Ottawa, ON-based bluesman, Steve Marriner is ushering a decidedly more roots-rock Americana sound to the forefront with the release of his new solo album, Hope Dies Last.
Crafted through COVID — and inspired by years on the road, and back — the 10-track full-length is available this July 2 via Stony Plain Records. It explores not only an evolving sound for the ever-busy artist, but an ever-expanding skillset as well.
“I like to be on the move,” Marriner shares, who took on engineering the project. “To me, standing still feels the same as walking backwards; not only is it a survival mechanism, but it truly is my passion to have my hands in so many different projects. There’s just so much to learn, and it’s that learning that sustains me as an artist.
“I had decided a couple of weeks into the pandemic that I would use my new-found downtime to learn how to engineer and mix recordings,” he continues. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to know how to do; I’d been producing records and doing session work for a bunch of artists, and I’ve sat beside some incredible engineers in my career… Turns out, I absorbed a ton of what I was witnessing.”
He has unveiled a new single, “How High” from the release, along with a video to accompany it.
“There’s lots of rocking on this release, but there are some pretty tender moments as well; it felt good to get low.”
Check out “How High” below, and stay up to date with Steve via his socials.