New all-original set from Canada’s classic country torchbearer
follows 2023’s acclaimed Lost Country
LISTEN TO + SHARE “I DO MY CRYIN’ ALONE”
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Select press for Lost Country (2023):
”Sean Burns might be the most important person in the entire nation of Canada when it comes to the preservation of traditional country music.” – Saving Country Music
“A contender for one of the best albums this year and an album that any honky tonk aficionado will embrace and enjoy. It is an object lesson in taking the past and giving it a future.” – Lonesome Highway
“Sean is as authentic as they come when recreating this time-honoured sound. Many times, we’ve listened to new music from Sean and have been left contemplating whether this truly is ‘new,’ or secretly some long-forgotten record discovered in somebody’s old vinyl collection out in the rural backwoods.” – Great Dark Wonder
TORONTO ON — Following the singles “Glory For Me” and “Tables & Chairs,” Canada’s classic country music torchbearer Sean Burns today releases Better Off In Time & Other Songs For The Dance Floor via Department Store Records in vinyl, CD and digital formats. His album release tour is currently underway in western Canada (see dates below).
After paying tribute to Canada’s forgotten country music heroes on the 2023 covers album Lost Country—which Country Music People called “required listening”—Better Off In Time & Other Songs For The Dance Floor features 10 new original songs, recorded at Winnipeg’s No Fun Club with co-producers Skinny Dyck and Scott Franchuk.
For the sessions, Burns was joined by guitarist Chris Dunn, drummer Joanna Miller and pedal steel guitarist Dan Russell, along with several guests including legendary piano player Floyd Domino (Asleep At The Wheel, Merle Haggard) who sent in his tracks from his home in Austin, Texas.
For Burns, who also plays bass in Corb Lund’s Hurtin’ Albertans, making Better Off In Time… was in many ways a matter of taking care of unfinished business that was disrupted by the pandemic. Over half the songs were written in 2018 and 2019, while others came together over the past few years whenever Burns was inspired to write while on tour. In the end, the pieces fell into place once Burns had the right group of musicians and some time to record.
“I took the songs that were already mostly written and tuned them up,” he explains. “There were some lyrical and arrangement changes made, but it all came together pretty naturally. We hashed the songs out as a band, which culminated with a pair of gigs we’d booked that really served as live rehearsal. We always try to capture a live feel when we record, but this album probably has more overdubs than other records I’ve made.”
Overall, fans of Sean’s work will be thrilled to hear him and the band continue to revitalize the sound of classic honky tonk, with song titles such as “When The Heartaches Call,” “I Do My Crying Alone” and “Lord, I Hate To See Myself This Way” speaking volumes. Sean poured all he had into stunning vocal performances, as on “Glory For Me,” while at the same time staying true to a traditional Texas dancehall sound.
He says, “I fell deeper and deeper down the well of Texas dancehall country music made by artists like Johnny Bush and Amber Digby, as well as the earlier era of Ray Price and Johnny Bush. I was spinning a lot of that music on my radio program and was immersed in the style those bands play down there. I could have gone to Texas to make this album, but I had assembled a good band at home so I thought we could put our own spin on that sound.”
Such detail is common practice for Sean Burns, whose encyclopedic knowledge of country music has been established through his long-running radio show Boots & Saddle, and early thematic solo albums.
But as with all of Sean Burns’ work, it’s not necessary to be familiar with the theme he’s presenting. The songs stand on their own as not only a reminder of what country once was, but what it is and always will be, three chords and the truth.
Sean Burns – Better Off In Time… Album Release Tour:
Sept 18 (Fri) :: Winnipeg MB :: Sidestage w/ Erika Fowler + Skinny Dyck
Sept 24 (Thurs) :: Medicine Hat AB :: Medicine Hat Brewing Company
Sept 25 (Fri) :: Twin Butte AB :: Twin Butte General Store
Sept 26 (Sat) :: Bellevue AB :: Ophelia Outpost
Sept 27 (Sun) :: Banff AB :: The Dusty Boot Saloon
Sept 29 (Tues) :: Jasper AB :: Whistle Stop Pub
Sept 30 (Wed) :: Quesnel BC :: Barkerville Brewing Co.
Oct 2 (Fri) :: Chilliwack BC :: Bozzini’s
Oct 3 (Sat) :: Vancouver BC :: The Heatley w/ The Unbranded
Oct 5 (Mon) :: Kelowna BC :: Kettle River Brewing Co.
Oct 9/10 (Fri/Sat) :: Winnipeg MB :: SMITH (Solo 8-11 p.m.)