Vancouver alt-country legends also announce NA tour dates in advance of 2025 double album Callin’ Me Back
The story of Billy The Kid has been told in innumerable ways ever since the Old West outlaw was gunned down at the age of 21. It made him an instant legend. Then there is the legend of Petunia.
Since the turn of this century, the enigmatic Vancouver-based singer/songwriter and his band The Vipers have crafted an original sound based largely on the music of the early previous century. But while they may look the part, they are not precious about it, instead putting all the fire and fury of the original artists into a modern context.
That’s precisely what Petunia & The Vipers do on their new single and video “Billy The Kid,” a rousing re-telling of the gunfighter’s rise and fall.
It’s also the latest preview of the ambitious new Petunia & The Vipers double album, Callin’ Me Back, due out in 2025. Co-produced at Rain City Studios in Vancouver by Steve Loree, guitarist with Canadian alt-country pioneers Jr. Gone Wild, the album has actually been in the can for several years. Callin’ Me Back was initially slated for release in the summer of 2020, but all plans were set aside due to the pandemic. Further delays ensued as the band gradually resumed its normal touring regimen, but now it’s full speed ahead.
Of course, given the timeless qualities of Petunia’s songwriting, there was never any danger of the music falling out of fashion. The 15 tracks on Callin’ Me Back fully display Petunia’s mastery of putting a modern spin on traditional country, folk, and blues, with the previous single “Bible Preacher” deftly combining Mississippi Delta grit with New Orleans bounce, all tied together by his trademark sense of humour. Both it and “Billy The Kid” also displays a new facet to the Petunia sound: Horns.
“Once I started playing weekly with a horn section, the possibilities really began to reveal themselves,” Petunia says. “Eventually, an album developed with these big horn arrangements. I wouldn’t say that the album is a horn section album, but the horns are featured more than anything else.”
Most musicians will likely tell you that playing music was just a part of their upbringing. Not so for Petunia, and that’s only one of the things that makes him unique. In fact, there was no one in his family with any artistic inclinations, so when he eventually felt the urge to write songs, he made the rational decision to start at the source: Hank Williams, Jimmie Rodgers, and the Carter Family. All three remain indelibly stamped on each song Petunia & The Vipers have ever performed or recorded.
Expanding the band’s sound now is a prime example of Petunia’s evolution as both a musician and performer, which fans will get to witness as Petunia & The Vipers hits the road across North America for the remainder of 2024 (SEE DATES BELOW).
