Arc, Paragon/Marathon, Boot, Rodeo, Banff and grown from their stunning compilation albums and signature releases by Honky-Tonk heroes like Roy Payne, Mickey McGivern, June Pasher or Dick Nolan, Lost Country is a love letter to a forgotten time in Canadian Country music history. Not the kind of folks that played the game, showing up to industry events and shaking hands with music business scum. No, these songs, singers and writers were in the trenches and on stages 6 nights a week, every week for upwards of 50 weeks a year. Living middle-class lives on the back of their work and love for country music. And that’s really what this whole thing is all about. Love. Love and dedication to Country music and to the ones who did it before me who received little-to-none of their deserved fanfare outside of the local taverns and bars.

It’s for Roy Payne and Mickey McGivern.
For Billy Adams and Ben Weatherby.
For Dicky Damron, the biggest star of ‘em all who I’d argue still isn’t given the credit he deserves.
For Paul Weber and Larry Coad whose contributions to Country music in Canada remain overlooked by the Hall of Fame.
For Teddy Hawkins and Denny Eddy who starred in the toughest of the Honky-Tonks.
For Mike Weber and Dennis Conn, truly world-class pickers in their chosen field and names that should be synonymous with the great pickers like Don Rich, Lloyd Green et al.
For Barry & Scotty who kept it going in the late 80’s to the early 2000’s.
For Joe Firth & Harold MacIntyre, strong leaders and  frontmen of their day.
It’s for Al Hooper, Angus Walker and Brent Williams; June Eikhard and Fern Dauth.
For the Cement City Stompers and the other stellar outfits that didn’t make it out of the bars.
And, to the bars…
To the Edison Hotel, once dubbed “Canada’s Home of Country Music”.I never saw the place with my own eyes in real life but I know the smells and the sounds, even the undocumented ones.
It’s for the underdog; the loser. The talented ones who can’t bare to look in the mirror. The forgotten ones. The lost ones.
For my Dad… he’d have really gotten a kick out of this and enjoyed it.
Thanks for listening, sharing and supporting. Means a lot to me to be able to find other people who are passionate about these songs and stories.

Last week, CKUW broadcast an emergency edition of Boots & Saddle, my first episode in 17 month. In conjunction with The Northern Report Podcast, the 2 hour program saw me spin every song from Lost Country along with the original versions we covered + some other choice “lost” country. Find it on both the B&S and TNR Podcast feeds or wherever you get your podcasts. Next week or sooner (or later), I’ll break down each song in a similar fashion here as I did on the air but I’ll try to offer a little more in-depth info and thoughts on the original artist and the process of our selecting and recording the material.

The merch store on my Bandcamp page has been updated. Limited supply remains and shipping with resume at the end of November asI’m back on the road with Corb for a few weeks on the standing-up and sideways basses across the U.S. Shortly after this run wraps up and I’m back in Winnipeg for the Winter, we’ve added some shows for Lost Country and the LC3 in December. Look for us to be making our presence felt in January & February as well before a busy year with Corb takes over.

Lots of love.

Sean Burns -
Room 227 Hampton Inn Detroit/Madison Heights/South Troy
12:06 AM