Premiere: The Local Group - The Information Age Frustration Rage
Saskatoon based bluegrass band, The Local Group, are gearing up for the release of their sophomore album on June 17th via Grey Records. They put their own unique spin on hard-driving traditional bluegrass, while seamlessly blending in their original songs and their passion for country, Celtic, and Canadiana.
The forthcoming album is called Nero's Waltz and it was recorded in the winter by Micah Erenberg at his Secret Beach Studio, a cozy cabin-turned-studio that is just a short walk from, what was, a frozen Lake Winnipeg. The record was produced by Clayton Linthicum (of Kacy and Clayton) and features him on drums and pedal steel. Captured almost entirely live off the floor, Nero's Waltz tackles themes from the apocalyptic overture of the title track to loneliness, spite, love, and snowmen.
Today we are very excited to be premiering the single “The Information Age Frustration Rage”. When asked to describe the song the bands lead vocalist and banjo player, Jaxon Lalonde, stated:
“I wrote the song about my experiences of isolation and alienation living in the internet age, but with the feel of classic bluegrass and ragtime music. I love how a lot of those old traditional bluegrass songs talk about super depressing subject matter with really light-hearted, upbeat music in the background. We take a lot of inspiration from that. But instead of a song about a train crash or mother and father up in heaven I touch on day-drinking during the pandemic, living in the suburbs, Ru Paul's Drag Race, and iPhones. I do a Bill Monroe yodelly thing, and Jake and Miles' shredding gives it kind of a Flatt and Scruggs feel. We also steal the bassline from ‘These Boots are Made For Walkin'. To me that's what songwriting is. It's taking bits and pieces of stuff you like and turning it into something that's more relevant to yourself.”
Enjoy the song below and head over to the bands Bandcamp page to pre-order Nero’s Waltz now.