ARIEL POSEN’S NEW LP, BANNATYNE, OUT TODAY
LISTEN / SHARE “MORE ME WITH YOU” FT. KATHLEEN EDWARDS HERE
WATCH / SHARE “MORE ME WITH YOU” LIVE PERFORMANCE HERE
WINNIPEG HOMETOWN ALBUM RELEASE PERFORMANCE ON APRIL 7 AT SIDE STAGE
CANADIAN TOUR DATES BEGIN MAY 6 - TICKETS HERE, FULL DATES BELOW
BUY / STREAM BANNATYNE HERE
Photo Credit : Josh Kirschner // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
On his new album, Bannatyne, exploration leads Ariel Posen back to the place where everything began. Named after an avenue in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, it's a record about reexamining one's past in order to fully appreciate the present. Woven into the album's 12 songs are larger-than-life riffs and upbeat tempos (a nod to the 1990s rock music that soundtracked Posen's childhood), along with the syncopated grooves and explorative, unexpected textures that have always steered his work. Equally influenced by the raw energy of his live shows — where Posen has been known to plug in and stretch out, showcasing the chops that prompted Rolling Stone to call him "a modern-day guitar hero" — and the tight craft of his songwriting, Bannatyne is a full-circle snapshot of an artist in evolution, chasing down new horizons while still honouring his musical roots.
"This is an album about coming home," says Posen, who played guitar for hometown pals, The Bros. Landreth — earning a JUNO Award along the way — before launching his solo career with the critically-celebrated debut How Long. "It's about looking back and appreciating where you come from, even as you're heading somewhere new."
Today he’s highlighting the album track, “More Me With You” featuring Kathleen Edwards. The song itself “explores the rare kind of connection that makes you feel more like yourself rather than less,” explains Posen. “It reflects on the mysterious ways certain people bring out parts of us we didn’t know existed. It is about that feeling—when being around someone makes you more yourself. It also touches on the mystery of relationships and how sometimes those connections exist even when distance or circumstance keeps people apart.”
Edwards adds that, “Ariel has always been the quiet virtuoso hanging in the corner, undeniably good and musically assured. Getting to sing on a song with him is a dream come true, especially since the moment comes so rarely - his instrumental prowess makes way for a song where I get to sing with him. Truly, an honour.“
LISTEN / SHARE “MORE ME WITH YOU” FT. KATHLEEN EDWARDS HERE
WATCH / SHARE “MORE ME WITH YOU” LIVE PERFORMANCE HERE
MORE ABOUT ARIEL POSEN AND BANNATYNE
For Ariel Posen, songwriting and guitar playing have always gone hand-in-hand. He's spent a decade building a bridge between those two worlds, balancing his work as a hotshot instrumentalist — including collaborations with everyone from John Mayer to Tom Jones — with solo albums rooted in melody and autobiographical storytelling. The result is a career that's every bit as diverse as his music. With performances at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, his own Fender Stratocaster signature model, and a powerful voice that matches his fretwork, Posen explores uncharted territory, blurring the lines between genre and generation along the way.
WATCH / SHARE “EMPTY-HANDED FT. CITY AND COLOUR” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “BANNATYNE” (LIVE PERFORMANCE) HERE
"Heading somewhere new" has been Posen's focus for years, ever since How Long introduced his blend of soulful rock & roll, R&B, and amplified Americana in 2019. Follow-up releases like Headway and Reasons Why widened that sound considerably, while the Mile End project — a trio of records filled with improvised guitar instrumentals — highlighted a different form of expression. Bannatyne covers new ground, too. There are appearances by fellow Canadian exports Dallas Green aka City and Colour (who appears on the gritty, grooving "Empty-Handed") and Kathleen Edwards (who shares vocal duties with Posen on the sparse, slow-burning love song "More Me With You"). There are seize-the-day anthems like "Future Present Tense," punctuated by layered harmonies and bursts of fuzz guitar. There are alternate guitar tunings, smoothly-sung vocals, and lyrics about the homes we all leave behind, delivered by a road warrior who's been carving out his signature sound with every album. It's a powerful mix, and while Posen has never been shy about honouring his influences, the album simply sounds like him.
WATCH / SHARE “FUTURE PRESENT TENSE” HERE
WATCH / SHARE “VAGABOND” HERE
"Every record is the sound of me finding myself, more and more," he says. "I'm not just a songwriter and I'm not just a guitarist. I'm both of those things. I'm taking these worlds that I feel very connected to, and I'm combining them together, leaning in either direction whenever I want. With Bannatyne, the idea was to be a little dirtier, rawer, and unpolished in my performances. I didn't worry about chasing absolute perfection and cleanliness. I just stuck with whatever felt right."
Co-produced by Posen and longtime collaborator Murray Pulver, Bannatyne certainly feels right. This is Posen's unique vision of electrified roots music: song-driven, fretwork-fueled, and unmistakably his own.
BUY / STREAM BANNATYNE HERE
TOUR DATES
April 7 - Winnipeg, MB - Side Stage
May 6 - St. Catharines, ON - Warehouse Concert Hall *
May 7 - Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware *
May 8 - Kitchener, ON - Boathouse *
May 9 - Toronto, ON - TD Music Hall *
May 13 - Corbyville, ON - Signal Brewery *
May 14 - Ottawa, ON - SAW Gallery *
May 15 - Quebec City, QC - L’Anti Bar & Spectacles *
May 16 - Montreal, QC - Bar Le Ritz *
* with Wendlo
BANNATYNE TRACKLIST
01 Future Present Tense
02 Surrender
03 No Way Out
04 Dead To Me
05 Empty-Handed ft. City And Colour
06 Your Ghost
07 Vagabond
08 Shed Your Skin
09 More Me With You ft. Kathleen Edwards
10 Accept That
11 Meridian
12 Bannatyne
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