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Yesterday’s News
LA’s Grand Canyon’s music pierces through the confusion of today’s world while holding true to the influences that have created some of the most iconic songs of all time. Fronted by singer/songwriter/guitarist Casey Shea and vocalist Amy Wilcox, the six-piece ensemble seamlessly draws from such classic influences as Pink Floyd, Buffalo Springfield, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Fleetwood Mac to create a modern take on classic rock. 2018’s critically acclaimed LP Le Grand Cañon was praised by BBC 2, Rolling Stone Country, AXS, Ditty TV, PopMatters, Wide Open Country, and Paste. The latter said the band had “the kind of hooks that lesser songwriters would give their i-teeth for.” If that record was their ode to the 70s, their new EP Yesterday’s News interprets the sounds of the Reagan 80s with the same socially heightened framework of that era’s 24-hour cable news cycle, only now the lens is social media. The songwriting of Shea and guitarist Joe Guese emerges just as potent and relevant as ever.
Misleadingly upbeat, “Yesterday’s News” begins unpacking the flame-out of a past relationship but soon nosedives into larger issues of socio-political turmoil and governmental control. “I don’t want to be buried / In the fine print on the back of page two / I’m sick and tired of losing / Time after time,” he sings, also positioning the working musician’s life to try to be heard. His voice is swollen and sore from screaming into the echo chamber, but the Springsteen jangle assuages any feelings of impending doom and gloom.
“This music is definitely a darker sound. Maybe it has something to do with the political climate of the world, I don’t know,” considers Shea. These songs, among the dozens that the band has written, were created in late 2016 through 2017, and the sonic shift from their previous work can clearly be heard. Producer Jamie Candiloro (REM, Willie Nelson) broke in his home studio with “High Time,” a straight-down-the-middle rock emission with a Mark Knopfler-crafted vocal. “We wanted it to be a bit more of a rock-centered thing over the previous music, which was more country-rock. We were wanting to err on the side of rock ‘n roll,” says Shea.
“It Is What It Is” is a spacey, synth-laden “desert-rock” song that tears through the stratosphere of betrayal with an icy edge. “I’d be a fool to believe you ain’t what I need / But you won’t find me back down on my knees,” barely escapes his lips. Moments later, all the misery busts from his chest and rolls right off his tongue. The sting hangs in the back of his throat, and Shea soon realizes the necessity of such treachery. Later, an acoustic reworking of Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain” bookends the new EP with an outpouring of unrestrained heart, a final motion to allow the past to burn his skin before he lets it fall away.
“21st Century American Man,” running nearly seven minutes, is positioned as the backbone of the record, a soul-burning ode to what it means to be American in these trying times. Musically, the band strikes at a much darker, more ominous texture to their work to unlock a richer exploration of humanity and ever-elusive truth. “I do not choose to be a common man,” Shea howls on the psych-rock habitation, somewhere in the wastelands of political divisions and the bedeviling work of their formidable influences. “Turn on the TV / LA is burning / They say there’s nothing, nothing to see,” he swallows the images flooding his senses, gravely resigning to his own inescapable helplessness.
The members of Grand Canyon, which include Jon Cornell (bass), Darice Bailey (keys/vocals), and Matt Bogdanow (drums), in addition to the already mentioned Shea, Wilcox and Guese, have collectively sold millions of records, toured the world in their own bands and as sidemen, appeared on countless daytime and late night shows, and had songs that set the scene in numerous television shows and movies. They have graced the stage with everyone from indie folk hero Daniel Johnston to Thai pop sensation Palmy to Celine Dion, played in the SNL house band, and recorded with everyone from Rod Stewart to Linda Perry. They have worked in the studio with Mike Deneen, Brendan Benson, Jamie Candiloro, Dave Schiffman, Steve Albini and more.
Yesterday’s News is a contemporary take on the kind of music that people always go back to. Grand Canyon have created new shades of a classic sound while still pushing boundaries. In an era of computer-made, beat-driven music, Grand Canyon is the antithesis of modern pop music. However, by focusing on musicianship and timeless songwriting, and drawing on the inspiration of the classic sounds and arrangements of the past, it is the kind of pop music that will be wafting through the canyons for a long time.
“Grand Canyon’s music pierces through the confusion of today’s world while holding true to the influences that have created some of the most iconic songs of all time.” -Glide Magazine
“Arcane stories and gripping guitar hooks form the basis of Grand Canyon’s “It Is What It Is,” proving yet again that rock music truly never died.” – Atwood Magazine
“A band that taps the rich vein of electrified American music.” – LA Times
“The Yesterday’s News EP follows Grand Canyon’s 2018 debut album Le Grand Canyon, its songs again mining an amalgam of rock and Americana influences — including an acoustic remake of Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain” and an expansive epic of its own called “21st Century American Man” in addition to the Reagan-era inspired title track.” – Billboard
“Earthen hooks and infectious rhythms that would produce fitting anthems for any backroad.” – PopMatters
Publicist: Rachel Hurley
“I can’t say enough about Rachel and the team at Baby Robot. This was the best experience I’ve ever had with a PR company. They worked their asses off and consistently went above and beyond, not only getting us great write-ups and features, but also showing up to shows and posting vids and pics of the band. They treated us like they were fans and made us feel part of their family and not just another paycheck. They are a rare exception in the industry. Thank you Rachel!!” – Casey Shea