Beloved Canadian rockers The Sheepdogs unveil their new five-track EP, Paradise Alone, alongside a video for new single “Take Me For A Ride”. Recorded with Grammy-award-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang, Paradise Alone marks the beginning of a new chapter for the band who celebrate their 20th Anniversary this year. The EP, released on the band’s newly minted label Right On Records, marks The Sheepdogs’ first full independent release since leaving Warner Music Canada, ushering in a new era for the multi-platinum and four time JUNO-award winning quintet. Embracing their independence with a fresh approach to releasing music, The Sheepdogs plan to eschew the traditional album cycle, and deliver shorter, razor-sharp collections of music on their own schedule.
Says frontman Ewan Currie of the 70s glam-stomping single, “That one’s just a good old fashioned, dumb rock song, which is one of my favourite things. If a song makes me feel like I’m driving in the car with the windows down, that’s a good start to an album to me.” The new single joins the beautiful, previously released acoustic ballad “Darlin’ Baby”. Watch the video HERE.
A masterpiece in miniature, Paradise Alone showcases some of the best music of The Sheepdogs’ career and notably the first official recording featuring guitarist Ricky Paquette who’s performed with the band since 2022. Produced by frontman Ewan Currie, Paradise Alone was recorded over a five day period at Southern Grooves in Memphis with Grammy-award-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang who the band first met in 2014 at the legendary Sun Studios while filming a CBC Music Backstage Pass celebrating Elvis. At the time, Matt was a young engineer working at Sun who the band brought to Canada to engineer Future Nostalgia in late 2014, his first album engineered outside of Sun. Since then, Matt has gone on to become one of the most sought after engineers in the US, working on many albums including Jason Isabel, John Prine, Al Green, Marcus King, Rival Sons, Margo Price, and St. Paul and the Broken Bones.
The seeds for Paradise Alone were planted early in 2023. Following some difficult times in his personal life, Ewan Currie found himself alone in the Florida Keys. Absorbing the dulcet ‘80s and ‘90s country of Alan Jackson and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – not to mention the lavish, drinking-from-a-coconut spirit of Margaritaville – he sat at the end of a bar drinking mezcal, watching other people have a wonderful time.
Back home in Toronto, those lovably unironic country tones percolated in his mind. But it took a while to channel them into songs. At the same time, the prospect of turning 40 (not to mention The Sheepdogs’ 20th anniversary in 2024) loomed in Currie’s mind. “It was not lost on me that the potential for a midlife crisis was in front of me. But I chose not to fully go into it. I just had a bad time, and then I went ‘alright, I’ll write some songs’. It’s what my life is. I’m a musician, it’s what I do. I’m so fucking lucky to do this job for a living.
That sense of joie de vivre came flooding back in April 2024, when the band – armed with a Dropbox of demos and zero practice – headed to Memphis. Surrounded by heaps of beautiful vintage gear in Southern Grooves, it was a joyful albeit intense time. With only five days there, they did a song a day and worked “insane” hours. Still, there was something special about following only their orders, working hard but savouring the experience.
After parting ways with Warner Music Canada in 2022, The Sheepdogs have since been able to buy back their award-winning catalogue and distribute the music along with future releases via Right On Records, the band’s own record label distributed through The Orchard worldwide. This newfound freedom has empowered the band to make a major shift in how, and how often, they release music.
On top of the new label – and what many might not know – the band runs the majority of their business activities independently and in-house including management, marketing, and production, which they have been doing successfully for over 6 years, building a true DIY community. 2024 sees over 80 headline tour dates across Canada, the US, Europe, and the UK, including the band’s recent 5 show run supporting Bryan Adams in Quebec, and Blue Rodeo in Saskatoon.
“We’ve been a band for 20 years, and pretty comfortable with who we are and how we do things. We’ve lasted this long by staying true to ourselves, doing things our way, and not chasing trends,” says bassist Ryan Gullen. “Acquiring our catalogue and starting our own label is about taking things to the next level. We want to be in the driver’s seat, doing things our way, and maybe even helping other artists do the same. With so much constantly changing, we’re focused on staying true to our approach.
He adds, “In a world of content, we believe that the best thing a band can offer is music, and that’s how we want to approach our releases. While funny videos are great. people ultimately are here for the music, so we’re setting up a system to deliver as much of it as possible (and yes, we’ll still make those funny videos too). This record is the first in a series of planned releases, allowing us to experiment, collaborate, and take risks. Instead of sticking to the traditional album cycle, we want to challenge ourselves creatively and share more music with people.”
The Sheepdogs have enjoyed a long and illustrious career, recently celebrating their 20th Anniversary as a band in July. The band’s previous studio release, Outta Sight, garnered international acclaim and was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2023 JUNO Awards. The band has notably maintained a single in the Top 20 for an impressive 89 consecutive weeks, including “Keep On Loving You”, and “Rock and Roll (Ain’t No Simple Thing)” from the band’s 2021 EP No Simple Thing, and “Find The Truth” from Outta Sight. The band played over 145 shows internationally last year, including numerous trips around North America, the UK, Europe and Australia.
