The Tragically Hip Surprises Fans with “Saskadelphia”
The Tragically Hip is a band that is ever-evolving. Now, four years after lead singer Gord Downie’s passing and the band’s dissolution, we’re getting to hear a crucial part of their growth with a new album called Saskadelphia. The six-song EP features previously unreleased tracks written in 1990 between their debut LP, Up To Here, and 1991’s Road Apples.
“It was a funny time in music where people were transitioning away from the blues. The American alt-rock/alt-country thing was really happening,” says bassist Gord Sinclair. “It was also the start of the Red Hot Chili Peppers getting really popular, along with Fishbone—there was that heavier slappy-bass kind of stuff. We were listening to everything and trying everything and jamming on everything. But when you’ve got ‘Twist My Arm’ and ‘Ouch,’ you know, we didn’t want people to think we were a California funk-rock band.”
Hear Sinclair’s signature bass work on “Ouch”:
Saskadelphia is available now on CD, vinyl, and as a digital download (iTunes and Amazon MP3).
Saskadelphia Track List:
- Ouch
- Not Necessary
- Montreal (Live from The Molson Centre, Montreal, Dec 7th, 2000)
- Crack My Spine Like a Whip
- Just As Well
- Reformed Baptist Blues
