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Petunia & The Vipers return to The Gibsons Legion with their genre bending eclectic mix of blues, western swing, alt country rock americanaMost musicians will likely tell you that playing music was just a part of their upbringing. Not so for the man known as Petunia, and that’s only one of the things that makes him unique. In fact, there was no one in his family with any artistic inclinations, so when he eventually felt the urge to write songs, he made the rational decision to start at the source: Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. All three remain indelibly stamped on every song Petunia and his long time band The Vipers have ever performed or recorded.
That pattern continues on the ambitious new Petunia & The Vipers double album, Callin' Me Back, due out in 2025. Co-produced at Rain City Studios in Vancouver by Steve Loree, guitarist with Canadian indie legends and alt-country pioneers Jr. Gone Wild, the album has actually been in the can for several years. Callin' Me Back was initially slated for release in the summer of 2020, but all plans were set aside due to the pandemic. Further delays ensued as the band gradually resumed its normal touring regimen, but now it’s full speed ahead.
Of course, given the timeless qualities of Petunia’s songwriting, there was never any danger of the music falling out of fashion. “These are songs that I mostly wrote after the last batch that came out on the previous album Lonesome, Heavy and Lonesome,” he explains. “My process is to learn cover songs until I get inspired to write a song of my own. Basically, when the mood strikes me, I write ‘em. Sometimes I won’t write a song for over a year, while other times I’ll write an album’s worth in a few months. Over the pandemic, as we were clamped down with very little touring or moving about, I wrote three album’s worth.”
The 15 tracks on Callin' Me Back certainly display Petunia’s mastery of putting a modern spin on traditional country, folk and blues, with the first single “Bible Preacher” deftly combining Mississippi Delta grit with New Orleans bounce, all tied together by his trademark sense of humour. Other album highlights are “Callin’ Me Back,” “Cindy Lou,” “Inside Of You” and “Billy The Kid,” along with “Sheila’s Song,” inspired by the trailblazing Canadian comedian/performance artist Sheila Gostick, which Petunia says was the second song he ever wrote. Additionally, the album contains two songs by Devin Champlin of like-minded Washington State outfit The Sons Of Rainier.
But for long time fans of Petunia & The Vipers, the most obvious new feature on Callin' Me Back is the addition of a full horn section on most of the album. “Once I started playing weekly with a horn section, the possibilities really began to reveal themselves,” Petunia says. “Eventually, an album developed with these big horn arrangements. I wouldn’t say that the album is a horn section album, but the horns are featured more than anything else.”
Expanding the band’s sound is a prime example of Petunia’s evolution as both a musician and performer, although he admits he’s reached a comfortable place as a songwriter that’s made him less self-conscious. “I’m embracing the less-is-more approach with respect to chords, two is plenty,” he says. “A friend said you don’t get paid past the fourth chord anyways. I also feel like my inner clown is coming through a lot more on stage, which is keeping things fresh.”
For those in the know, Petunia & The Vipers are already legends within the alt-country/Americana world, but with the release of Callin' Me Back, it’s high time for music fans of all denominations to discover their undeniable magic.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Royal Canadian Legion Branch #109 Gibsons, 747 Gibsons Way,Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada
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