Roots rock artist’s sophomore album is out March 6 with first single “Outta Here” available now
After establishing himself as a powerful new voice within the roots/Americana scene with his 2024 debut album Sand & Glue, Odd Marshall is set to follow it up on March 6 with Seconds, a new eight-song collection made with Blind Melon guitarists Christopher Thorn and Rogers Stevens.
The first single from Seconds, “Outta Here (Explicit)” is available now.
When seeking a producer for Seconds, Odd Marshall had a Blind Melon sound in mind, given his enduring love of the band’s 1992 self-titled album. With nothing to lose, he sent a cold email with demos attached, and in no time he was chatting with Thorn who agreed to collaborate, as well as bring in his six-string partner Stevens, marking the first time they have worked together outside of Blind Melon.
Once sessions for Seconds got underway at Thorn’s Fireside Studios in Joshua Tree, California, other prominent names dropped by to chip in, including keyboardist Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers), drummer Denny Weston Jr. (KT Tunstall) and bassist Jon Ossman (jazz trumpeter Chris Botti). What was initially intended to be an EP quickly blossomed into a full eight-song album once Odd Marshall dug into his song bag and pulled out a few more that could showcase the immense talent at his disposal.
The unique chemistry they concocted in the desert is all over “Outta Here,” a hard-driving roots rock number that puts Thorn and Stevens’ guitars on full display. Odd Marshall recalls, “This is one of the first ‘riffs’ I wrote for my band in high school. The lyrics came later, and I feel they apply to leaving any bad situation behind, like the line ‘There’s so much more outside of these doors… but you’re afraid of change.’ It’s still hard to believe I recorded it with the two guitarists from Blind Melon after living and breathing their debut album as a teenager.”
Further songs from Seconds are earmarked for singles in the lead-up to the album’s arrival, but the general consensus is that it is a collection combining the tried-and-true Canadian songwriting approach that’s central to Odd Marshall’s creative process with the rich, soulful sounds of his American collaborators.
In many ways, Seconds also marks another important milestone on Odd Marshall’s road back to having music be the central pillar of his life, following a car accident that nearly ended it.
“I stopped writing songs for 10 years until I flipped my truck in a snowstorm,” he explains. “I was fine, but I crawled out the passenger window and, while sitting in the back of a cop car, a song came on the radio that reminded me I used to do that.”
Ever since, Odd Marshall has been making up for lost time, recording Sand & Glue with producer Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith, Rheostatics, Dan Mangan, Bahamas), with the songs “Midsummer” and “What You Take” performing well at SiriusXM and CBC, respectively. Rock Era Magazine wrote, “His songs speak of world travels, but it kind of feels like he’s come out of nowhere.” That certainly felt true then, but with Seconds, Odd Marshall is poised to firmly plant his flag within the indie rock world.
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