The Sadies Northern Passages & Shows # 661, 662, 663

Northern Passages is the 10th full-length album released by Toronto’s The Sadies, who formed in 1994. This album makes connections with the band’s past, musically and spiritually as well as connecting with the present and future. Dallas and Travis Good have a musical history that is deep rooted in country and folk music. They are the sons of Margaret and Bruce Good. Bruce, alongside Brian and Larry Good (Dallas and Travis’ uncles) performed and recorded music as The Good Brothers. It’s also no secret that The Sadies have collaborated with numerous artists such as Andre Williams, John Doe, Neko Case, Gord Downie, Neil Young, Garth Hudson and many others. On Northern Passages they collaborate with a new contributor, Kurt Vile.

Several of the songs on Northern Passages are like walking into a wide-open field. With each track The Sadies make new paths and breathe new life into previous paths that they’ve travelled through in the past. “Riverview Fog” opens Northern Passages in a psychedelic folk fashion. It is slow and conjures up the feeling of walking on an overcast day prior to a rainfall. Lyrically the song acts as a letter and combination of thoughts to an old reclusive friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while. “Riverview Fog” is said to be about Rick White of Eric’s Trip/Elevator, who alongside Greg Keelor (of Blue Rodeo), Dallas Good, Travis Good, Sean Dean and Mike Belitsky of The Sadies played in The Unintended. With lyrics such as “I know that’s not where you’re at today/Stay calm in your quiet getaway,” “Long gone are the days/They’ve all passed away” and “But I know you’re where you need to be/Out in the country,” “Riverview Fog” mixes up a complex pairing of thoughts and reflectiveness, while at the same time displaying a hopefulness.

“Another Season Again” switches to a more fuzzed up garage path. If the path on “Riverview Fog” was one of an overcast day just before rainfall, “Another Season Again” is more chaotic, like running through a downpour. “There Are No Words” is a slower, dirtier, fuzzier song, as you catch your breath from the previous track. Lyrically the song simmers with a search for meaning or words, as it questions and propels forward before the song’s ending, which slows down into a country outro. It makes way for a new path set by a new collaboration with Kurt Vile. Vile toured with The Sadies years ago and on “It’s Easy (Like Walking),” Ville’s hazy, laid back approach opens up a new dynamic for The Sadies. The song while lethargic, has a certain mysteriousness to it. With words such as “My hand’s got a permanent air guitar tick/But don’t confuse it with a crutch/’Cause I like it a lot,” “Like playing guitar with your brother/Like planting one foot in front of the other” the song seems to be about The Sadies and The Good brothers and how music seems to come to them so easily. Yet at the same time this lethargic folk song also shows how The Sadies are able to work so well with other bands and collaborate in a way that serves the song first, above anything else.

“The Elements Song” clocks in at five minutes and 21 seconds and calls for being aware of your surroundings. Musically, it was the first song that they worked on for Northern Passages, which was recorded Dallas and Travis’ parents’ basement and produced by Dallas Good. With this song The Sadies take little bits of the music that has surrounded them throughout their career. The Sadies tread through familiar pathways that some would say have been passed through before, but when The Sadies travel through, it sounds mesmerizing. “Through Strange Eyes” is a country-garage song with strong narrative lyrics, dealing with the devil, a place without love and birds in flight. “God Bless The Infidels” is a country song, featuring backing vocals from Margaret Good that questions our current social climate, however, it is a song that has a universal message. “The Good Years” is a sweeping dark country-folk song that is haunting, both musically and lyrically. This song was name checked on The Sadies website as “Northern Gothic” and this is a path that no matter how many times it is walked through, it is still powerful.

Following the reflective “Questions I’ve Never Asked,” “The Noise Museum” comes in as the last and the 11th track on Northern Passages. This instrumental track, the only one found here takes on an Ennino Morricone slant mixed with surf elements and is executed in a cinematic fashion. With an overall sound that can be described as an “acid-folk-country-punk trip,” Northern Passages finds The Sadies navigating through familiar and new territories. The Sadies are not travelling through a path less travelled here, but they are creating their own.

In 2018, Revolution Rock interviewed Travis Good of The Sadies.  Find that interview here.

Playlist for Show # 663 (Originally Aired on April 15th, 2017):

1. Street Chant - Pedestrian Support League
2. The Verlaines - Death & The Maiden
3. The Chills - Doledrums
4. The Rolling Stones - Cool, Calm & Collected
5. Bubble Puppy - Lonely
6. The Soul Motivators - Dr Know It All
7. The Easybeats - Saturday Night
8. The Gooeys - Scary Black Cherry Nap
9. The Moby Dicks - Mike Molloy
10. Rolling Blackouts C.F. - Julie's Place
11. Dream Whip - Hopeless Romantic
12. Elephants Memory - Jungle Gym At The Zoo
13. Craig Brown Band - I Wondered What
14. CATL - Lamplight The Way
15. New Pornographers - Whiteout Conditions
16. Timber, Timbre - Sewer Blues
17. Protomartyr - Want Remover
18. Dude York - Tonight
19. The Flaming Lips - Just Like Before
20. Paul Jacobs - Favorite Number
21. The Oblivians - No Reason To Live
22. Pow Wows - Hey Doctor
23. The Jury- Who Dat?
24. The Zombies - Gotta Get A Hold of Myself
25. The Zombies - Indication
26. The King Khan & BBQ Show - Too Much In Love
27. The Gruesomes - Wish You Were Her
28. The Gruesomes - Who Dat?

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 15.

Playlist for Show # 662 (Originally Aired on April 8th, 2017):

1. The Sentinals - Exotic
2. The Reprobettes - Danger!
3. Spencer Burton - Dark Cloud
4. By Divine Right - Field Of Trampolines
5. Adrian Teacher & The Subs - Late Last Night
6. Shotgun Jimmie - Drunkeness
7. Calvin Johnson - Lies Goodbye
8. The Sadies - Riverview Fog
9. The Sadies - It's Easy (Like Walking)
10. Beams - I Wanted To Tell Her
11. James O-L & The Villains - West End
12. Lychi - Married
13. The Orwells - Fry
14. Mexican Knives - Turner
15. 3-D Invisibles - Cool Ghoul
16. Johnny Thunders - Cool Operator
17. Damaged Bug - The Cryptologist
18. Idols - Girl That I Love
19. The Adverts - Safety In Numbers
20. The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet
21. Link Cromwell - Crazy Like A Fox
22. The Jujus - Do You Understand Me
23. The Collectors- We Can Make It
24. Northwest Company - Eight Hour Day
25. The Benders - Can't Tame Me
26. The Black Lips - Freedom Fries
27. Guided By Voices - West Coast Company
28. Guided By Voices - Keep Me Down
29. Guided By Voices - Sudden Fiction

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 8.

Playlist for Show # 661 (Originally Aired on April 1st, 2017):

1. Vangelis - One More Kiss, Dear
2. Dion Lunadon - Fire
3. The Maggie's Marshmallows - No Friend of Mine
4. La Conversion Des Sauvages - Dans La Granges
5. La Conversion Des Sauvages - Jappe Le Chein
6. Little Richard - Jenny Jenny
7. Little Richard - She's Got It
8. Muddy Waters - Can't Be Satisfied
9. Townes Van Zandt - Who Do You Love (Live At The Old Quarter)
10. Stompin' Tom Connors - The Ketchup Song
11. The Sadies - Through Strange Eyes
12. T. Hardy Morris - Painted On Attitude
13. Saint Pe - Spun and Spurn
14. Rolling Blackouts C.F. - Sick Bug
15. Tim Darcy - Still Waking Up
16. The Beets - Cold Lips
17. Bob Dylan - Braggin'
18. Teenage Geese - Itchy Feet
19. Cub - Cast A Shadow
20. Jack Lee - Hanging On The Telephone
21. Jack Lee - Women
22. Ron Gallo - Put The Kids To Bed
23. Ron Gallo - Why Do You Have Kids
24. Tobin Sprout - Future Boy/Man of Tomorrow
25. BA Johnston - Alley Beers
26. Preoccupations - Zodiac
27. The Mummies - Zipa Dee Do Da
28. Xanadu - No Change

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 1.