The Crofters were a trapeze
act. Widely regarded as one of the hardest working bands in Eastern
Ontario, the group played too hard, drove too hard, lived too hard,
and ultimately fell from the heights they so quickly scaled. The latest
release “It Was Easier When We Were Kids” is a reflection
from the band’s founder and principal Ewen McIntosh on the years
spent scrambling blindly towards fame and fortune.
“It came as no surprise
to many that the Crofters have come to where they are today.”
says Ewen, “I started the band so I could play my songs live,
but it all changed. It really was easier when we were kids. It just
became too difficult to move forward, and we could all see our impending
stratification.” Currently facing a lineup re-tool and two albums’
worth of material gathering dust, the Crofters are a skeleton screw
not unlike their early days.
The idea to start the Crofters
began in 1997, when brothers Ewen and Stephen McIntosh began to explore
and push the limits of the traditional Scottish tunes passed down
to them through a long line of ancestry.
In 1998 Ewen offered his
services to well known Celtic performers ‘The Glengarry Bhoys,'
and played bass with them for three years. During that time he traveled
much of the U.S. and Canada, performed on their third release 'The
Gathering' and provided musical direction as co-producer on their
fourth record 'Exile.' His yearning to share music on his own terms
grew over time, eventually marking a part with the Bhoys to pursue
his own creative aspirations. With a basement studio, much coffee
and little sleep, Ewen self-recorded 'Unit no. 1'. This first solo
effort is a collection of original songs and a few traditional tunes;
all of the instruments on the recording were played and mixed by Ewen,
thus achieving a truly 'solo' work.
Stephen, meanwhile, had
been playing bass, mandolin, tin whistle and bagpipes with celto-ska-punkers
'The Peelers,' and had shared the stage with many Celtic acts, notably
as support for the Mahones on the Eastern leg of their Canadian tour.
Both Stephen and Ewen have played on various Peelers recordings.
After having gained much
experience both on the road and in the studio, Ewen formed the Crofters
in early 2002. He recruited obvious-foundational member Stephen to
handle the challenges of a mulit-instrumentalist role. They recruited
long-time friend (there's baby pictures to prove it) William McKiver
to play drums and Jeff Dewar for bass duties.
With this preliminary lineup,
The Crofters quickly tore up the Canadian bar scene with their reckless
renditions of traditional Celtic tunes. Shortly after their first
summer, the band added Kenton McBean to their roster to help cope
with Stephen's absence (both Ewen and Stephen bore full-time university
schedules at the time). Throughout the fall of 2002 and spring of
2003 the band's reach grew, leading to longer road trips and extended
days away from home.
Stephen’s return
from school in the spring marked Kenton’s departure and the
band began a more fervent tour schedule as well as rehearsals for
their next album. One late night in Fredricton, New Brunswick, the
band overheard some testosterone-laden bravado that became the title
of the record: Hold My Beer While I Kiss Your Girlfriend. Armed with
such a catchy (if not cheeky) title, the band’s release went
on to sell over 2000 copies worldwide. Their version of “Scotland
the Brave” is rated as one of the most popular selections on
Apples’ Itunes.
Everything seemed to be
looking up for The Crofters, but the band caught a number of snags
shortly thereafter. Ewen and Stephen lost their father, Donald, to
lymphoma on September 30th. The fall was tough; Ewen had previously
signed on to play tours with Universal Music’s “The Mahones”
on both their Canadian and European tours. After the brothers’
loss and Ewen’s grueling tours, the Crofters had trouble returning
to the party antics for which they had become known. This change also
brought to light more subversive problems plaguing the band. The Crofters
were no longer a vehicle for Ewen’s music, and the expectations
for the band became scattered.
The band soldiered on into
2004 armed with a new record, a new van and a hundred thousand kilometers
of tour dates. Their popularity grew over the spring, and by summer
of ’04, the band was playing sold-out shows at home and abroad.
While they enjoyed the benefits of their success, the blank stares
on the faces of both leader and bandmates during performances told
otherwise.
Pushed to grow their faithful
fanbase, the group toured the US in the fall of 2004. After a successful
tour, the band tried to go into the studio to complete their first
full-band recording (prior to this Ewen did most of the studio work).
After some efforts the record was mothballed. Thinking that touring
would reignite some enthusiasm, Ewen steered the band back into the
road for 2005.
The pattern of growth continued
in 2005; the boys played to thousands across the countryside and continued
to spread their name. They found themselves on Ottawa and Kingston
radio stations, as well as interest from major-label distributors.
The overt incline did not balance the inner decline, however, and
Ewen decided to end the cycle by July. Chris Benton and Willie McKiver
started the now-popular “Casting Fadora.” Ewen went into
his home studio and recorded “It Was Easier When We Were Kids”
in the fall and released the album in the dying days of 2005.
The original members- Ewen,
Stephen, Jeff and Willie- got together to play a New Years Eve show
at D’Arcy McGee’s in Ottawa. The 250-seat show was a sold
out affair. The band played a full night from 10pm ‘till 1am,
and covered their entire 80-plus song catalogue as well as selections
from the new album.
Currently Ewen is writing
new music that will build the basis for the new incarnation of The
Crofters. Jeff and Steve hang around, eat chips, and nod in approval.