Musicians revisiting their discographies can shed light on a certain time and place. It can also be a reason to revisit old songs and see if there's a new sonic coat of paint that might bring them back to life. For Brantford, Ontario-based Americana musician KC Armstrong, the pandemic offered up time to rediscover old gems, including "Someone Else Tonight," the latest strikingly solid single, from his Finally Crafted album, teeming with passion and verve despite the recording process being the antithesis of the original approach.
"Someone Else Tonight" was originally recorded for Ranchsongs, an album released in the mid '80s by Armstrong's previous band Cadillac Ranch. Armstrong says that version was "recorded live off-the-floor in about three takes with no rehearsal beforehand." Each of the musicians simply used hand signals as cues to perform their solos as they would live in concert. For this latest version created during the pandemic, the recording process was deliberate, requiring patience as files were sent back and forth via e-mail after recording was done in each musician's home studio.
Listen on Spotify here:
open.spotify.com/album/2E5ratxasEBZuM9SsQ95II?si=ZPgrN6SMT6G4jTpCCWtLWA
Armstrong says he started with drum tracks, then bass, 12-string acoustic guitar, and a scratch vocal. "Doing the recording in this fashion, you might think there would be no synergy between the musicians; each in their own cities, each at a different time - but this was not the case," he says.
Guest musician Bobby Brioux, who plays mandolin on "Someone Else Tonight," was given the "bare-bones backing tracks" as a guide but asked to "play away." While editing that particular piece, Armstrong received keyboardist Steve O'Connor's accordion and Wurlitzer parts who had only been given the request to make the music "eerie and foreboding." Neither Brioux nor O'Connor knew what each other was playing. But what transpired was amazing!
"It was astounding," Armstrong says. "There was only one small bar of music in the whole song where both musicians were playing simultaneously. The rest of the song fit together perfectly while also allowing guitarist Barry Haggarty places to showcase his talents. Another cosmic bit of good fortune emerged when Armstrong unknowingly left both of Haggarty's guitar tracks in the song. When played simultaneously, they created a gorgeous "twin solos" effect on "Someone Else Tonight."
"Someone Else Tonight" brings to mind a swampy, dark, and mysterious collage of folk, blues, "swampy-country," and Americana similar to the late Gordon Lightfoot and particularly Steve Earle's 2000 album Transcendental Blues. Led Zeppelin's intro to "No Quarter" sounds like a subtle source of inspiration as well. A Celtic hue adds great results as the song has a surefire, steady pace demanding your attention. The homestretch is also fantastic as the interplay between the instruments and vocals creates music far greater than the sum of its parts. Alongside Armstrong (who sings and plays bass), Brioux, Haggarty, and Steve O'Connor, additional musicians on "Someone Else Tonight" include vocalist MaryEllen Allen, saxophonist Sean O'Connor, guitarist Scott Utting and drummer Jake Adams.
"Someone Else Tonight" is the latest offering from KC Armstrong and the follow-up to his festival single "I Hate That Sweater." Armstrong's witty, whimsical style brings to mind musicians like Earle, Randy Newman, Nick Lowe, and the late Ronnie Hawkins. In fact, Armstrong's band subbed as the Hawks for the iconic rocker back in 2003. Armstrong's then band Cadillac Ranch were slated to back Hawkins at the legendary SARS-Stock concert at Toronto's Downsview Park before hundreds of thousands featuring the Rolling Stones and AC/DC. Sadly, Hawkins' health resulted in the appearance never being realized. Armstrong has also worked with and shared the stage with countless others, including the late Jeff Healey, while playing festivals across Canada and throughout North America.
Now with the spectacular and magical "Someone Else Tonight," KC Armstrong is kicking off 2025 with a bang. It's a track you should be telling someone else about tonight, if not sooner!
