Local roots trio releases latest album
Rogan Chahine, CONTRIBUTOR
Sweet Alibi. SUPPLIED
It’s been two years and a Canada-wide tour since Sweet Alibi released their last album We’ve Got To. After two years of milestones including performances at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Juno Fest and Canada Day in Ottawa, the women of Sweet Alibi are ready to match their previous success.
“I guess there’s always a natural pressure, but we try not to put that kind of pressure on ourselves. We naturally progress,” said vocalist and guitarist, Amber Quesnel.
The local roots trio are releasing their third album, Walking in the Dark, at the end of this month. Quesnel and her band mates Michelle Anderson and Jessica Rae Ayre released their first single off the album at the beginning of October. The video for “Keep Showing You” has over 2,000 views on YouTube so far.
Quesnel said the band tested some of the new music out on the road during their summer tour. She said they had to save some songs for the album release, but the practice in a live setting was helpful. Anderson, the electric guitar and banjo player in the group, agreed.
“We love to play new material live because it makes it new to us, too,” said Anderson.
The band recorded the album with producer Murray Pulver who has worked with big-time local groups like Crash Test Dummies and The Bros. Landreth.
“He’s insanely talented,” said Quesnel. “[He’s] really good at taking something that’s all jumbled and making it cohesive.”
Quesnel said the songs are a little bit heavier this time around. “Keep Showing You” is about constantly proving yourself in a relationship, even during difficult times. But there are some fun songs, too.
“Bodacious’ is a song that we wrote about a giant bull, which is pretty heavy stuff,” said Quesnel with a laugh.
The band has a lot to live up to with the release of Walking in the Dark. The band’s previous album won multiple awards, including a Western Canadian Music Award for Roots Duo/Group Recording of the Year in 2014. It shouldn’t be too hard since they are celebrating their album release with their first-ever headlining show at the West End Cultural Centre. That show will be on Nov. 20 and tickets are at ticketfly.com.
Anderson said it’s a little scarier to be headlining a show rather than to just be an opening act, but she’s welcoming the scary and excited feelings that come with the territory.
