Inspiration can come from the strangest of places. For Enter the Haggis, a five-piece folk-rock band from Toronto, it came from reading the newspaper. The March 30, 2012, issue of The Globe and Mail, to be precise.
Based entirely on the contents of that day's paper (the federal budget was big news, adding an extra challenge), Enter the Haggis wrote their sophomore album, The Modest Revolution, which is streaming below (the official release date of March 30, 2013 is of obvious significance).
ListenStream The Modest Revolution by Enter The Haggis (click here to purchase the album).
Tracklist
“You start to see all of the little things that are so inspiring," says frontman and multi-instrumentalist Brian Buchanan, who is joined by Craig Downie on bagpipes, trumpet, harmonica, whistle, guitar and bells, Trevor Lewington on guitar, mandolin and keyboards, Mark Abraham on bass guitar and Bruce McCarthy on drums (everyone but McCarthy pitches in on vocals).
"Everything from the front page through to the personal stories that fill the obituaries, you realize there are so many stories going on every day," says Buchanan. "There's so much more than the talking heads on television or the headlines themselves.”
"Copper Leaves," for instance, offers a lament for the penny, from the penny's point of view, of course, while the obituaries alone inspired two of the 12 songs. "Down the Line" deals with legendary banjo player Earl Scruggs, while "Footnote" was inspired by a woman named Cheryl, whose obit described her as leaving behind "the man of her dreams, her beloved children and their father."
Enter the Haggis, who purchased 1,500 copies of the day's paper that inspired them in order to send it out with copies of the album, also looked to the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter to cover the costs of recording. They set a goal of $20,000, but ended up raising more than $66,000.
They may sing a song called "Can't Trust the News," but at least in this case, the independent musicians can certainly trust it for the right kind of inspiration.
Check out the exclusive video below for "Can't Trust the News."
Follow Jesse Kinos-Goodin on Twitter: @JesseKG
Related:
Enter the Haggis's official website
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