TODAY, Jeremy Drury announces the release of his debut solo album, Company Store, due out August 28, 2020. Best known as the drummer of JUNO award-winning group The Strumbellas, Drury headed to Toronto’s Lincoln County Social Club, and with John Dinsmore (NQ Arbuckle, Oh Susanna) at the engineering helm, recorded his self-produced debut. “The concept of doing my own record has been with me for years. I’ve been writing songs since I was a teenager and had always dreamed of putting out my own material – but my confidence behind the kit kept me from facing the fear that goes along with being so exposed as both a singer and a songwriter.” The album features 9 new songs, including the lead singles “Pour Another” and “Tadoussac” – OUT NOW.
Before joining The Strumbellas, Drury spent almost 10 years in and out of various bands in Toronto’s club scene, playing with indie, alt-rock, folk, and punk groups. He lets this melting pot of influences show in his songwriting. From The Traveling Wilburys to Propagandhi and Fred Eaglesmith to Pink Floyd, the result is a folk-rock sound leaning into the alternative that occasionally sticks its toes in Americana, structured with a pop sensibility, complete with big hooks and sing-along choruses.
With a lifetime of material to draw from, songs like “Tadoussac” and “Pour Another” tell stories of a time before success, where innocence abounds. Taking on both the vocal and songwriting duties, Drury also performs all the instruments on the new record. Mixed by Dave Shiffman(PUP, The Strumbellas, The Darcys) and mastered by Harold Hess (Arkells, Danko Jones, Monster Truck), Company Store is more than just a debut album – “I might consider the songs on Company Store to be more of a playlist than an album;” shares Drury. “These are ideas and perspectives I’ve had over the last 15-20 years and my tastes in music are constantly changing, and the diversity within is a reflection of that evolution.”
What’s The Story about Jeremy Drury?
“When I was in grade 8, I made a deal with a classmate that if she gave me one of her lunch snacks, a Passion Flakie, I’d mention her name during my JUNO acceptance speech. I set the bar pretty high as a cocky 13 year old, but in a way it became a driving force in my life, to make good on that promise.”
With that childhood promise fulfilled as a member of The Strumbellas, drummer Jeremy Drurysought to expand his musical horizons and build on his accomplishments with his debut solo album, Company Store.
Raised in Lindsay, Ontario, Drury began his musical journey at the age of 12 as a percussionist in his school band. With a natural ability identified by his instructors, Drury was encouraged throughout his schooling to apply his gift to concert, jazz, and marching bands, while joining country and rock groups outside of school. By the end of high school, Drury had already taken his music across Southern Ontario, and into the clubs of Toronto. Drury and his then band “Fat Chance”, left Lindsay to spend a stint on the west coast in Vancouver’s punk scene. Like most bands formed in high school, its members ultimately had different goals and returned home to Ontario. While former bandmates sought post-secondary education, Drury’s interest in music eventually led him back to Toronto, where he found himself as an in-demand drummer, supporting alternative rock, hip-hop, and indie bands throughout the city’s clubs.
Despite keeping busy being called on for his drumming abilities, Drury continued his interest in songwriting, one that blossomed in high school when band members would leave their guitars and keyboards at his home where they rehearsed. Teaching himself by watching the talented players he’d had the privilege of working with and spending countless hours with his 4-track recorder, Drury’s songwriting beginnings were more experimentation than composition but really started to take root and grow when exposed to the songwriting talent he’d found gigging in Toronto.
Fast forward several years and 4 albums later, with chart-topping music, Gold and Platinum sales, international touring, countless awards, late-night television performances and song placements that include the likes of Universal Pictures, Fox Sports and American Idol, Drury brings together his own stories, his own experiences and fulfills a lifelong goal of releasing his own material with his debut album Company Store.
