Danceland Credit: Kateryna Topol
Danceland were originally conceived as the Cherry Garcia Band, performing imaginative versions of Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band tunes. Now reimagined as Danceland, their original material continues their psychedelic Americana. Founding guitarist and singer-songwriter, Joe Ferland, answers five questions for the Strange Brew as they release their new album, ‘Pink Lem’.
1) Are there any particular themes that thread through the lyrics of ‘Pink Lem’?
There are a few themes we explored on the album. Two of the songs are based on the story of my mother’s first marriage. She left her husband when my sister and brother were 3 years and 3 weeks old. I had heard bits and pieces about her first husband and some of the scenarios surrounding the breakup. I was never able to figure out what the tipping point was that lead to the split but had some idea that mental health played a role.
A couple of the tunes reflect the area of Ontario we were living in during the formation of the songs. Bluewater Sky is our ode to Lake Huron and 4:20 reflects on a trip we took to see close friends during the pandemic. We also have a song in support of BLM, abused women, homeless children, indigenous people and 2SLGBTQ+.
2) What was the writing and recording process for it?
I started writing the songs about a month after the pandemic hit in 2020. I was laying in bed at night and coming up with melodies, some lyrics and ideas for structure. Then I transfered those ideas to the guitar. In late spring we moved ourselves to Lake Huron and the songs started flowing. Our friend across the street from us had recently finished building a recording studio and invited us to be the first project. We tracked 7 tunes in the fall, and we basically had unlimited time to do overdubs. We took our time and made sure the sounds, instrumentation and lyrics were the best they could be. I contacted an old friend, Gregg Rubin to see if he would mix the tunes and he was up for it.
3) Can you outline your background in music and what you have done previously?
Jale (my wife and co-songwriter, co-singer) and I came up in the NYC rock scene in the 90’s. There were punk, punk pop, power trash and rock incarnations for both of us. A few record deals along the way, some indie releases. In late 2001 we moved to Windsor Ontario and formed a band with some local musicians, did several tours in Northeast US and Ontario Canada. We also played a couple bigger festivals in the Windsor area before moving to Toronto.
4) What artists do you admire and why?
Big fans of the Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa, both musically and aesthetically. both artists did exactly whatever they wanted to do in the face of an industry that generally likes to control artists.
5) What are your future plans?
We play a great venue, Bracebridge Hall about an hour and a half north of Toronto, Saturday September 24. We visit NYC for the first time (in a long time), Thursday October 6 at the Parkside Lounge. We have a handful of shows coming in the fall here in Ontario. Plus we have a bunch of tunes to start working out and will hopefully be back in the studio in the winter to do some recording.
