Pullin’ ‘Tubes | Sam Roberts Band Is In This Together

Claiming that your band is “huge in Canada,” is sort of equivalent to that kid in sleep-away camp who claimed to have a girlfriend that was a model. Yet for the Sam Roberts Band that statement couldn’t ring more true. While they have yet to break big in the U.S. they are wildly popular north of the border. The Montreal-based act have racked up six Juno awards (Canada’s version of the Grammys) including two for both Rock Album of the Year and Artist of the Year, along with having their last four studio albums peaked at no less than #3 on the Canadian music charts – a pretty impressive feat for any act regardless of where they call home. The five-piece band have steadily been releasing albums every few years since 2000, featuring their instantly-likable, radio-friendly sound that fuses jangly guitar with big arena-ready, sing-a-long rock hooks, set to front man Sam Roberts’s blue-collar lyrics.

On February 11, the Sam Roberts Band will release their sixth studio album, Lo-Fantasy, via Universal Music Canada. The eleven-track effort, their first in three years, was quickly recorded over the course of twelve days in the Montreal studio of producer Youth (Martin Glover). The record is being touted as something of a new spin on the SRB sound, fusing their Wings-esque brand of rock with funk, house, electronic and African music.

Late last month the band released the record’s lead single, the chugging rock track “We’re All In This Together,” which peaked at #2 on the Canadian charts. Let’s check out this stripped down acoustic performance that Sam and guitarist Dave Nugent recently offered up:

Also, give a listen to the full-band studio version of the track:

Written By: Jeffrey Greenblatt