One day, if someone plots the development of the Canadian roots rock community, they may discover that many, if not all, roads lead to the Skydiggers.  With The Truth About Us: A Twenty Year Retrospective (May '09) the band's stellar body of music finally gets the compilation it deserves.  This celebration of Skydiggers’ music is an uplifting, toe-tapping, heartbreaking collection that will remain with you long after the last note has died out.  The only thing you'll be left wondering is, why did it take so long?

Click enlargement (right) for hi-rez version to download
(Drag or right-click and Save as to download hi-rez)

For more information and tour dates, please visit
www.skydiggers.com
www.myspace.com/theskydiggers

Biography

The Truth About Skydiggers
by Paul Cantin

Back in the mid-80s, Toronto was re-emerging as a musical hotbed with a special focus on a rebirth of the singer-songwriter tradition. The Cowboy Junkies and Blue Rodeo were in their formative stages. Andrew Cash, who had recently signed a solo deal with Island Records, had begun hosting a weekly songwriting showcase at the Spadina Hotel called Acoustic Meltdown, which obtained a cult following among music-lovers in the city. Future Skydiggers Josh Finlayson and Andy Maize were frequent guests at those shows. They had been friends since childhood, and separately had formed their own bands. Maize fronted Direktive 17, which toured around Southern Ontario. Finlayson played bass in The Ramblers, which had relocated for about two years to the UK chasing the tail end of punk’s glory years. By 1984, both bands had run their course, and the two teamed up to play and record as an acoustic duo under the name West Montrose. The simplicity and portability of the acoustic format was a reaction to their experience with the noise and circumstance of playing in rock bands. As they continued to write and record and occasionally appear on the Spadina stage, gradually the elements of a new group started to fall into place.

Drummer Wayne Stokes was an aspiring home studio purveyor who had done some recording with Finlayson and Maize. Bassist Ron Macey was a professional screen printer who was looking to a new career in music; he met the band through a want ad in a newspaper. Peter Cash, brother of the Spadina Hotel’s headliner, worked the door at the venue and an impressive tape of his formative songwriting efforts was slipped to the rest of the band.

When Andrew Cash decided to end his residency at the Spadina, he turned it over to the new musical collective, which had taken the enigmatic name Skydiggers. Some listeners initially likened the band to REM, but Finlayson says the roots of their sound and worldview ran deeper.

“We were always compared to REM, but really it was more a case of having the same influences – the Beatles and the Byrds. The common thing would be the layering of voices. Also, Joe Klein’s book about Woody Guthrie (Woody Guthrie: A Life) was passed around between us, and it made an impression. Woody’s life and work embodied a lot of the ethos and the ethics of punk music. He was very direct and independent and stood for something about the individual and championing people and causes.”

Adds bassist Macey: “For the longest time it was like a skiffle band, very rhythmic and percussive. Essentially, it is two acoustic guitars, four voices and drum and bass. It had to go somewhere from there.”

The sound developed at an impressive rate, thanks to the discipline and work ethic the weekly showcase placed on the band. New songs, new covers and a sound that grew to include electric instruments developed in the hothouse atmosphere of rehearsals, songwriting sessions and live performances.  The buzz about those early shows reached Mark Smith and Derrick Ross of Enigma Records and they snagged the band for their eponymous debut in 1990.

Although the initial single was the rollicking “Monday Morning,” it was the gentle ballad “I Will Give You Everything” which made the group’s reputation and garnered substantial play on both radio and music television. Their sophomore effort, Restless, saw them recording at Daniel Lanois’ fabled Grant Avenue studio in Hamilton, Ontario, and the sophistication of their recordings grew exponentially. In 1993, they issued the languid, atmospheric Just Over This Mountain, and in 1997 they jumped to Warner for Road Radio, which was recorded mostly live-off-the-floor at the Lighthouse Theatre in Port Dover, Ontario.

Stokes departed after their sophomore release, Restless. Peter Cash left in 1996 after Road Radio. (Cash went on to record and tour with brother Andrew, and in 2005, both would collaborate again with the group on the disc Skydiggers/Cash Brothers).  The departures and drafting of new players have fueled the evolution of the group’s sound. Desmond’s Hip City saw them toying with sampling and looping and dueting with Sarah Harmer, Bittersweet Harmony swung back towards the guitar-based pop influences of their early days and more recently City of Sirens was fortified with the presence of keyboardist Michael Johnston, who has injected novel textures into the Skydiggers’ sound.

“We’ve played with other people, other people have come into this circle and played with us. They’ve put their stamp on our music. But on the other hand, I think we recognize there is something consistent and something we all value that is threaded through all our records,” says Finlayson.

“If you manage to spend this much time making music together, you will find there’s some chemistry, some magic that makes it work,” adds Maize. “We don’t question where it comes from, but this record is our chance to celebrate the fact that we’ve been part of something pretty special.”

Press

Exclaim! - 2009-06-17

The Truth About Us: A Twenty Year Retrospective
By Jason Schneider

Hearing these 22 tracks, it's actually bittersweet to think of how much the Skydiggers were taken for granted during their prime years in the '90s. Seeing them play on a regular basis was almost automatic, especially if you lived in southern Ontario, and they never disappointed. In some ways, the combination of unique personalities laid the foundation for longevity: Andy Maize's manic joyfulness perfectly complemented the stoic cool of Peter Cash, while Josh Finlayson drove the rhythm like some lumber camp Keith Richards and Ronny von Johnny was, well, Ronny von Johnny. But on top of it all were instantly memorable songs that turned a new leaf on Canada's folk and country music traditions. That energy remains undiminished on The Truth About Us, from the barebones vigour of the self-titled debut to the slick twang (and emergence of the Cash Brothers) on Road Radio. What this album thankfully reminds us of is that the band didn't bow out after that. Later material like "Where Is My Baby Tonight," "Losing Altitude" and the title track certainly deserve their places. The only gripe is that the original tapes from Restless and Just Over This Mountain seem to be lost forever, and newly recorded versions of "A Penny More" and "Pull Me Down" take some getting used to. Still, The Truth About Us offers a lasting tribute to one of Canada's great bands. (Pheromone)

Skydiggers still looking to future even after releasing 20-year retrospective

By Nick Patch

TORONTO — Even on the heels of releasing a 20-year retrospective, the Skydiggers' Josh Finlayson has a hard time describing the band's legacy.

"That's a good question, (but) it's probably not one for me to answer," Finlayson said in a telephone interview from his home in Toronto. "I've never been a big one to look back and pat myself on the back and say, 'You're a heck of a guy."'

His peers don't seem to have the same problem when discussing the Toronto roots rock band.

"We've always loved their music," Alan Anton, bassist for the Cowboy Junkies, said in a telephone interview. "They've kind of nailed this area of music that I don't think anybody else in Canada has come close to.

"I think they're one of the most underrated bands in Canada too."

In the liner notes to the Skydiggers' "The Truth About Us: A Twenty Year Retrospective," other artists were equally effusive in their praise.

"The Skydiggers are a treasure," wrote Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie.

Added collaborator Sarah Harmer: "The Skydiggers are part of the interlocking brick of sound and style that is the foundation of Canada's independent musical landscape."

All the praise is a bit disarming for the modest Finlayson. He says he's only recently come to realize just how fervent a cult following the Skydiggers have cultivated.

"I think one thing that I've come to appreciate is that a lot of people have as much ownership of the band as we do," he said. "I don't want to say that we took it for granted, but I think we took it for granted to an extent, you know?

"Our casualness about the band was often sort of, you know, I think maybe misinterpreted."

"The Truth About Us" features 22 album tracks, previously unreleased versions, live recordings and new re-interpretations of classic songs - made necessary due to the ongoing red tape surrounding their earlier and most popular albums, which were released on the now-defunct FRE Records.

Finlayson said the band tried to secure the rights to the original recordings - which include their popular 1993 sophomore album "Restless" - but couldn't, so they had to revisit the songs. In doing so, he said they gained perspective on what made the tunes special in the first place.

"We discovered the old stuff and were really surprised at how it sort of held up," he said.

Along the way, Finlayson said the band also unearthed two or three albums worth of "pretty great" unreleased material - "I mean, by our standards, not necessarily by anyone else's," he notes - that he hopes might someday see the light of day.

Finlayson's enthusiasm for the Skydiggers may provide a welcome relief for fans, especially considering the group seemed on the brink of disbanding earlier this decade.

In the early part of 2000, the band took a hiatus from playing. Finlayson said that after 12 years of non-stop touring, the band saw its popularity wane slightly. He worried that they might have reached a plateau.

"Sometimes life has a way of imposing itself on you," he said of the break. "We had reached a point in our playing, in our career, where you know, we just ... we didn't know how to make it evolve from there."

In 2002 the band launched MapleMusic, a website started with the aim of promoting and selling Canadian music. Finlayson also kept busy by producing other records, and the band played shows here and there.

But ultimately, they didn't really want to stay away from the band for long.

Finlayson says the process of putting the retrospective together has helped him appreciate what the group has accomplished.

"Perhaps to a fault I've always felt like moving ahead and forging ahead is the thing to do," he said. "So I think this was a really good process for me.

"For some people, (our music) has become part of the soundtrack to their lives and that's like the biggest compliment you could ever wish for."

Now, armed with new management and plans to release more new material - their last record, "City of Sirens," came out last year - Finlayson allows himself a moment to boast of the band's potential.

"It's an exciting time to be a part of this band," he said. "I feel super confident about going anywhere and representing the band in any situation."

By Nick Patch – 19 hours ago

TORONTO — Even on the heels of releasing a 20-year retrospective, the Skydiggers' Josh Finlayson has a hard time describing the band's legacy.

"That's a good question, (but) it's probably not one for me to answer," Finlayson said in a telephone interview from his home in Toronto. "I've never been a big one to look back and pat myself on the back and say, 'You're a heck of a guy."'

His peers don't seem to have the same problem when discussing the Toronto roots rock band.

"We've always loved their music," Alan Anton, bassist for the Cowboy Junkies, said in a telephone interview. "They've kind of nailed this area of music that I don't think anybody else in Canada has come close to.

"I think they're one of the most underrated bands in Canada too."

In the liner notes to the Skydiggers' "The Truth About Us: A Twenty Year Retrospective," other artists were equally effusive in their praise.

"The Skydiggers are a treasure," wrote Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie.

Added collaborator Sarah Harmer: "The Skydiggers are part of the interlocking brick of sound and style that is the foundation of Canada's independent musical landscape."

All the praise is a bit disarming for the modest Finlayson. He says he's only recently come to realize just how fervent a cult following the Skydiggers have cultivated.

"I think one thing that I've come to appreciate is that a lot of people have as much ownership of the band as we do," he said. "I don't want to say that we took it for granted, but I think we took it for granted to an extent, you know?

"Our casualness about the band was often sort of, you know, I think maybe misinterpreted."

"The Truth About Us" features 22 album tracks, previously unreleased versions, live recordings and new re-interpretations of classic songs - made necessary due to the ongoing red tape surrounding their earlier and most popular albums, which were released on the now-defunct FRE Records.

Finlayson said the band tried to secure the rights to the original recordings - which include their popular 1993 sophomore album "Restless" - but couldn't, so they had to revisit the songs. In doing so, he said they gained perspective on what made the tunes special in the first place.

"We discovered the old stuff and were really surprised at how it sort of held up," he said.

Along the way, Finlayson said the band also unearthed two or three albums worth of "pretty great" unreleased material - "I mean, by our standards, not necessarily by anyone else's," he notes - that he hopes might someday see the light of day.

Finlayson's enthusiasm for the Skydiggers may provide a welcome relief for fans, especially considering the group seemed on the brink of disbanding earlier this decade.

In the early part of 2000, the band took a hiatus from playing. Finlayson said that after 12 years of non-stop touring, the band saw its popularity wane slightly. He worried that they might have reached a plateau.

"Sometimes life has a way of imposing itself on you," he said of the break. "We had reached a point in our playing, in our career, where you know, we just ... we didn't know how to make it evolve from there."

In 2002 the band launched MapleMusic, a website started with the aim of promoting and selling Canadian music. Finlayson also kept busy by producing other records, and the band played shows here and there.

But ultimately, they didn't really want to stay away from the band for long.

Finlayson says the process of putting the retrospective together has helped him appreciate what the group has accomplished.

"Perhaps to a fault I've always felt like moving ahead and forging ahead is the thing to do," he said. "So I think this was a really good process for me.

"For some people, (our music) has become part of the soundtrack to their lives and that's like the biggest compliment you could ever wish for."

Now, armed with new management and plans to release more new material - their last record, "City of Sirens," came out last year - Finlayson allows himself a moment to boast of the band's potential.

"It's an exciting time to be a part of this band," he said. "I feel super confident about going anywhere and representing the band in any situation."

By Paul Cantin

One day, if someone with perfect penmanship and a great memory for details takes up music historian Pete Frame's Rock Family Trees project and plots the development of the Canadian roots rock community, they may discover that many -- if not all -- branches and roots at some point interconnect with the Skydiggers.

Other bands with links to that broadly-defined scene (Blue Rodeo, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards, The Tragically Hip, Cowboy Junkies) have gone on to greater recognition, but for 20 years, the Skydiggers have quietly built a songbook that rivals those peers in every category, except possibly the recognition part.

Why aren't the Skydiggers better known? Here's some theories. Although the three core members have remained in place for 20 years -- singer Andy Maize, bassist Ron Macey, guitarist Josh Finlayson -- there has been a bit of a revolving door in the band's human resources department. And likewise, their label affiliations have been in flux, which has made some key parts of their catalog unavailable for periods of time. They've never been ones to let family commitments take a continued back seat to professional obligations, so the marathon intercontinental tours that typically yield a broader international reputation have not consistently been part of their standard operation. More importantly, the Skydiggers have always demonstrated a kind of amiable obstinance about how they conduct themselves and an integrity about evading opportunities that involve some kind of compromise. Whatever that might mean for the group's fortunes, it hasn't changed the quality of their work.

Even as the world found other distractions, the Skydiggers have solidified an enviable Canadian following and created a stellar body of music that finally gets the compilation it always deserved on The Truth About Us: A 20 Year Retrospective (available from MapleMusic.com May 26).

The nicely-appointed set includes 22 tracks taken from across the Skydiggers' 11 album discography, with a couple of tracks present in alternate or re-recorded form. There's also their superlative version of "Good King Wenceslas," originally issued on a promo cassingle back in the day and now a seasonal favorite at the band's annual string of holiday shows at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern.

There's also a booklet featuring testimonials by Harmer, Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy, The Tragically Hip's Gord Downie and -- full disclosure -- an essay by me. To sweeten the deal, there's a DVD included with a beautifully-shot performance by the band's current lineup, taken at Toronto's Dakota Tavern and filmed for CMT Canada's The Dakota Sessions program.

This is a pent-up body of work that is long overdue for wider recognition. Dig in.

ALBUM REVIEWS

New Sounds: The Skydiggers

Michael Garth

The Skydiggers
City of Sirens
(Latent) 

Reaching the 20-year plateau as a band, Toronto's Skydiggers put forth a polished effort with the group’s seventh studio album. Under a slightly adjusted line up, the band delivers its unique brand of adult contemporary folk-rock that Canadians have become familar with over the years. Comparisons to Tom Petty are justly made by way of singer Andy Maize's nasal yet compelling vocals, though it's the band's sound—which now includes a Hammond organ—that distances it from the mainstream. The upbeat tracks are the best ones, and the album could have benefited from a greater number of them, as the slower ballads make for a slow-sounding album. Though things have changed since "What Do You See?" was a hit amidst the grunge/alternative era, City of Sirens proves that the Skydiggers wil continue to provide the Canadian soundscape with fresh, original songwriting. V

City of Sirens' most impressive quality is the noticeable shift away from guitar-based folk rock to almost symphonic art-rock arrangements, with the band's signature harmonies embedded into the textures and voicing of the keyboard parts. The songs are majestically melodic and richly structured, with lyrics that convey a kind of weary, wary optimism.

- Greg Quill

Skydiggers
City of Sirens
By Vish Khanna

Still one of Canada ' s most reliably great live bands, Toronto, ON’s Skydiggers have written an excellent new record that speaks to their gift for emotionally rich and complex songs. Principal songwriters Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson may not always get the credit but they know how to get to the heart of a matter, rendering songs flush with hard love, bewildered anger and mostly hope with a rare, sincere purity. There’s no fear of ridicule or reprisal in “Hello, Beautiful Life”, which is about as earnest as a ballad can be. Ripe with teasing humour, “One Last Chance” belts forward with affection, as newbies Noel Webb and Michael Johnston prove welcome additions to the Skydiggers sound. If Tom Petty lurks within the title track, the rest of the Traveling Wilburys pop by on “Where’s My Baby Tonight?” and the irreverent “Hasty Mart.” There are politics floating there and throughout the Dylan-esque “Everybody Wants” but it’s all done undercover, as the Skydiggers add a spry chapter to their enviable legacy. (Latent)
 

Discography

Contacts

Management

Worldwide
Starfish Entertainment
Susan de Cartier / Judith Coombe
416-588-3329
susan@starfishentertainment.com
jude@starfishentertainment.com

Record Company

Canada
Pheromone Recordings
Kim Cooke
416-961-1040 x239
kim@pheromonerecordings.com

Agent

Canada
The Agency Group
Jack Ross
416-368-5599
jackross@theagencygroup.com

Publicist

Canada
Maple Music Recordings
Mary Mill
416-961-1040
mary.mill@maplemusicrecordings.com

411