fans of high-energy country rock are welcoming the return of The Denim Daddies with their new album Northern Goods, out now on vinyl and all digital platforms. They recently shared the album’s second single “Seems To Me,” which combines a classic honky tonk sound with a hopeful message. The band is also spreading that love on their current western Canadian tour (see full dates below).
When a lifestyle creates a musical style, that’s pretty much the definition of authenticity. So when we say that The Denim Daddies are creating their own form of authentic country music, you might feel a little bit confused. For example, you may ask, how does guitarist/vocalist Andrew Brostrom keep writing songs that sound as if they stumbled out of a smoky barroom? Steady work on the craft, beer drinking, and breaking hearts, that’s how.
Brostrom and his fellow Edmonton, Alberta-based good ol’ boys who comprise The Denim Daddies—bassist/vocalist Kurtis Cockerill, pedal steel guitarist Booker Diduck, keyboardist Sahil Chugh, and drummer/vocalist Matt King—have been finding ways to satisfy the tastes of both country music purists and newbies for over five years now, burning up every stage they grace with outlaw-inspired alt-country that parties as hard as they do.
You can judge for yourself on Northern Goods, the long-overdue follow-up to their 2019 companion EPs, Drinkin’ and Thinkin’. Kurtis Cockerill says the gap between releases was largely due to the band abruptly shelving an album they were halfway through finishing, in favour of a different batch of songs that seemed a more accurate reflection of their live sound. “Some of these songs are our oldest ones that weren’t yet recorded, written as far back as early 2018,” Kurtis explains. “These songs are all of our favourites to play on stage. We feel they have a tenacity to them that makes for a very cohesive sounding album.”
Northern Goods was recorded at various points during 2023, mostly with Scott Franchuk (Corb Lund, Del Barber, The Goddamsels) at Edmonton’s Riverdale Recorders, and captures The Denim Daddies’ growth as both songwriters and performers. Since releasing their debut single, “Road Runner,” in 2018, The Denim Daddies have become well-established across western Canada, winning Edmonton’s Select Songwriting Contest, and appearing at major festivals such as Big Valley Jamboree and Dauphin’s Countryfest. They’ve also shared stages with Cheap Trick, The Dead South and The Sadies, gaining ground within the Canadian scene with each appearance.
Expect to see and hear a lot more of The Denim Daddies as they’ll likely be bringing their posse to a town near you in support of Northern Goods. They’ll be in their van of course. None of them can ride a horse.
The Denim Daddies Live:
March 21 (Thurs) :: Edmonton AB :: The Aviary
March 22 (Fri) :: Vulcan AB :: Nine In A Line Brewing Co.
March 23 (Sat) :: Lethbridge AB :: Owl Acoustic Lounge
March 30 (Sat) :: Jasper AB :: Jasper Legion
April 12 (Fri) :: Saskatoon SK :: Amigos Cantina
April 13 (Sat) :: Regina SK :: The Cure Kitchen+Bar
