Remembering the first night you met your significant other can bring back vivid memories. Or in the case of Joe Ferland, guitarist and singer for Toronto "neo jam band" Danceland, it can help stoke the fires of creation. The end result is "Sapphire," a winding but wonderful new single from the band's Licky album that sounds fresh and exciting while conjuring up images of late '60s greats like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.
"It is about the night that (Danceland singer and Ferland's wife) Jale and I's love affair began," Ferland says. "We had been hanging out and playing in bands together. Then, one night, a bunch of friends went to a dance club called Sapphire that our bandmate and friend was bar tending at. Jale and I danced all night."
"Sapphire," written by Jale and Ferland (who also produced the track), is an adventure that has a smooth, laid-back groove starting out as Jale's vocals lead the way. The chorus is a bit busier but beautiful, bringing to mind Edie Brickell and New Bohemians, Phish, and even Joss Stone at her funkiest. "Sapphire" takes a surprising turn two minutes in, creating a huge wall of sound thanks to Jale, Ferland, drummer Brad Park and guest saxophonist Cameron Draper before returning to the earlier groove. Keyboardist Jeff Heisholt and bassist Ryan Spratt flesh out the five-minute omnipotent odyssey. In short, "Sapphire" is a diamond.
open.spotify.com/album/5D15HZ9tF7qFpENXiisN8k
"This is another tune I had been carrying in my head for a year or so," Ferland says of "Sapphire." "I had the chorus changes and chorus lyrics. When we scheduled the date to record beds (bed tracks) for another round of tunes, I finished the verses and middle, and Jale and I fleshed out the rest of the lyrics."
"Sapphire," recorded and mixed by Carlin Nicholson at Toronto's Pineship Sound and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova, is the followup single to "Steve Earle" also found on Licky. The single continues a wave of momentum from Danceland which originated when Ferland (a huge fan of the Grateful Dead but originally in pop-punk and rock bands in New York in the '90) met Jale. After relocating initially to Windsor, Ontario and then to Toronto, the rigors of the music business caused burnout. After leaving music for a decade, Ferland's passion was ignited when he visited his terminally ill mother and heard a radio program featuring Grateful Dead songs.
After forming the Cherry Garcia Band, which paid tribute to the Grateful Dead and the late Jerry Garcia's discography, the pandemic threw another wrench into their lives like it did for countless others. Writing their own material while isolated in Huron County, Ontario, the couple decided on calling their new group Danceland after Danceland Road located in Huron County. In 2022, Danceland, who released a handful of singles earlier, released its debut album Pink Lem mixed by Grammy-winning engineer Gregg Rubin (Ben Folds, The Avett Brothers). The album, which the band toured Canada and the Northeastern U.S. in support of, saw Danceland featured in Goldmine and Canadian Beats among other outlets.
Having toured throughout 2024 and performed at various festivals in Canada while headlining shows in Ohio, Philadelphia, and New York City in November, Danceland looks for "Sapphire" to be another jewel in their musical repertoire. It's a track that's bound to have you dancing all night long thanks to its groove, vivacious vibe, and dynamic energy.
