We Talk Music With ' Crownlands ' | The Canadian Rockers Landing Their New EP | 'WAYWARD FLYERS VOLUME 1'
Introducing Crownlands - Following the release of their new single ‘Howlin’ Back’, Canadian rock duo Crown Lands have shared the follow-up acoustic version, ‘ Howlin’ Back Again ’, as well as announcing their new acoustic EP Wayward Flyers Volume 1, out on June 11 th via Universal Music Canada.
Wayward Flyers Volume 1 showcases Crown Lands’ artistic versatility with four stripped back original songs plus a cover of Neil Young’s ‘Birds’. “This EP is another side of Crown Lands,” explains guitarist Kevin Comeau.
“A side we haven’t shown before! We wanted to get in touch with the core of our songwriting through this record.” “Tom Petty once said that ‘most any good song, you can sit down and deliver it with a piano or a guitar.’ We set out to prove that and as a result, we pushed ourselves in a softer, more intimate direction.” Fans can now pre-order Wayward Flyers Volume 1 vinyl here. The stunning 10-inch record features EP art which was designed by Quinn Henderson and stays true to the Crown Lands aesthetic: “a celebration of nature - an ode to our home”, describes Universal Music Canada’s Creative Director Andy Slater, who has worked closely with Crown Lands to develop their visuals.
Released earlier this month, ‘ Howlin’ Back ’ is the second track from Crown Lands’ upcoming debut album and follows the band’s first major-label release ‘Spit It Out’. Both tracks have garnered praise from Classic Rock, Louder, Kerrang!, American Songwriter, and more.
Crown Lands plans to release details of their debut album this summer. Known for their energetic live shows, Crown Lands spent the early part of their career performing, starting by booking themselves shows across southwestern Ontario and then landing opening slots for major rock acts like Jack White, Primus and Rival Sons. Like many bands, Crown Lands were challenged by the global pandemic, having to postpone their support slot across Europe with Grammy award-nominated sister duo Larkin Poe as well as their homecoming headlining show in Toronto.
Crown Lands remain positive while they wait for the day they can play to fans again, with Comeau commenting, “This is an important time to remember that we are all in this together, and we are going through a collective trauma. Although our doors and our borders remain closed, our minds must remain open.” After meeting six years ago and bonding over their shared obsession with Rush, Bowles and Comeau became “instant best friends” and started jamming together in a local barn, switching up instruments, but never straying from a two-piece set-up. Crown Lands have released two EPs, Mantra (2016) and Rise Over Run (2017). Making music that brings together a range of influences from folk and blues to psychedelic to prog rock, and drawing on their own intense personal chemistry, Crown Lands is a startlingly fresh jolt of energy. The group’s name is indicative of their musical ambitions: ‘Crown Land’ is a territorial area belonging to the monarch—or, as Bowles (whose own heritage is half Mi’kmaq, an indigenous tribe from Nova Scotia) puts it, “Crown Land is stolen land and we are reclaiming it”. Crown Lands are on a mission to represent a sense of empowerment for marginalized communities through their music and the weighty subject matter of their lyrics. “People are going to listen to you, so you may as well say something that matters”, says Comeau.
The release of Crown Lands’ upcoming, self-titled debut album was produced by six-time Grammy winner Dave Cobb (Lady Gaga, Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Rival Sons)—marks the arrival of a major new force in rock and roll. Comeau (guitar, bass, and keys) and Cody Bowles (vocals and drums) are bringing together a range of influences and, drawing on their own intense personal chemistry, creating something unique and fresh.
The two musicians met six years ago, when Comeau came home for Christmas from Los Angles, where he had been playing in a reggae band. Bonding over their shared obsession with Rush, they became “instant best friends” and started jamming together in a local barn, switching up instruments, but never straying from a two-piece set-up.
“We got ambitious really fast,” says Comeau. “We started booking shows—we called them ‘401 Runs’ because we’d drive a few hours on the highway east or west. When I bought a mini-van, we had room for more members or more gear and we had to make a choice. I like vintage amps, big amps, and vintage synthesisers, so we took all the seats out and filled it to the roof, and we would actually sleep on top of our gear.”
In 2016, Crown Lands released their first EP, Mantra, and accelerated their relentless touring schedule, which has seen them open for such major acts as Jack White, Coheed and Cambria, Primus, and Rival Sons.
Their second EP included ‘Mountain’, a significant song for the duo not just musically, but ideologically as well. “It’s about the horrors of Canada’s colonisation,” says Bowles, whose own heritage is half Mi’kmaw, an indigenous tribe from Nova Scotia. “The mountain that the song refers to is a metaphor—a physical manifestation of hope for my fellow Indigenous Canadians.”
Crown Lands’ musical ambition extends into their lyric writing and the weighty subjects they tackle in their songs. “People are going to listen to you, so you may as well say something that matters,” says Comeau. “I don’t play rock and roll to talk about rock and roll, I play to talk about things that matter to me. I don’t need any more ‘Hey Mamas’ in my life.”
They point to the song ‘End of the Road’ on the new record as emblematic of their intentions. “The song references the Highway of Tears,” says the guitarist, “an infamous highway in North British Columbia where a lot of Indigenous women go missing.” Cody elaborates: “There’s been no recourse and no follow-up. It’s systemic in Canada—there are so many roadblocks that prevent any progress from happening or any reconciliation moving forward, so we’re trying to raise awareness that this is happening in a country that claims to be very progressive and safe for threatened, vulnerable people.”
Working in Nashville with the legendary Cobb (who they met through Rival Sons) has helped the duo in both refining their writing and following their gut. “Dave pushed us to listen to ourselves and really trust our initial instinct with a song,” says Bowles. “The first couple of times we would play through a song, he’d be like ‘OK, we’re good’—if you beat it over the head too much, you lose the spirit and the feel is totally gone. So he allowed us to listen to ourselves and identify that spirit, and I think we’ll really take that with us moving forward.”
“We struggled with the rigidity of our set for a long time, playing the same songs night after night,” adds Comeau. “We learned from Jack White and Primus how to be more fluid and change it up.”
Working as a duo —especially one that aspires to the scope of its psychedelic heroes—has the advantage of efficiency, but comes with obvious challenges both musically and personally. The members of Crown Lands maintain, though, that the intensity of their collaboration has only reinforced their creative relationship and their friendship.
“We have such great chemistry already, only strengthened by the ups and downs of being on the road,” says Comeau. “We have a really special bond—pretty much like brothers, but more. Cody is like my life partner, basically. I think that connection comes through in our performance. There’s something special about the two of us getting together and turning up to ten, the sound waves that hit people. I’m a fairly little dude, a soft-spoken guy, so when I plug in my gear, I want to become a wall of sound on my own to have Cody’s voice soar on top of.”
“When we’re listening back to our performances now,” he continues, “the sound I used to hear in my head is now coming out of the speakers. So we just have to keep pushing ourselves even further.”
Critics have described the EP as:
“Noisy, woozy blues-rock with guitars that slash like sabers, topped with vocal shrieks straight from the trippiest corner of hell” – Classic Rock “
The Canadian duo plays the tailfeather-shaking music of old, with a guitar tone like a hornet troubadour and vocals that would make Robert Plant hop up and dance like an old lady at a revival church.” – Kerrang!
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Our mutual love for Rush started our friendship. We still love that band so much - not only for their music but the way they conducted themselves as professionals. When we started the band, we joked that if The White Stripes covered Rush, you’d get Crown Lands.
What’s been the craziest fan experience that has happened on tour?
One time in the middle of the tour Cody left the cash box with all of our money in the hotel lobby! We drove to the next gig unaware until it came time to set up the merch table. We called the Hotel and luckily someone had turned it in. We thought our career was over! We were very lucky that a kind stranger helped us that day.
What is your songwriting and creative process like?
Writing is quite collaborative in Crown Lands. We write the music in the room together almost always. It needs to have that spontaneity. If a riff doesn’t make our faces light up, we abandon it and move on. There’s a sense of humor that comes out when we’re together and we’re always trying to push each other musically - that can be heard in the songs. Lyrics are often written after the fact and it really is a 50/50 effort. Sometimes every other word belongs to each of us.
What does success look like to you, when will you know you’ve ‘made it’?
Bob Dylan once said, “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” We agree. Artistic freedom and the ability to sustain the lifestyle we want is the marker of success. We want to get big enough to live a decent life and then in turn inspire the next generation of musicians.
What do you want to be remembered for?
We hope to go down as a band that stands up for what they believe in. We’re not in a rock band just to talk about rock n roll, we’re in a band to talk about issues that matter: systemic racism, the genocide that our country was founded on, and the ongoing reckless resource extraction that has hurt the environment and our communities. We’re here to make a difference.
How has COVID 19 affected the band?
Of course, 2020 was ‘supposed to be our year’! But 2020 had its own plans. We’re still reeling and rebuilding. The downtime has been hard but sometimes it’s good to take a breath, look around, and regroup. We’ve been building a new studio to work out of lately; very excited to see where that goes!
How do you create an atmosphere for your audience?
We prioritize being as live and authentic as possible when we play shows. No click or backing tracks - we have too much respect for our audience to use those cheap tricks. One thing we were planning on before COVID was using scent machines with old Pine and Spruce wood. The scent isn’t a sense explored enough in rock concerts. We want a Crown Lands show to look, feel and smell like a northern forest, communion with nature is what both of us seek out in our personal lives and we want to share that in our shows.
What are your favorite venues you’ve played so far?
The Fonda Theatre in LA was a high watermark for us. It’s a beautiful historic venue. We still love small sweaty clubs though... nothing beats the intimacy of a show with no barricades!
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Our manager always tells us: “It starts and stops with the music. F*ck the data and the analytics”. That’s why we work with him! Not only is Olly a charming bastard, he really cares about the music and puts the music first. We often get caught up worrying about everything other than the music and he helps us regain perspective: it really is all about the music. Everything else follows.
If you could change anything about the industry what would it be?
Everyone should have their own bubble-like Wayne Coyne so we can all play shows again. That would be sweet.
In a more serious manner, it would be great to see a stronger response from our government for funding music venues. There is a need for publicly funded (or at least subsidised) music venues. The future of live music depends on the next generation, and there needs to be more support from the municipal government for the music community.
Do you place more importance on the lyrical content or the sound?
Both are key, but we definitely prioritize the music. Lyrics almost always come afterward. Not to say we absentmindedly write lyrics - because we put a lot of thought into our messaging - but it always starts with a riff or a drum groove that makes us smile.
How did you find the experience of working with 6-time Grammy winner - Dave Cobb?
Dave is a genius arranger and even a better human. It was a beautiful experience working with him. He’s a better guitarist than most players working today too. I learned a lot from him. He pushed me to embrace a lot of classic rock lead playing sensibilities that I would normally shy away from. We also had way too much fun with his Mellotron. We snuck that instrument on every song!
Was buying your van for touring the first big commitment, or what was the deciding moment that all your attention would be making the band successful?
The van was definitely a big step for us! We bought it right before our first tour. Registering the band as a business was a big step as well. Realising that we are not only bandmates, but shareholders in Crown Lands Music Inc really opened our eyes to how important it is to properly conduct ourselves.
Out of all the upcoming destinations for your 2021 tour, which one are you most excited for and why?
We’re very excited to finally get over to the UK and Europe. It’s been a lifelong dream. Barcelona is something we’re looking forward to.
Your duo has quite a unique look, do you think attire and aesthetic is an important part of creating a successful brand?
Thanks! Yeah, we keep it in our minds to remember that Crown Lands is indeed a brand as well as a band. We embrace that side because it allows us to have a platform to talk about what matters to us, but it’s not our #1 priority. That being said, it is very important! We wouldn’t have gotten this far without our aesthetic.
As you have such a close bond, do you prefer when just the two of you are on stage?Or is collaboration an important part of keeping yourselves excited?
Our musical chemistry is something special - something we haven’t been able to find with anyone else yet. When the time comes to expand our stage show it’ll be closer to what Talking Heads did with Stop Making Sense, rather than just adding a couple of touring members. Crown Lands is a vehicle for us to explore how busy two people can be on stage - it’s a really fun challenge to see how far we can push ourselves as musicians and multitaskers. We’re just as happy with being the rhythm section as we are with being the front-people. We are still so new that we haven’t explored those possibilities to their furthest conclusion yet. That’s what keeps us going.
Your recent EP Wayward Flyers Volume 1 showcases your artistic versatility, is it important that your music contains different musical genres and hybrids of sound?
Thank you! We’re really happy with how that record turned out. The whole project was so far out of our comfort zone. That’s what we’re talking about when we say that we want to push ourselves to see what we can accomplish as a duo. That being said, Justin Meli really is like our third guy. He’s on the road with us, he’s in the studio with us, he’s in our heads too whenever we create. We’ve really put him through the paces! Haha. We’re living in a post-genre world and Wayward is our first time embracing that. We’re not going to just make big; dumb, loud rock for the rest of our lives. There are so many worlds to explore and we don’t want to be tethered by the conventions of the genre. We love folk, Afrobeat, and electronic ambient music just as much as we love classic rock.
Your EP is available on vinyl, why was it significant that it be available in this form as well as online streaming? Is this your preferred way of listening to music?
It’s been a dream of ours since we became a band in 2015 to put out vinyl... We have finally achieved that dream! It’s all downhill from here haha. At home, we both have decent vintage hi-fi setups for listening to records. Active listening is so key when getting to know new music. Streaming is indeed great for driving, but when listening at home, it’s always the turntable. A lot of our fans share that sentiment, so it made sense to put out our music on vinyl.
As performers, do you think you experience music in the same way as a regular audience member?
For sure! Not our music of course, but everyone else’s. Before COVID, we spent most of our time and money going to shows. Live music is a beautiful, almost spiritual experience. It’s magic. Sound waves that hit everyone at the same time. Bob Marley said it best: When music hits you feel no pain.
Photographer | Travis Shinn
Interview by Emily Burbidge