Southeast Saskatchewan folk trio Hook and Nail has received another accolade for its debut album, Ghosts of Taylorton.
The album finished tied for fourth in the Best Sask. Albums contest organized by Sask. Music. The band – consisting of Mike Davis, his wife Lindsay Arnold, and their friend Jeff Michel – was part of a long list of 40 albums compiled by Sask. Music earlier this year.
“We were thrilled to be in the top 40,” said Davis. “To expect anything more than that, we’re blown away that it turned out like this.”
A public vote was held to determine the top 10 albums of the year. Not only did Hook and Nail finish in the top five, but they were the top debut album, and they were among some heady company.
Roots musician Belle Plaine took top spot in the Sask. Music contest with her latest release, Malice, Mercy, Grief & Wrath. Veteran guitarist Jack Semple was second with Can't Stop This Love. Third place went to country music singer Colter Wall for Songs of the Plains.
Hook and Nail finished tied with folk/jazz group Rosie & The Riveters’ album Ms. Behave.
“We’re still processing the fact that we ranked that high. We’re very thankful to the people that voted in the online community,” said Michel.
Davis noted there are some very talented groups currently performing in Saskatchewan.
The band is also grateful to Estevan Mercury Publications for promoting Hook and Nail’s place on the long list for the top Saskatchewan albums.
“Now that the public has been so supportive, we’ll have to pull up our socks and make sure that we’re performing at the level,” said Arnold.
She said they’re surprised at how well they’ve done, considering they just started recording a year ago.
“We didn’t have a band name yet (at that time),” she said.
Ghosts of Taylorton was also recorded in Michel’s studio. Davis noted that Michel engineered everything, and it was at the same level of musicians who were using more advanced technology.
“I feel very humbled, and just grateful,” said Michel.
They are already back in studio, getting ready to record another album that will likely be released in 2020.
“We’ll use 2019 to get everything in order and make sure to have enough songs that are worthy,” said Michel.
The trio hopes to perform at some festivals for next spring and summer, and to book a few other gigs as well.
“Those weekends that we would normally be in the studio, might be taken up with festivals or gigging,” said Michel. “And that’s not to say that we couldn’t perform any new songs in the performance. They wouldn’t necessarily be recorded. We would just be road-testing the new material on audiences.”
Ghosts of Taylorton had nine songs, and there were at least four or five more songs they could have recorded. It will give them a head start on their next release.
Davis added that a lot of groups are now releasing extended plays instead of full-length albums, but they hope the next album will be full-length.
An album requires thousands of hours of work, between the time spent writing, recording, working behind the scenes, and promoting. But they’re excited to record and perform the songs, and to sing about the history of the area.
“They’re stories that for all intents and purposes, they can get lost without the old tradition of storytelling,” said Michel.
