“…he displays skills at plumbing the depths of the blue-collar experience that few other Canadian songwriters at this moment can match.”
Toronto-Hamilton based multi-instrumentalist Dave McEathron is thrilled to announce his resurgence into the music scene with the release of his full-length folk album titled Abandoned Companions along with a roots rock EP titled The Abandoned Companions Companion Piece, made available everywhere on October 26, 2018.
As the principal songwriter and frontman of the former roots rock band The Warped 45s, McEathron has been praised for his passionate storytelling. Described as ‘one of our most evocative lyricists’ by Exclaim! it was only a matter of time before Dave assembled years of song writing to launch his solo career, but it didn’t come without a serious re-evaluation of what being a musician meant to him.
When the dissolution of Warped 45s occurred, Dave lost his joy for a lot of things. It was then that he realized he was the original ‘Abandoned Companion’. Before his eyes Dave’s life had been turned upside down, the career he spent his whole life working for was suddenly over, relationships fell apart and his mental health was compromised. To rediscover his true love and passion, music, he had to reinvent himself. He tried new things and learned new skills including restoring an old house, making custom belt buckles, even picking up a new instrument – the banjo. In the middle of building indoor barn doors out of reclaimed wood, Dave noticed the knot in the wood looked like a belt buckle. From there he began creating custom belt buckles experimenting with wood knots, metal, old board games and even dinky cars. This is what lead Dave to establishing his skills in leather work that is a big part of his new album’s packaging. “You have your whole life to make your first album,” said McEathron. “I have almost had a second lifetime to write this album again. I had to sit down and re-evaluate how everything in my life lead to this point in my career. I ultimately decided I whole heartedly believed in the music and songs and still wanted it.”
With the tremendous support from people who never stopped believing in Dave’s talent, he was encouraged to fight for what he truly wanted. Insert the musical gift that is Abandoned Companions and The Abandoned Companions Companion Piece. Everything about this album is an intimately crafted piece of art, right down to the packaging. Dave focused on creating a beautiful, tangible piece that fans would want to keep for years to come. Utilizing his crafting skills, Dave has made every album cover with high quality pieces of leather and has hand stamped each one with the album’s logo. Inside fans will enjoy both the full-length folk album along with the roots-rock EP and a complete song book filled with lyrics and chords to every song.
“I’m in a really good place and am so proud of this
project. It took a lot of hard work to get here and I’m confident that this is my best writing. The album
incorporates everything I’ve overcome and learned
throughout the years. It’s honest. It’s me.”
Dave worked alongside producer Brian Pickett (sometime collaborator with The Strumbellas, Ashley Condon) to create Abandoned Companions and The Abandoned Companions Companion Piece. The richly layered collection of finely crafted folk-rock songs showcases raw intertwined stories of relationships, falling in and out of love, re-evaluating life, fun, working in factories and old historical stories. The album also includes Luck, a song which was cowritten with JUNO award-winner David Francey.
Dave’s acclaimed lyrical skills shine through on each tune. The songs are concise, and although stand steadily on their own, they systematically build an overall arch that is the entire album and Dave’s life.
Best enjoyed during life’s quiet moments.
Dave has had the pleasure of sharing the stage with the likes of David Francey, Justin Rutledge, The Once, Fred Eaglesmith, Deer Tick, N.Q Arbuckle, Elliot Brood and Skydiggers and has performed at festivals such as Hillside, Dauphin’s Countryfest and Ness Creek Music Festival.
What the Critics Have to Say…
“...A lot of the success comes from McEathron, who is obviously interested in actual stories and characters, like the cynic in Victoria Day, or the put upon Blade-Thrower’s Wife. He asks big questions, like how responsible we are to other peoples’ children in Talk About Evil without supplying easy answers. -4.5/5 ”
“Another highlight is the title track, which showcases Dave McEathron as one of our most evocative lyricists. For proof, how about ‘hectares of hay bales like curlers in an old woman’s hair?’ No song here is quite as transcendent and gorgeous as Radio Sky, from the first album, though many come close.”
“The album is virtually bursting at the seams with passion and eloquence”
“The band already has the hustle to start building fans organically and more importantly, good f*cking songs that aren’t written hoping to latch on to the hottest sound.”
“The alt-country, rock-esque, roots-soaked style that is created by The Warped 45s has a timeless, genre-bending feel.”
“The album’s lyrics are raw and powerful. They are sometimes painstakingly literal and at other times very poetic.”
“10 Day Poem for Saskatchewan was the [song] that truly brought the house down...It sums up what I believe the Warped 45s to be about: the simple beauty of what it is about Canada that will never change. ”
“Matador Sunset shows itself as a wholesome highway album: a rollicking good time full of imagery and peaceful harmonies with an array of genre-swapping that will win over audiences.”
“Some of the best roots rock Toronto has to offer”
“The band’s principal songwriter Dave McEathron is incredibly literate and it’s an ear-pleasing delight to hear melodies wrapped around such lyrics as ‘I will find the gilded palace and I’ll bask there unabated’ or ‘I saw a pale horse come riding through a stand of flaming birch’ or ‘the setting sun was a bareback rider’ or ‘hard-charging the red cape of a matador sunset.’ Sounds like William Faulkner sitting down over a bottle of Jim Beam with the Allman Brothers.”
“…he displays skills at plumbing the depths of the blue-collar experience that few other Canadian songwriters at this moment can match.”
“They come into their own with the song writing of Dave McEathron – ‘The wheel spins and if I live / you are the star of the show’ from The Blade Throwers Wife and ‘It’s less about history / more a day without labour’ from Victoria Day are both particularly moving-7/10.”
“10 Canadian Acts You Should Be Listening to This Canada Day 2009”
“The McEathrons have honed their storytelling skills through keen observation, as in ‘Progress,’ sung from the perspective of a Toronto waste disposal worker. But that gritty realism is offset by the poetic flights of songs like ‘Trestle For A Train,’ a number with so many unorthodox elements that it should never have worked but in its final form seems completely natural. In a similar way, upon first listen 10 Day Poem For Saskatchewan sounds like a great Canadian album but after repeated spins just sounds like a great album, period. ”
“Radio Sky”(by David McEatheron) was included on: “5 Songs you gotta hear today”
“They work hard. They’ve got good songs. They’re rootsy and they know who Merle Haggard is. They probably have warped 45s in their basement. All that’s good enough to make me wanna hear ‘em.”
“SOCAN- Words and Music Magazine- The Warped 45s- Featured in “Faces to Watch”
“I’ve been lucky enough to host over a dozen house concerts in the last few years and two of the most memorable have been with David McEathron and The Warped 45s. Their brilliant songs not only translated perfectly from the epic album production to the intimate confines of a living room, but Dave’s easy going, between-song banter was equal parts enlightening, charming and funny and brought the crowd together to create two very special evenings. Everyone who attended the first show was back for more this year. We even had to take the action into the backyard to accommodate everyone. A special treat was hearing Dave open up with a few old chestnuts from the likes of Gram Parsons, Lyle Lovett and others, perfectly setting the scene for his own future classics. We’ve got a full house standing by for their next show here at the StuDome.”