WATCH AND SHARE “FROGGY” HERE
CROAK IN THE WEEDS DUE OUT TODAY VIA TELEPHONE EXPLOSION
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“...as peaceful as dew on grass...a journey that deliberately avoids a destination, a relaxed freak-folk jaunt that carries a sense of wonder for the natural world and all its idiosyncrasies.” - Exclaim! (8/10)
“Ethier continues to layer languid guitars over minimalist rhythm box backdrops and swampy synth-pop. His vocals occasionally recall a friendly Bill Callahan, young Gilberto Gil, or an oddball James Taylor. ...Keep this one bookmarked for a rainy day when you need a smile.” - Aquarium Drunkard
“A raw and sparse meditation on nature, aging and existence, it’s unhurried and subtly clever – like a Canadian Bill Callahan.” NOW Magazine
Photo Credit : Colin Medley // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Today, ex-Deadly Snakes frontman André Ethier celebrates the release of Croak In The Weeds with the new video for “Froggy”. On the track, Ethier says : “It's like Froggy Went a Courtin' except this time Froggy is courtin' existential collapse.“
WATCH AND SHARE “FROGGY” HERE
Out today via Telephone Explosion Records, Croak In The Weeds was created in collaboration with Sandro Perri (producer) at his Toronto studio in late 2018 / early 2019.
On the LP, Ethier explains: “I was imagining a pond at the swamp. A pond gets murkier the deeper you dive. Frogs are amphibians. They’re in and out of the pond like it’s no big deal, but we stay mostly on the shore and only peer in. Then, when the weather is right, the pond rises in a mist and we can breathe it too. We can be in the pond but also on the shore.”
Croak In The Weeds continues Ethier and Perri’s musical relationship which was originally established on 2017’s Under Grape Leaves. Croak expands upon that album, deconstructing synthetic elements to a point of raw organic beauty. Lyrically, André’s approach has shifted to the natural world, focusing heavily on flora and fauna. Almost every track on the 34-minute album references animals, with central characters ranging from pigs to dragons.
This is André’s third attempt at a trilogy of records. Previous attempts have stalled for various reasons; disillusionment with genre, unrealistic sense of self, arachnophobia... Though it would not be inaccurate to suggest that he now has completed a trilogy of unfinished trilogies (he would thank you for your optimistic reasoning,) and is still planning to finish this one. Regarding trilogies, André opines: “In the first you establish the tools and build yourself a room, in the sequel you live in the room and imagine what’s outside, finally in the third.... you escape?”
He doesn’t know, he has never gone all the way…
WATCH AND SHARE “DREAM ON PIGS” HERE
MORE ON ANDRÉ ETHIER
André Ethier has been steadily creating a body of work over the last 20 years. An artist who works in two mediums, music and painting, he does so both synergistically and separately, depending on his whim. He currently enjoys a humble, cult-like status with concertgoers and gallery patrons alike.
He began his career releasing four albums with seminal garage-rockers The Deadly Snakes, the last of which, 2005’s Porcella, was Polaris Music Prize-shortlisted in the award’s inaugural year. He then released five solo albums, taking a nine-year hiatus from releasing music after the third to raise a family. In 2018, he returned with Under Grape Leaves and a sound that fell directly in-line with the thickly stroked and wryly humorous characters in his newly discovered style of painting, revealing a new world that is connected both sonically and visually.
André’s career has seen all the ups, downs and transcendent moments that come with two decades of experience. His paintings have been reviewed in the New York Times and continue to be shown in galleries worldwide. He sang the Canadian national anthem at a 2007 Los Angeles Dodgers game (the team’s then-outfielder was also named André Ethier.) Afterwards, he received a congratulatory hug from Lisa Loeb, who sang the American version and was suffering from an extreme bout of stage fright. Anyone who listens to André’s recent work will attest to the fact that he has undergone a musical resurgence. André's work has never felt as fresh, full of life and truly unique as it does today.
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PAST PRAISE FOR ANDRÉ ETHIER
“André Ethier is a world-class storyteller-songwriter on Under Grape Leaves” - Now Magazine
“Slow, soft-spoken and built around spare voice/guitar/drum-machine arrangements overseen by esteemed Toronto experimentalist Sandro Perri, Under Grape Leaves adopts a pensive tone to match Ethier’s ruminations” - The Toronto Star
“Andre Ethier’s ‘Under Grape Leaves’ leaves you with a sense pure calm” - Broken Pencil
“Under Grape Leaves, a soothing but still powerful journey through the lush, untamed expanse of the mind and soul.” - Dominionated
“Under Grape Leaves is a nuanced collection of intimate songs recorded by Sandro Perri.” - Northern Transmissions
PERFORMANCE DATES
Oct 26 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace (with the Sadies & Ancient Shapes)
Dec 12 - Toronto, ON@ Lula (with Badge Epoque Ensemble)
CROAK IN THE WEEDS TRACKLIST
01 Dream On Pigs
02 Croaks In The Weeds
03 Wedding Band
04 Two Dogs
05 Jenny The Blues
06 Sigfried Slays The Dragon
07 Summer Evening Pigs
08 Froggy
09 Foolish Love
ANDRÉ ETHIER ONLINE
INSTAGRAM