Following the excellent (and most recent) “Tantramar” album last summer, journey-man and current Torontonian Eamon McGrath just announced the arrival of yet more new music. While my friend and GDW comrade Steve Murphy called dibs last time around (check out Steve’s review here) with “Tantramar,” I figured that I’d better get in quickly on the action upon learning of a brand new single release from Eamon this past weekend.
After releasing numerous albums between 2008 and 2014, it would be a full four years before McGrath would go on to release “Tantramar.” “My last album emerged after a long period of what some might call writer’s block; a definite lull in creativity and artistic opportunity,” he explains. “Touring non-stop without any support from a label, anything artistic felt like an uphill battle.” Call it fate; call it divine intervention; but McGrath would ultimately sign with the record label ‘Saved By Vinyl’ (Astral Swans, The Deep Dark Woods) to create “Tantramar”; a partnership that has clearly re-ignited his songwriting passion. “Holed up in my apartment, I embarked on a month of sobriety, and wrote the entire ‘Guts’ record as autumn turned to winter,” he shares. “I began to deal with my underlying mental health issues in a constructive, positive way.”
Having written and recorded his next full length album (due out September 6th), Eamon is eager to share new music, and released the album title track “Guts” just a few days ago. Accompanied only by drums and keyboards, McGrath’s vocals take center-stage throughout the song, both empowering and astounding the listener as he tackles and overcomes many demons in all guises. The repeated cries of “Guts” that form the chorus are both therapeutic and anthemic in nature, prompting listeners to self-reflect and detoxify too, through the power of collective guttural outbursts. Written during the peak of the #MeToo movement, Eamon found himself asking what men can do to dismantle instruments of misogyny in art? ”How do men communicate these struggles without silencing women?” he muses. “What is the nature of courage? What takes courage? What is the easy way out?” Within this context, finding “Guts” may very well be a logical place to begin seeking out answers.
Visit Eamon McGrath’s website.
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
