SPENCER JO DEBUTS SOLO SINGLE “GUNS AT THE BORDER” & WEST COAST LIVE DATES BELOW
Folk/punk singer-songwriter Spencer Jo of acclaimed bands Quit It! and River Jacks shares a politically charged single, “Guns At The Border”.
Reflecting on the track, Spencer Jo shares
“I wrote “Guns at the Border” during the height of the anti-vax protests in Calgary. The convoy had parked in my mom’s neighbourhood and they were harassing her for wearing her mask whenever she went out, which was probably only for groceries at the time.
White supremacist leaders of the so-called “Freedom Movement” had been identified in Ottawa and we’d had our own attempted Alberta insurrection at the Coutts border crossing. I went to one of their protests to see what I could see and came away from it disheartened. The hate, fear, violence, desperation, and cognitive dissonance I witnessed left me with big feelings I had to process.
So, I wrote the song to reaffirm who I am within the communities I belong to— we understand the origins of these hateful movements but will not excuse the actions of hateful people.
The hate movement has shifted since the height of the pandemic. It is targeting communities I walk in, and belong to. I sing “Guns at the Border” to remind community members that we have power and that we do not tolerate hate in our streets.”
Spencer Jo’s recording career has been focused on work in bands for the past decade. As lead songwriter and vocalist of River Jacks, they traveled the country over. In 2020, the band reformed as Quit It! Picking up where River Jacks left off, Quit It! emerged focused and road-ready. The band has gained traction and is doing exciting things this year.
Spencer Jo is presently working on a full-length solo album. The Water received production funding from Calgary Arts Development and is set to be released by June 2024. The album was recorded and mixed by Pat Palardy, with contributions from Francesca Mirai of Ghostly Hounds, Sarinn Blawatt of Alien Boys, Laurie Storrie of Outhouse Productions, Sarah Hamilton, and Quit It!. The album was mastered by Jeff Kynoch and is being pressed to vinyl and released by Moments Fest Records (Siksika), Sawdust Records (Pender Island), and Meter Records (Calgary). Stay tuned to hear more.
| Live Dates: |
| April 12: High River – High River Brewing |
| April 18: Kelowna – DunnEnzies (Mission) |
| April 19: Nanaimo – The Terminal Bar |
| April 21: Victoria – Wheelies Motorcycles |
| May 9: Lloyd Minster – CCBC |
| May 10: Edmonton – Dive Bar |