A Canadian country music veteran is back on the road in support of a brand new disk.
Jason McCoy has just released Everything and hits the Painted Hand Casino for a show March 18.
McCoy, from Barrie, Ont., said the music on his latest album actually came about over a rather extended period, a process he said shows in the album.
"This material was written while we were touring with the Road Hammers (of which he is also a
member), so it was over a period of a few years, which was a relaxed process, and I think that shows in the flow of the album."
The recording actually took place on both sides of the 49th Parallel with sessions in both Nashville, and Canada, something McCoy termed "a fun process."
McCoy said having a solo career, and working with the Road Hammers helps keep his music fresh.
"I think solo and band compliment each other," he said. "Having a band to bounce things off of helps you stretch outside of your comfort zone more. The Hammer guys have been a strong influence in my life and my music."
In terms of the latest solo effort McCoy said he is definitely happy with the finished product.
"Very happy. It's more mature, and less forced than other albums," he said. "There was no goal of having a specific sound to the album, the only criteria for the songs was for them to make me proud to be part of them in some way - if only for fun at times."
And of course it's country music. While McCoy noted his influences are "everything from George Jones to Ray Charles," he added he is "definitely rooted in traditional country music more than anything," which is something he became interested in as a boy. " My Dad played acoustic, but just for fun. Between that and his love of country music, music found its way into my blood."
