Over the course of two days this past July, Canadian country group Sean Burns & Lost Country gathered at the Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club in Winnipeg and recorded their newest album We Gotta Lotta Truckin’ To Do, available today via Bandcamp. The 13 tracks are a wonderful collection from the sub-genre of Truck-Driving Country and includes songs by Carl Montgomery and Earl Green, Buck Owens and Red Simpson and Andrew Neville to name a few, as well as an original written by Burns (“Joseph Hill”).
“I’ve always loved the Truckin’ country music sub-genre and in our live shows there’s never fewer than 2 (often more) Trucker tunes per set,” says Burns. “A handful of them have made regular appearances in our shows the past few years; others were ones we knew we wanted to add based on feel, tempo, story-line. A few of the band members made song suggestions and after we talked it all out, settled on the 13 songs that made the album.”
Check out their live performance of Randall Rogers’ “Keep On Truckin'” below:
When out on that lonely road, it’s usually music that keeps the truckers company during the long days and longer nights. But there is more than just the sounds from the radio that connect the trucker and the artist, as Burns recognizes: “There’s parallels to be drawn between the long haul trucker and the full-time touring musician. Some unique sort of kinship of people who make their living and spend most of their time away from home. And though I may not possess a Class 1 license, it’s easy to relate to the very human struggles and sentiments described in these songs of long hauls and life’s hurdles.”
Like so many other venues affected by COVID-19, Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club is still not permitted to be open to the public, and Burns has made it a personal mission to help them stay afloat, donating all proceeds from the sales of this album. And as they have done throughout this pandemic, Bandcamp waives their fees the first Friday of every month, so purchasing this album today ensures that 100% of the money spent will go to this local mainstay that is held in the hearts of those in Winnipeg.
“There’s truly no other venue like the Times Change(d) in Canada. For lack of a better word, it’s a ‘special’ place,” says Burns. “The community that John Scoles has fostered there is second to none; made up of “good people with excellent taste in music”. I’ve been playing there regularly for about 4 years. More so of late, and had started playing there once a month pre-lockdown with our “Nashville Night” residency. Most of us in the band have worked there behind the bar, at the door, in the kitchen etc. My wife & I have pulled regular shifts the last few years and everyone working at the Club is a touring musician or married to one. It’s a close-knit group of folks who play and hang there. Lots of love and respect for each other, the space, and the community.”
“With the club closed since March, it’s been sad to see it sit empty.” continues Burns. “John was kind enough to give us use of the room for a couple of days in July, so we setup and hammered it out the same way we did ‘A Bakersfield Half-Dozen’ record. It’s great working in there, outside the confines of a traditional studio and work day. We can work at our own pace and as late into the night as we like.”
Purchase We Gotta Lotta Trucking To Do via Bandcamp here.
For more information on Sean Burns & Lost Country, visit their website at www.seanburns.ca and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information on Times Change(d) High & Lonesome Club, visit their website at www.highandlonesomeclub.ca.
We Gotta Lotta Truckin’ To Do Tracklist:
SIDE A
1. Six Days on the Road (Carl Montgomery & Earl Green) 2:23
2. Roll, Big Wheels, Roll (Paul Williams) 2:47
3. Keep On Truckin’ (Randall Rogers) 2:14
4. Looking at the World Through a Windshield (Jerry Chestnut & Mike Hoyer) 2:24
5. Big(ger) Freightliner (Andrew Neville) 2:47
6. Give Me Forty Acres (Earl & John Green) 2:16
7. My Baby’s Waitin’(Buck Owens & Red Simpson) 2:22
SIDE B
8. Freightliner Fever (Truman Lankford) 3:03
9. The Carroll County Accident (Bob Ferguson) 3:24
10. Joseph Hill (Sean Burns) 4:28
11.Phantom 309 (Tommy Faile) 3:55
12. A Tombstone Every Mile (Dan Fulkerson) 2:27
13. Truck Drivin’ Son-of-a-Gun (Dixie Deen & Ray King) 2:46