If it hadn’t been for the you-know-what, the Willie Sons would be busy performing concerts this Christmas, just as they’ve done for more than a decade.
Live music. It’s something we don’t appreciate till it’s gone.
But there’s a bright side.
The popular Clavet-based country-bluegrass-gospel band has used the COVID-19 lockdown time to record their third album, a seasonal collection of 14 songs celebrating Christmas.
“It’s something we’ve talked about for years,” said Reed Willison, lead singer and guitarist for the group. “But we never seemed to find the time. Whenever Christmas rolled around we’d be busy with shows, concerts and rehearsals; learning new Christmas songs to keep things fresh.
“But this year, everything we had on the books got cancelled. So it seemed like the ideal time to take on a project like this.”
The album sells for $20 and is available through the Willie Sons website at www.thewilliesons.com .
Last March, Willison and bandmates Tyler Bergen (guitar and vocals), Alf Epp (mandolin, vocals), Brendan Varcoe (upright bass, banjo) and Bart McKay (piano, accordion) began work on the album in McKay’s recording studio in Saskatoon.
“Bart’s not only a talented musician but he’s a tremendous recording technician,” said Willison. “He and I collaborated on one of the original songs on the album called ‘I believe in Christmas.’
“We wanted to do a mix of traditional favourites and some new material. Tyler Bergen penned a song called ‘Only wanted you’ and we did an original arrangement of ‘Go tell it on the mountain’.
“Everybody had input into what was included. Alf Epp speaks Spanish, so he does the lead vocal on ‘Feliz Navidad’.”
Bergen’s original song reflects the character of this year’s COVID-19 Christmas. A thoughtful ballad about missing loved ones who are far away, the lyrics nonetheless express hope for a brighter future.
Willison and McKay’s original composition, ‘I believe in Christmas’, is a reaffirmation of the true meaning of the season:
“I believe in Christmas,
“That a king was born this day,
“I believe in Christmas,
“The son of God has come to stay.
“It’s a bigger meaning than a ‘season’s greeting’ or a ‘happy holiday’
“I believe in Christmas day.”
The band is already loaded with talent,, but they brought in some big-league session musicians based in Nashville, Tennessee to give the album an extra polish that takes it to the next level. Cody Kilby’s guitar and mandolin licks on four of the songs is unmistakable; and Country Music Association award-winner Jenee Fleenor’s fiddle on the bluegrass-flavoured ‘Christmas time’s a coming’ is a treat to listen to.
The songs range from traditional hymns ‘Oh Holy Night’ and ‘Silent Night’ to upbeat tunes including ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’, ‘Santa Claus is coming to town’, ‘Frosty the Snowman’ and ‘White Christmas.’
There’s even one number, ‘Christmas, don’t be late’ that was originally recorded by cartoon chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore. It’s actually a very good song when it’s played straight with a little accordion flourish.
“We tried to make it an eclectic mix,” said Willison.
The recording process was complicated by the pandemic, with each band member laying down individual tracks and all the pieces blended together in the studio to create the final product.
“It was a totally different recording session than our previous ones,” said Willison. “It took a lot longer to put it together because we weren’t all in the same room together. We emailed things back and forth a lot.
“But in the end, we’re really happy with the way it turned out.”