The iconic four-piece The Sadies will release their 10th studio album titled Northern Passages on February 10, 2017 (Yep Roc Records) with a pre-order available as of November 4. The Sadies premiered the first single from the LP today, a haunting, harmony-filled number titled “Riverview Fog” which began as a letter to their friend Rick White, whose contributions, both musical and visual, have helped to shape The Sadies’ story. Listen to “Riverview Fog” via Twangville.
The essence of The Sadies’ story can be summed up with the powerful image of the aurora borealis adorning the cover of their latest album, Northern Passages. Ever since the quartet, comprised of singer/guitarists Dallas and Travis Good, bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky, first arrived on the North American scene 20 years ago, their music has never been less than awe-inspiring, with no embellishment necessary.
As the light swirled with each album The Sadies have made, the overall picture took on more defined colours. On top of that is an incredible list of collaborations—Neko Case, R&B legend Andre Williams, The Mekons’ Jon Langford, Jon Spencer, Robyn Hitchcock, John Doe, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gord Downie, Neil Young—each artist pushing their sound into new, unmapped territory. Eventually, more time was taken in between albums as focus shifted to their original songwriting, and what was once the best live band in Canada became the best band in Canada, period.
Recorded in the basement of Dallas and Travis’ parents’ home north of Toronto over the winter of 2015, the familiar surroundings and lack of distractions resulted in a consistent feel, despite the eclecticism at the heart of The Sadies’ sound. The psych-folk flourishes on tracks such as “Riverview Fog” are no mere homage; this is the sound of our inscrutable world, and how we manage to survive in it.
The Sadies are a band that fans cling to like a closely guarded secret, with each new release fulfilling the promise to reach further, for all of our sakes, not just their own. With Northern Passages, the time has come to make room for more on this wild acid-folk-country-punk trip, and we’ll be better off because of it.
The band will be heading on a Canadian Ontario and East Coast tour supporting Blue Rodeo kicking off in Toronto on February 2, 2017. See below for all upcoming tour dates.
THE SADIES TOUR DATES
2016
Nov 04 – Sarnia, ON – SWIFF (The South Western International Film Festival)
Nov 05 – Peterborough, ON – The Red Dog Tavern
Dec 02 – Rochester, NY – Abilene Bar and Lounge
Dec 03 – Rochester NY – Abilene Bar and Lounge
2017
Feb 02 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall*
Feb 08 – Montreal, QC – Place des Arts*
Feb 09 – Kingston, ON – Rogers K-Rock Centre*
Feb 10 – Barrie, ON – Barrie Molson Centre*
Feb 11 – Oshawa, ON – GM Centre*
Feb 14 – London, ON – Budweiser Gardens*
Feb 16 – Hamilton, ON – Hamilton Place*
Feb 17 – Hamilton, ON – Hamilton Place*
Feb 18 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Centre (Southam Hall)*
Feb 19 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Centre (Southam Hall)*
Feb 21 – Woodstock, NB – AYR Motor Centre*
Feb 23 – St. John’s, NL – Mile One Centre*
Feb 25 – Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre*
Feb 26 – Moncton, NB – The Molson CDN Centre at Casino NB*
Feb 28 – Kitchener, ON – Centre In The Square*
* supporting Blue Rodeo
NORTHERN PASSAGES TRACK LIST
01. Riverview Fog
02. Another Season Again
03. There Are No Words
04. It’s Easy (Like Walking) (feat. Kurt Vile)
05. The Elements Song
06. Through Strange Eyes
07. God Bless The Infidels
08. The Good Years
09. As Above, So Below
10. Questions I Never Asked
11. The Noise Museum
