Some artists hit the jackpot with their debut releases and struggle throughout their careers to recreate the dynamic of that first recording. Others release multiple albums before they come to the attention of a wider audience. Canadian Jerry Ledger most definitely falls into the latter category. With thirteen albums released over the past fourteen years, to describe him as a prolific songwriter is no exaggeration. That output consists of seven solo recordings, three credited to Jerry Leger and The Situation and three with his side projects, The Del Fi’s and The Bob Fi’s. It has been a long road to attain the recognition his output merits, but the tables appear to be turning for him of late.
His early albums were released on his own Golden Rocket label, without sufficient funds to adequately promote those albums. A meeting with Michael Timmins in 2013 has proved to be significant, with the Cowboy Junkies main songwriter offering to both promote Leger’s next album at that time and also record it on their Latent Recording label. EARLY RISER (2014), NONESENSE AND HEARTACHE (2018) and his most recent album TIME OUT FOR TOMORROW, have all since been released on that label, under the watchful eye of Timmins and each has found Leger’s audience growing.
‘’ Well, Golden Rocket didn’t have any kind of budget, it was just a name I put on the records. I got the name from an old Hank Snow song I love. Latent is a real label, a small label run by artists with integrity. It’s been a good home for me and what I’ve been doing for the last while. It’s helped get the music out to more people and helped finally to get me overseas to tour and start building something there.’’ explains Leger. ‘‘ I certainly feel that TIME OUT FOR TOMORROW is my most concise musically. I met Mike (Timmins) through a mutual friend Josh Finlayson from Skydiggers, which is a great band here in Canada, also currently on the Junkies label. I was making an album with Josh and another buddy producing, Tim Bovaconti. Josh thought Mike might dig what I was up to and how I was doing it. The title comes from an old dime store sci-fi anthology a buddy gave me. The title just kept sticking in my head. I can’t explain exactly why but I felt it fit perfectly.’’
Leger references the album’s direction being influenced by Lou Reed’s CONEY ISLAND BABY and Nick Lowe’s THE IMPOSSIBLE BIRD. ‘’ Those albums inspired the general feel of TIME OUT FOR TOMORROW. That Nick Lowe record is like a giant hug to me. I get the same feeling from certain Everly Brothers records, Sam & Dave, etc.. and I wanted to make a record like that. That particular Lou record, well, I love it and it just has this real nice coasting feel. Sounds very relaxed while still making a point.’’
At least one album release per year over the past decade is a pretty impressive output by anyone’s standards. ‘’Yeah, I’m continually writing. I don’t want things to rust out.’’
Apart from the solo work and albums recorded with his band The Situation, Leger has two on going side projects to keep his machine well oiled. These ventures include both The Del Fi’s and The Bob Fi’s. They collectively give him the platform to put on record his extensive songbook, the former in a more traditional format than the latter. ‘’The Del Fi’s is a really fun band. I think it lifted me out of the drag that can be the music industry. I hate the amount of pressure that can be around. You know, put a record out then you have to sell it, hopefully get radio play, hopefully get some decent press, hopefully this, that and the other. I wanted to have a band and make music without any expectations and leave the business completely out of it. I wanted it to be a crazy beautiful mess. Some of the songs were written specifically for The Del Fi’s and some were songs I’d have laying around that didn’t fit in with what I usually do. Aaron Comeau, bless his heart, did a great job capturing these albums in his studio. The first album was really casual with musicians coming and going through a revolving door. It was a magical day in the studio, one of the best days I’ve ever had.’’
The Bob Fi’s is a more empirical project, giving Leger a platform to perform his spoken word, while engaging more experimental players. ‘’I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and I always write a lot of words, most of which just stays in the notebooks. I was listening to those Jack Kerouac albums where he would recite poetry to a musical backdrop and also Ken Nordine. I have friends, including Dan Mock and Kyle Sullivan in The Situation that have jazz chops, could write and play it. It was fun and a really good experience for me. I loved hearing the music they all came up with. I just gave a little direction on the kind of vibe I wanted and certain jazz records/artists that I love. I tried to be a conductor using the dynamics in the words and my voice.’’
The core musicians Leger is most comfortable with are his band The Situation, namely James McKie, Dan Mock and Kyle Sullivan. ‘When you find players that really click with what you’re creating and the direction you want to go in then there’s nothing better. Also, they’re really great friends and champions of my songs and the way I want our music and career to go. There’s a mutual respect and that’s also helped us keep going together all these years.’’
With this in mind what difference is there between a Jerry Leger album and a Jerry Leger and The Situation album? His explanation is both practical and understandable.
‘’ TIME OUT FOR TOMORROW could have easily been under “Jerry Leger and The Situation” but I stopped doing that a few records ago. The reason why is that more often than not I’m touring solo, duo, trio or just a different configuration of musicians. The last album where I had “and The Situation” in the title, we did one tour together and then I toured it without the band for the rest of the time. I felt like it was kinda lying to the public. I just decided to go a Springsteen route. Everyone knows E-Street band and they know when they’re present, they don’t need the confirmation on the cover of the album. Also, in the credits it always says “The Situation are:…” or something like that. Some of the albums have definitely had less of the band, like some of the early ones TRAVELING GREY and YOU, ME & THE HORSE. It keeps it simple to have just my name for catalogue reasons too.’’
Given the traction that the recent albums have gained, Leger also recorded a compilation album earlier this year. Titled TOO BROKE TO DIE, it was principally aimed at the European market where his popularity has been steadily growing. It makes perfect sense to trawl through that extensive war chest and offer it to the new audience rather than leave it gathering dust of a shelf.
‘’It was fun putting it together. I went through all the albums and it was a trip ‘cause after I make an album, I don’t sit around listening to it. It was like going in a time machine. “Is that me? I know it’s me, I remember recording that so I guess it’s me.” I’ve never gotten used to hearing myself, especially at different ages it’s pretty strange. The compilation was put together specifically for the European market because we had a big 2-month tour happening there and since the previous album had gotten a lot of attention, I wanted to reintroduce my previous work. Thought that would be a cool way of doing it. We put a couple of unreleased tunes on it for the folks that already had the complete discography.’’
Canada has been producing an endless stream of talented artists and bands over the past decade and appears to be a country that is hugely supportive of the arts in general. It is possible for an artist to survive within the confines of their home country. However, the allure has always been a calling to tour outside Canada for more than financial reasons. ‘’It's a necessity for me in a lot of ways. I don’t want to become lazy and stay in the comfort of my own home. It’s important for me to keep getting the music elsewhere. ‘’
With a reputation as a passionate collector of vinyl both new and vintage and with the current album drawing on the work of others, has he captured any particular gems recently that might spur the direction of the next album? ‘’It’s hard to say, for instance I’ve owned CONEY ISLAND BABY since I was a kid and it just caught me again in a certain moment. I recently picked up Irma Thomas’ WISH SOMEONE WOULD CARE. I really love the sound of that record. Been digging the Skeeter Davis/NRBQ album SHE SINGS, THEY PLAY. Also, a CD by a songwriter from Newfoundland, Ron Hynes. Great writer, sadly passed away a few years back. I really don’t know the direction of the next album; we’ll see when we get there. Some days I want to just walk into a room with a guitar and hit record and then the next day I hear a big orchestra in my head for a song I’ve just written. ‘’
With an uncanny interest and curiosity in ghosts, the latest album includes a track written about a ghost town named Burchell Lake. With a number of ghostly venues available in Ireland, a visit to our shores would be most welcomed. ‘’I grew up in a haunted house! I’m hoping to do a solo or duo tour of Ireland perhaps in the summer and yes, I’d love to do a little ghost research beforehand.’’
Interview by Declan Culliton