That said 16&1 doesn’t play like some pensive re-examination of the past. It may find the band taking a trip down memory lane at times, but it’s a lane with a big old bush party waiting at the end of it, and a trip Doc Walker seem intent on taking at high speed in a vintage Silverado…
Named for the crossroads of two major prairie lifelines not far from where Doc Walker settled in to record their 5th record on Canadian country label, Open Road Recordings, 16&1 represents something of a homecoming for the Manitoba based band, particularly for lead singer, Chris Thorsteinson. In fact, by choosing a former schoolhouse in Westbourne, Manitoba as the site for recording the album, Thorsteinson is touching down very close to home, literally across the road from the house he grew up in. “From grades one to six it’s actually where I went to school,” he says. “I never thought we’d be recording our seventh record in a town of 100 people, in a classroom where I used to sit, while I’m looking out the window at my parents place.”
Although many the songs on 16&1 were born out of the region the band grew up in, guitarist/vocalist Murray Pulver says, it also represents a departure from past efforts, both sonically and in terms of the band’s recording process, which, for Thorsteinson, involved a dramatic expansion of his role in the studio.
When Westbourne Old School first closed down, Thorsteinson and his father bought the property, but were unsure of what to do with it until the band began looking for a place to record. After going a little gear crazy while trolling E-Bay for equipment to put into his freshly christened ‘Old School Studio’, Thorsteinson soon found himself acting as de facto assistant engineer for 16&1 producer, John MacArthur Ellis (Jane Siberry, Jeremy Fisher, Ridley Bent) – an experience that’s changed his perspective on recording irrevocably. “Assistant engineers are my new heroes,” he says. “They just never stop.”
Typically, when Doc Walker recorded in Nashville in the past, Thorsteinson admits he was often the first to light out of the studio when his vocals were finished – Not an option when you’re both studio owner and the person largely responsible for outfitting the studio with occasionally impenetrable, vintage recording technology.
Overall, however, recording close to home resulted in a far more relaxed vibe says guitarist/vocalist Dave Wasyliw. “When you’re spending $1000.00 a day in a studio, you’re always watching the clock.” It’s very much like taking a long cab ride, he adds. “You’re always watching the meter and that’s not the best way to get your best performance on tape.”
“Musically,” Pulver adds, “it also really made things flow. We had no pre-conceived notions as to what something should sound like.” That’s clear right from the opening riff of lead single ‘Country Girl’, a song that showcases the band’s adoption of a decidedly more freewheeling, riff-based, electric sound that stands in stark contrast to their previous acoustic heavy efforts.
It’s also a product of recording the entire record with their longtime rhythm section, Brent Pearon (bass) and Steve Broadhurst (drums). That approach energized the band’s writing and recording process substantially, Wasyliw says, describing the communication between Pearon, Broadhurst and the rest of the band as being almost akin to telepathy. “On stage, we rely on subtle gestures and expressions to communicate, and that allowed us to really read each other during the recording process to judge what was working, or, more importantly, what wasn’t.”
Ripping it up in the studio with Broadhurst and Pearon also found Wasiliw and Pulver making subtle, but definite nods to the signature brand of prairie rock they grew up on. Particularly on tracks like ‘Never Letting Go’ and the standout ‘Where I Belong’; a celebration of small town life in Westbourne that’s so rich in detail, you can almost smell the breeze off the lake and feel the dust of the back roads settling on your skin.
That doesn’t mean the band has lost sight of the core elements that have traditionally made their music stand out from the pack. Their blindingly tight, trademark harmonies, compact arrangements and relentlessly hooky sing along choruses are all still there. On 16&1, however, Doc Walker have definitely ramped up the rock a notch or six, and nowhere more so than on their blazing cover of the Bob Seger car chase classic, ‘Get Out Of Denver’ and album closer ‘Tailgate Revolution’, with it’s dueling guitars and amped up R&B vocal arrangements.
16&1 is still country to the core, but it’s definitely sonically denser than 2009’s GO, featuring instrumental highlights like the contributions of sax player Kirsten Nash and one man horn section, Colin Weinmaster on ‘I Disappear Now’, for example – a Crash Test Dummies cover on which Brad Roberts also joins Thorsteinson on lead vocals. On every track, however, Ellis’ production style leaves ample room for each voice to shine through. Ellis also lends his own substantial talents as a keyboardist, slide and pedal steel player to songs like ‘Hard Act To Follow’ and country ballad ‘Do It Right’, among others.
While 16&1 finds the band stretching out some musically, that’s a natural extension of the ethic on which they’ve built a reputation as one of Canada’s hardest working live acts; an ethic that’s served them exceptionally well over time, garnering the band some of the Canadian Music Industry’s highest awards. Among them, the 2009 Juno for Country Recording of the Year and a total of 11 Canadian Country Music Awards, including the 2008 CCMA Fan’s Choice Award, as well as Album, Single and Songwriters of the Year for 2008’s Beautiful Life.
On the strength of GO, the band has also received multiple nominations for the 2011 CCMA’s, including Fans’ Choice, Group or Duo of the Year, CMT Video of the Year, and Country Music Program or Special of the Year. Additionally, Pulver and drummer Steve Broadhurst have been nominated individually in the 2011 CCMA All Star Band Category.
Even with several mantelpieces worth of hardware to their credit, and a growing international profile that has resulted in three Australian tours in the past 18 months, Doc Walker refuse to rest on past laurels. “After awhile the ‘tried and true’ becomes ‘been there, done that’,” Wasyliw says simply. “With every new album we evolved to some degree. It’s a little more drastic this time out, but I think it’s exciting to go to work and not know what’ll happen next.”
Even when they first began compiling ideas for 16&1 while jamming on stage and in their tour bus, Doc Walker knew they were on to something fresh. “When we got together and wrote the riffs for ‘Are You With Me Tonight’ I remember thinking, man, imagine playing this live,” says Wasyliw. And although the track sounds like a love song, it’s actually meant to speak directly to their audience, he says. “We had a gig coming up in Dawson, so, in our minds, we were thinking about how to get the crowd on our side, and to do that you have to ask ‘Are You With Me Tonight?’ The ‘relationship’ aspect we actually added later.”
Though 16&1 is a bit of a sea change for Doc Walker, it reflects the values that have made them so enduringly popular over time and speaks as much about their pride in their roots as it does of the affection and gratitude they have for the fans that continue to flock to their shows year after year. And that, at the heart of it, is the most important thing, Thorsteinson says. “Let’s not kid ourselves, everybody wants to sell a million records, but on this record we forgot all about that. All we wanted to do was write a record that we love, and that we know our fans are going to love and want to sing along to.”
A Little Love Along the Way
Doc Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna roll like a river
Maybe find a little love along the way
I'm gonna send a prayer into the blue skies
Lead me on into the good life
Maybe find a little love along the way
I was stuck in a rut with a job I loved to hate
Slave all week to barely gettin' by
I always said before I die
I'm gonna take some time for livin'
I'm gonna roll like a river
Maybe find a little love along the way
I'm gonna send a prayer into the blue skies
Lead me on into the good life
Maybe find a little love along the way
I got an old Pontiac on blocks in my backyard
I'm gonna cash my check and get all I need for parts
I'm been puttin' this off for way too long
Tomorrow I'll be gone, long gone
I'm finally breakin' free
Of the man I used to be
It's a brand new me
I'm gonna take some time for livin'
I'm gonna roll like a river
Maybe find a little love along the way
I'm gonna send a prayer into the blue skies
Lead me on into the good life
Maybe find a little love along the way
And maybe find a little love along the way...
The lyrics of Doc Walker's song A Little Love Along the Way depict the story of an individual who is tired of the monotonous routine of his life and seeks to break free from it. The first stanza talks about how the person wants to take some time to live his life like a river, constantly moving and changing, and maybe, find some love along the way. The second stanza gives an insight into the person's life and how he is stuck in a job that he hates and how he wants to break free from this routine. He promises to himself that he will take some time out to live and enjoy his life. The third stanza talks about how the person plans to fulfill his promise and take a step towards breaking free. He plans to use the money he gets from his job to buy parts for his old Pontiac and work on it. He is finally breaking free from the person he used to be and is determined to find love along the way as he moves ahead in life.
The song is an encouragement for people who want to break free from the shackles of monotony and routine and take some time out to live and love. The simple and relatable lyrics, coupled with the upbeat music create a perfect mood for the listeners to tap their feet to. The song is also motivational and encourages people to take a step towards fulfilling their dreams and promises to themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gonna take some time for livin'
I will take some time to enjoy life
I'm gonna roll like a river
I will move forward with a sense of ease and flow
Maybe find a little love along the way
Perhaps I will discover romantic affection during my journey
I'm gonna send a prayer into the blue skies
I will offer spiritual guidance in the hope of being led towards the desirable existence
Lead me on into the good life
May I be guided towards a prosperous and joyful life
I was stuck in a rut with a job I loved to hate
I felt trapped in a disliked work environment
I worked the graveyard shift hardly ever see the light of day
I worked during the nights and seldom experienced daylight
Slave all week to barely gettin' by
I worked tirelessly for a salary that didn't suffice
I always said before I die
I promised myself
I got an old Pontiac on blocks in my backyard
My car occupies a blockaded space in my backyard
I'm gonna cash my check and get all I need for parts
I will purchase everything necessary to restore my car
I'm been puttin' this off for way too long
I have procrastinated this for too long
Tomorrow I'll be gone, long gone
I plan to depart tomorrow
I'm finally breakin' free
I have finally liberated myself
Of the man I used to be
From the person I was before
It's a brand new me
I am a renewed and changed person
Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS THORSTEINSON, DAVE WASYLIW, DERIC RUTTAN, MURRAY PULVER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind