Between writing his debut Clever Hopes album, Artefact, and the songs that comprise New Kind of Familiar, Andrew Shaver experienced his fair share of significant events—falling in love, moving to Nova Scotia, becoming a father. These are the things occupying his mind on the new record, and yet, they don't exist in a vacuum; Shaver rejects tidy narratives and time's linear arrow, and instead lets the album take shape with the same flow and verve of real life, bouncing back and forth in his lyrics between memory, the glorious, the complicated present, and anticipation.
"There was a lot of looking back on Artefact," Shaver says. "New Kind of Familiar is far more forward looking; there are songs on which I've been able to celebrate the place I'm in now - a place of stability and clarity. There's a song that deals directly with the question of death, and one about the birth of my son, or essentially, rebirth."
Bringing such a diversity of arrangements to life necessitated a crack team of close and new friends, which Shaver assembled to join him at Joel Plaskett's Fang Recording studio in Dartmouth: Eva Foote (vocals), Matthew Barber (vocals, mixing, production), Joe Grass (guitars), Afie Jurvanen aka Bahamas (guitars), Kyle Cunjak (bass), Joshua van Tassel (drums). Steve O'Connor recorded the keys after the fact in Port Hope, and Kev Foran once again played the brass from his studio in Dublin.
Join East Coast DNA host Darcy Walsh for a chat with Andrew Shaver aka Clever Hopes about acting, music, and working behind the scenes. We dive into the new Clever Hopes album, "New King of Familar" and invite you all to join the band for a celebration of the sophomore album:CLEVER HOPES ALBUM RELEASE
SHOWS
Saturday, June 22 - Dartmouth, NS - The Sanctuary Arts Centre - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/clever-hopes-new-kind-of-familiar-album-release-tickets-898840755897?aff=oddtdtcreator
Tuesday, July 16 - Toronto, ON - Cameron House (Back Room) - https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/clever-hopes-new-kind-of-familiar-album-release-tickets-898861267247?aff=oddtdtcreator
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