We're very excited to announce the production of our next project... But first, a little background information!
Back in 2006-08, Birch Riley was a four-piece band that consisted of members Wes Hlebichuk (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Shawn Thompson (bass, keys, strings), Steve Pitzer (lead guitar), and Jack "Steve" Martin (drums). Though this configuration of the band had a relatively short existence, they rose to the challenge of pushing each others' songwriting and instrumental abilities to new heights. The band produced well over a dozen songs in this era, which range from driving rock tunes to pop-rock ballads.
In 2007, band went into the studio with producer/engineers Brian Pake and Larry Anschell and recorded an entire LP's worth of material. Unfortunately, at some point between the recording an mixing process, a hardware failure caused much of the original recorded audio to be lost, and so the record went unfinished and unreleased... until now!
Recently discovered on spindle of old CDRs, the Pro Tools sessions for this record have been recovered, and all data that wasn't lost in the first place is still intact. As a result of this finding, we've decided to invite Steve Pitzer and Jack "Steve" Martin back into the fold to re-record their parts and complete this project once and for all.
We love these songs, and we hope that new and old fans alike will enjoy hearing these songs brought back to life. The band's upcoming single "Want / Need" was actually written during this era, so it should serve as an indicator of the sound fans can expect from these sessions. We'll be documenting the recording process starting this weekend, so stay tuned to our social media and follow us on instagram to be part of the fun.
We'll see you soon!
-Birch Riley (Wes, Shawn, Rick, Phil, Steve, and Jack)