For many artists, making albums tends to become a longer, more involved process as they get further into their careers, learn more about studio capabilities and achieve more success.
For country artist Corb Lund, recording albums has gotten simpler the deeper he’s gotten in his career, which stretches back to 1995, when he released his first solo album, “Modern Pain.”
“We’ve made about 10 or 11 records, and each one gets more and more, going more with four dudes in a room playing music,” Lund said in a late-September phone interview. “We started out and would track stuff individually and had a click track in the early days when we didn’t know better. But now we just hit the record button and play the damn music.”
“Songs My Friends Wrote” is a different kind of project for Lund in that it’s not made up of his own songs. Instead, he and his band, the Hurtin’ Albertans (guitarist Grant Siemens, bassist Kurt Ciesla and drummer Brady Valgardson) recorded 10 songs by other country/folk artists Lund counts as friends, including Ian Tyson (one of the legends of the Western/cowboy country wing of country music), Hayes Carll, Tom Russell, Todd Snider and Fred Eaglesmith.
Lund embarked on the “Songs My Friends Wrote” project soon after he finished his 2020 album “Agricultural Tragic,” shortly before the pandemic hit. With touring paused, Lund had time to tackle an album project, and he realized an album of cover songs made lots of sense.
“It takes me a couple of years to put together an album (or original songs),” Lund said, noting his own songs tend to come together bit by bit over a course of months. “We had just finished ‘Agricultural Tragic’ so I didn’t have a lot of new stuff. It was just perfect timing because I had that idea in (mind).”
“Songs My Friends Wrote” includes two songs by Carll, the acclaimed Americana artist who has become one of Lund’s best musical friends — the punchy acoustic-laden “Highway 87″ and the driving rocker “Little Rock.”
Two of his other choices were Tyson songs, the lovely ballad “Montana Waltz” and the gentle and unhurried “Road To Las Cruces,” and from Russell’s deep catalog, he plucked “Blue Wing,” a tune with a quick shuffling beat that’s embellished with plenty of lead guitar flourishes. Lund met Tyson around two decades ago when he was part of tribute show for Tyson, who attended the event, and his friendship with Russell extends back to a similar time.
“When I first met Ian and Tom, it was pretty intimidating because they were pretty established,” Lund said. “But they’ve become good friends, especially Ian. I’ve known him for years and he’s become a good friend and he’s been really helpful. We’ve toured together and written together and drank beer (together).”
Back then, Lund, who grew up hearing country and cowboy music around his home, was still early in a solo career he has built the old-fashioned way, by touring relentlessly and releasing a steady stream of albums featuring his well crafted songs that range from Western/cowboy country ballads to chunky Americana tunes with a good bit of twang to edgy rockers.
After releasing his first two albums on Outside Music, Lund signed with Stony Plain Records and notched a breakthrough in his native Canada with his next album, 2002′s “Five Dollar Bill,” one of three consecutive albums to go gold in that country.
By then, Lund had begun expanding his touring base into the United States. And he has seen his audience grow tour after tour, year after year. Lund said he knew he’d have to put in the hard miles to carve out a sustainable solo career.
“That’s what all my heroes did. I just thought that’s how you do it,” he said. “So I didn’t have a problem with it at all. I mean, I’m totally committed.
“That makes for a loyal audience, right?” Lund said. “The people who come to my shows, especially in the States, I don’t have very many casual people. If they’re there, they’re committed. We’ve built a cool community.”
That community will undoubtedly come out for Lund’s shows as he and the Hurtin’ Albertans tour the states through mid-December. There will be three chances to see them in Georgia in the coming weeks. They’ll hear some material from “Songs My Friends Wrote” and “Agricultural Tragic,” but there’s no telling what songs will get played on a given night.
“I don’t use a set list,” Lund said. “The band’s been with me long enough and they’re sharp enough that they can just follow me. Every night’s different. But yeah, it’s always fun playing newer songs, and the stuff from those two records is in the sweet spot now. If you put them in when they’re brand new, nobody knows them. But they’re hitting the sweet spot now, where they’re still fun to play and fresh, but people have heard them. And we have 11 records now, so it’s kind of crazy. We have a lot of material to work with.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Corb Lund with the Turnpike Troubadours
7 p.m. Oct. 29. $55-$69.50. Pullman Yards, 225 Rogers St. NE, Atlanta. pullmanyards.com.
Corb Lund and Lauren Morrow
7 p.m. Nov. 8. $15. 40 Watt Club, 285 W. Washington St., Athens. 40watt.com.
8 p.m. Nov. 9. $22; $18 in advance. The Garden Club at Wild Heaven Beer - West End, 1010 White St. SW, Atlanta. wildheavenbeer.com.
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