As further proof that blues and classic rock are inexorably linked, may we present Canyon Lights. “Breathe Easy” is the title track from the Boston trio’s debut LP, due later this summer. Friends and bandmates since 2018, co-founders Tim Carman and Pat Faherty had already made significant waves in their former band GA-20, with three albums that found their way to number one on Billboard’s blues chart. Now, they’re tapping into their mutual love of the relentless guitar-driven boogie of Mountain, Thin Lizzy, the James Gang and other ’70s rock stalwarts. “Breathe Easy” is the first song the duo wrote for the Canyon Lights project.
“It’s a gritty mixture of Zeppelin- and Cream-based rock with guitar inspired by R.L. Burnside and Hound Dog Taylor,” says Carman.
Early last year, the two headed to Denver to record “Breathe Easy” and other tracks with Faherty doing double duty on bass and Rocky Mountain Recorders’ Dylan Brown acting as co-producer and engineer. Once the album was a done deal, they focused on finding that crucial third piece, picking up talented multi-instrumentalist Heather Gillis (Butch Trucks, Wolf Twin) in Nashville.
Carman offers more on “Breathe Easy”: “It’s an anthem for those trapped in a narcissistic relationship. ‘Lies are like a shelter, keeps me in my weary head/But they build up in layers, until the pressure leaves you dead/The walls are closing in, but everybody tells me … breathe easy.’”
We’re proud to premiere Canyon Lights’ latest single.
—Hobart Rowland
