Long-awaited LP, Emergency to Emergency, set to drop November 26

Kingston's The Gertrudes have finally announced a date for their new full-length album. Emergency to Emergency will be out on November 26, 2021 on Wolfe Island Records, and to mark the announcement, they've released a new single, New Carolina. The new single follows two previous releases that are set to appear on the new album, "Emergency To Emergency,” released in 2020 to raise funds for the Kingston's Street Health Centre, and “Parham” to support the efforts of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Exploring "hidden pandemics"

According to a news release, Emergency to Emergency explores the many hidden pandemics that we’re waking up to these days. All songs are based on historic Irish and North American fiddle tunes that help provide some perspective on how our current experiences of plague and economic uncertainty are not that unprecedented after all. Describing the new album, band member Greg Tilson explained, "...it's the emergencies, like addictions and mental health, facing our community at this historic moment, that rallied The Gertrudes back together after an almost eight-year hiatus. We recorded new songs for this album, like Emergency to Emergency and Parham while joining forces with service providers like Kingston's Street Health Centre and the Canadian Mental Health Association to help raise awareness and funds for fighting these 'hidden pandemics'." In a recent Kingston Life article, Tilson elaborated on the recording process for Emergency to Emergency. “It was hilarious trying to set up a traditional recording in a backyard with sounds of birds, dogs and lawnmowers — and you’ll hear all those things — but it also created some really wonderful moments.”

1. Terpenes
2. Emergency to Emergency
3. Headlines
4. Parham
5. Staring Down the Barrel
6. Boys' Town
7. Forced Eviction
8. The Other Side
9. How Deep in the Ground?
10. The Dancer
11. Conjure
12. New Carolina

An all-star cast of Kingston artists

In addition to their extensive lineup—of which there are eight current band members, according to the news release—The Gertrudes enlisted the help of a host of Kingston musicians, including co-producer and banjo picker Jason Mercer (Ani DiFranco, Ron Sexsmith), Paul Saulnier (PS I Love You), Teilhard Frost, Anna Robertson Ritter, Georgette Fry, Anna Sudac, members of The Kingston Symphony and Open Voices Community Choir, for highly collaborative community recording. At the time of the news release (September 15, 2021), The Gertrudes band members were listed as: Pete Bowers on drums; Annie Clifford on fiddle, vocals, toy ukulele and percussion; Paul Clifford on upright bass and electronics; Jason Erb (also of Infotourist) on vocals, piano, pianet, Hammond organ, Rhodes, electric bass, vocals and garbage can lid; Josh Lyon on accordion; Jason Mercer on the banjo, upright and electric bass, mellotron, field samples, moog and percussion; Matt Rogalsky on electric guitar, mandolin, vocals, field recordings, samples, and synth; Greg Tilson on the guitar, vocals, and keeping it all together. Posted: May 3, 2023 Originally Published: Sep 15, 2021