SaskMusic

Gunner & Smith is proud to announce the independent release of their sophomore full-length album, Byzantium. Recorded at Sinewave Studios, just outside Perdue, SK, Gunner & Smith built their recorded sound with gear gathered and borrowed from friends and family scattered across Canada. Recorded in six and a half days, Byzantium was produced by Andrija Tokic of Nashville - the producer behind Grammy-winning band Alabama Shakes and their debut album Boys & Girls. Tokic is known for bringing in the live feel and energy of classic Muscle Shoals, Stax, and Atlantic recordings from the 1960s-70s. He flew to Saskatchewan and recorded the Gunner & Smith sessions live off the floor straight to analog tape. The album will be released September 22 2017 along with a Canadian tour.
 
The music of Gunner & Smith has always been a collection of fiery elements, blending searing guitars, brawny rhythms and distinct folk-family vocals. But on Byzantium, the group’s second full-length album, the songs simmer and seethe with a newfound brooding energy that looks at the darker sides of love, loss and humanity. Inspired by Townes Van Zant, Neil Young, and Pink Floyd, Gunner & Smith considers this album their indie folk/rock, post-David Bowie blues. 

Geoff Smith, self declared history nerd with a Master's Degree in Religious History, is the songwriter and band founder who wrote this album as a densely layered narrative that weaves and wends ominous tales of imaginative and tactile worlds. The album title, Byzantium, is a real place. It’s a besieged ancient empire centred in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). The album hints at the endless cycles of war and waste that plague humanity. While the themes are seemingly grim, the music keeps the mood buoyant.
“Geoff Smith’s songs are as hypnotic and open as the Trans-Canada highway, with all the nostalgic tingling of leaving home in search of hope.” – The Pilot – Southern Pines, NC
 
TOUR
Bookended with full band shows at home in Saskatoon, this tour is a combination of full band shows with volume, 100% originals, and a lot of energy, and more stripped down, intimate, solo/duo shows with around 75% originals and 25% covers (Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, the Band, etc). 
Musicians:   
Drums - Nik Winnitowy (Oct 27-Nov. 11) and Matt McLaughlin (Sep 22/23)
Bass – Malcolm White (Oct 27-Nov. 11) and Nick Dueck (Sep 22/23)
Keys – Brent Letkeman - Sep 22/23 + Oct 27-Nov. 11
Guitar – Graham Tilsley – Sep 22/23 + Oct 28-Nov 11
Vocals - Rachel Melena-Chan (Sep 22/23)
DATES 
Sep. 22  SASKATOON, SK - The Capitol Music Club (Full Band)
Sep. 23  PRINCE ALBERT, SK - Rock Trout Café (Full Band) 
Sept. 28 - Oct. 1 SEOUL, KR - Zanaria Festa
Oct. 12  GUELPH, ON - The Cornerstone (Solo/duo)
Oct. 13 WAKEFIELD QC - Blacksheep Inn
Oct. 14  MONTREAL, QC - Grumpy's Bar (Solo/duo)
Oct. 15  KINGSTON, ON - Musiikki Café (Solo/duo)
Oct. 17  SUDBURY, ON - Speakeasy (Solo/duo)
Oct. 18  ORILLIA, ON - The Brownstone Café (Solo/duo)
Oct. 19  NORTH BAY, ON - The Raven and Republic (Solo/duo)
Oct. 20  TORONTO, ON - The Local Pub - Solo/duo
Oct. 21  GRAVENHURST, ON - Sawdust City Brewing Co. (Solo/duo)
Oct. 22  DURHAM, ON - The Garafraxa Café – Afternoon Show (Solo/duo)
Oct. 27 REGINA, SK - The German Club 
Oct. 28  LLOYDMINSTER, SK - The Root Community Emporium (Full band)
Nov. 2   RED DEER, AB - House Concert (Full band)
Nov. 3   LETHBRIDGE, AB - The Slice Bar & Grill (Full band)
Nov. 5   EDMONTON, AB  - The Needle Vinyl Tavern (Full band)
Nov. 10  CALGARY, AB - The Palomino Smokehouse (Full band)
Nov. 11  SASKATOON, SK - Amigos Cantina (Full band)

ABOUT GUNNER & SMITH
After two independent EPs, Gunner & Smith released their debut full-length album He Once Was a Good Man in 2014, earning rave reviews in print, radio chart position on the !earshot folk/roots/blue chart, and multiple TV appearances on Global and CTV. The band toured Canada four times with this release and performed official showcases at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City and NXNE in Toronto. The band’s reputation as a killer live act has grown from their beginnings in 2010, playing relentlessly at home in Saskatchewan and expanding organically across the country, with forays into the US. Gunner & Smith cut their teeth at festivals including OMFEST, MoSo Fest, Lilac Festival and the prestigious Ness Creek Festival. On the road they’ve shared the stage with Del Barber, Devin Cuddy, The Elwins, Said the Whale, Deep Dark Woods and more. 

ONLINE
Website:     http://gunnerandsmith.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Gunner.and.Smith/
Twitter:       https://twitter.com/GunnerandSmith
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/gunnerandsmith/
YouTube:    https://www.youtube.com/user/GunnerandSmith
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gunnerandsmith/sets/byzantium-unreleased/s-v1M3q 
EPK:         https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bmcvcva2xl6zh0s/AAARL23kuKMGdNUZYFugsxt0a?dl=0