Country Blues Rockers The Prairie Dogz Can “Almost See The Sun” In New Single
Okotoks, Alberta-based country-rock and blues band The Prairie Dogz announce the release of their new single, “Almost See the Sun,” this month. The song is a hard-driving, heartfelt exploration of how to cope with the feelings of isolation and lack of connection that have no doubt plagued many over the past few years.
The song’s narrator “finds himself in a dystopian world, in a society suffering from years of oppression,” vocalist and co-writer Keith Hambrook says. “He sees the loss of hope on peoples’ faces but finds solace and peace by seeing the woman he loves. He gains a brighter perspective because of his connection with her.” It’s that holding out for the hope of a happier future that keeps him going in bleak times, with the hard-rock riffs and rhythms bolstering the emotional lyrics.
“Break down these walls that kept us alone/ Through the grace of God, I’m coming home,” Kohen sings.
The track was produced in collaboration with Calgary’s Jeff Muller and the Oregon-based Ron Nevison (Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, Heart). It was Nevison’s idea to recruit the participation of renowned drummer Denny Fongheiser (Heart, Tracy Chapman, Counting Crows, Theme song from “Friends,” “Hakuna Matata”).
“It was humbling to work with people responsible for so much iconic music,” Hambrook says.
The current five-piece lineup of The Prairie Dogz includes Kohen on lead vocals, Hambrook on guitar, vocals, and keyboard, Terry Studd on guitar and vocals, Dave Fast on bass, and Martin Wright on drums.
Hambrook, Kohen, and Studd first met as members of a successful classic rock cover band and decided after years of touring together that it was time to strike out on their own. They partly owe their sound to the blend of Kohen’s blues-influenced vocals and Hambrook’s rock guitar stylings, while their country credibility comes straight from lives spent on those wild Alberta prairies.
From party anthems to moving ballads, The Prairie Dogz aims not only to entertain but also challenge themselves – and each other – to express themselves the best they can.
“We are constantly pushing each other to share our deepest thoughts, fears, joys and sorrows in our lyrics,” according to the band. “We talk about it all the time and dare each other to take more risks.”
With “Almost See the Sun,” they invite listeners to stand with them as they battle the darkness and look toward the light.
Watch the video for “Almost See the Sun” below and learn more about The Prairie Dogz via our mini-interview.
Care to introduce yourself?
My name is Keith Hambrook. I’m one of the guitar players for The Prairie Dogz. Myself, along with Dwight Koenning (Lead vocals), Terry Studd (Guitar), Dave Fast (Bass), and Martin Wright (Drums) make up the band. We play our own version of blues-based rock with a wide variety of influences.
Tell us about the process of writing “Always See The Sun.”
The main guitar riff behind “Almost See The Sun” (here is the guitar nerdy part) was something I came up with which was fun to play because it was all up-stroke picking in triplets, which is kind of unusual and a good exercise.
The lyrics have two themes that intertwine throughout the song. The first theme is about issues with isolation and doubt in my own ability to connect with people which is something that I have always struggled with. The second is this ever-creeping doubt in our society (sorry to be so heavy here). The song talks about the loss of faith from the people who I think are just so tired of the political spin and deceit on everything and all the hate and rhetoric towards people who might have slightly different views. The song transitions from a minor to a major key through the chorus (sorry, more nerdy stuff here) to support the hopefulness for the future and how the love he feels lifts him up.
What’s it like being a musician in Okotoks?
Okotoks is a quiet, clean bedroom community just south of Calgary, Alberta, that is nestled in a river valley with the mountains close by to West. It might be a long way from music centers like Toronto, Nashville, or LA, but we feel very lucky to be situated here. There are opportunities to play clubs and corporate events in the city as well as at The Calgary Stampede every Summer. There are lots of small towns within a couple of hours’ drive that host great events to play at throughout the year. There are several good bands from our town that we have gotten to know and have a good relationship with, so it’s a fun place to be.
Who was the first Canadian artist to blow you away?
Going way back and showing my age, the very first Canadian band I really dug was Randy Bachman, C F (Fred) Turner, Blair Thornton, and Robbie Bachman – BTO! I loved those guys, and there are a lot of their songs that are just good to listen to today – Four Wheel Drive, Blue Collar, Let It Ride, etc., etc. After that, there was RUSH……
You’ve been making music for a short bit now. What’s one piece of advice you can offer to those starting out?
Start writing and keep writing your own music. To quote one of my idols, Glen Frey (Eagles), “You will write a lot of bad songs before you write a great song.” Learn everything you can about being a musician, like how PAs and mixers work and how big bands book shows, and how to really fulfill the talent buyer’s needs so you get invited back.
Always be humble. To quote The Edge/U2, “Every person sees their part in a band as more important than it really is and their bandmate’s part as less than it really is. Humility is important. Also, if your show doesn’t go over well, it is never the audience’s fault, only the band’s fault.”
From Eddie Van Halen, “play every show like it’s the last show you will ever play.” Have fun. It goes by quicker than you think.
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