Having written four acclaimed albums with The Weakerthans since 1997, John K. Samson strikes out on his own with the release of Provincial, his first solo album since the 1993 release of Slips & Tangles, a lo-fi 15-track cassette recording, now the stuff of internet legend.
In Provincial, John explores the roads of his home province of Manitoba: Manitoba Highway 23, which leads to Ninette, a community three hours south of Winnipeg; Provincial Road 222, which runs between Gimli and Riverton; and Portage Avenue as it merges into Highway 1.
These places -- or routes, rather -- form the core of an evocative collection of songs recorded with the help of producer Paul Aucoin (Hylozoists) and a collection of friends both old and new, including bassist Doug Friesen, guitarist Shotgun Jimmie, Constantines drummer Doug MacGregor, and John's partner and collaborator, songwriter Christine Fellows.
Listen to X3 Artist of the month for February, John K. Samson's Provincial in its entirety on Radio 3 until Sunday, February 5th. (Check out the tracklist)