New EP At Your Service from Nicolette & The Nobodies / Jeremie Albino guitarist is out July 18
Following the singles “Come & Gone” and “Church On A Hill,” Ian James Bain is today sharing “Devil Dance,” the last preview of his new EP At Your Service, set for release on July 18 via ArtHaus Music.
On At Your Service, Ian James Bain is ready to make his mark on the international Americana scene. He’s already got plenty of experience, serving as touring guitarist with Jeremie Albino, and as a core member of Nicolette & The Nobodies, but on At Your Service, he’s found his own voice on four songs that convey hard-earned lessons.
Working closely with the in-demand Toronto producer and pedal steel guitarist Aaron Goldstein (Daniel Romano, Kathleen Edwards, Julianna Riolino), Bain’s songs seamlessly blend the past and present, updating vintage sounds in surprising ways.
“Devil Dance” is such an example, taking familiar bluesy riffs and themes and expanding upon them with a dark, swampy groove. Ian says, “I’ve always loved the old fire-and-brimstone gospel tunes from legends like the Louvin Brothers and the Stanley Brothers. Something about those coal dust voices singing about such terrible things in perfect harmony makes the hair on my neck stand up. I wanted to see if I could contribute something in that style while not putting on an old-time costume that didn’t feel genuine. I wound up with a funk riff, psychedelic guitars, and possibly a little blasphemy.”
The son of an air force man, Ian has lived a roving life, although by his teens, he managed to stay put long enough to put some roots down in a small, rural Ontario town. Like his friends, he gravitated to whatever music was available around him, developing an eclectic taste, but he kept coming back to country, a sound that best reflected his wayfaring upbringing.
Ian did an apprenticeship of sorts with Canadian country music legend Paul Weber at his bar, the Commercial Tavern, where he “went to school” studying the house band and regularly joining them on stage to sing the songs of Willie, Waylon, Jones, and Merle. By the summer of 2021, Ian was ready to record his debut album, Where I Wanna Be, of which Cups N Cakes Network said, “All ten of these songs have all the nuance and comfort of that age-old formula for a good country track. Each song is a banger, showing Bain’s timeless approach to songwriting.”
Now with At Your Service, Ian is opening a new chapter, one forged in his recent time fulfilling some of his dreams as a full-time touring musician.