THE PROSPECTOR’S UNION
Stemming from acoustic performances of songs and strange pre-occupation with geography, The Prospector’s Union has grown into an expansive cast of renowned East Coast musicians. With a line-up that includes Matt Charlton, John Mullane, Daniel Ledwell, Andrew Sisk, Christina Martin, Jason Michael MacIsaac and David Casey, the group recently released their debut EP, Syracuse
Though comprised of five stylisitically diverging songs, Syracuse manages to hold onto a cohesive mood. From the echoing distrust of “Montreal,” to the hard fought acceptance of “The Valley Neighbours,” each track bares a weariness that binds the collection together.
This tone stems from the manner in which the album was recorded. With producer MacIsaac, Charlton cut down an originally recorded ten songs to the remaining five. Even with this reduced workload, Syracuse took over a year to complete. Tracks were recorded, rethought and recorded again until everything began to fit as a whole. While the early stages were completed at Echo Chamber and Common Ground studios in Halifax, the majority of the work was done in the cat dominated computer room of MacIssac’s apartment.
“It was suppose to be a quickly recorded, off the cuff record,” says Charlton. “It turned into something quite different. While we started out trying to make a more or less standard country-rock record, we quickly began to incorporate a lot of different elements to experiment with the sound. Artists like Mike Nesmith and Lee Hazelwood became real touchstones for us.”
Upon hearing the completed work, music blog Herohill noted this band’s transformation, claiming “Syracuse plays more like a studio odyssey than a local, independent release.” The EP’s first single, “Flaming Death,” found similar acclaim, being featured on CBC Radio 3 and included in Eye Weekly’s “Meet the Critics” feature of as one of the best singles of the year.
ALBUMS
Coming Soon…
