Working on a record through the pandemic has been a challenge. As we were getting ready to begin recording our fourth studio album the world was becoming aware of a new term, COVID-19. We were not aware that this would soon take over our lives and lock us all down. As this reality set in our original bassist Scott Hreha made the decision to leave the band. The remaining members, with the sad reality that we wouldn't be playing any shows for who knows how long, decided to forge ahead with making a new record. The plan was to bring in a variety of bassists that we knew and loved so we could hear their interpretation of these new songs we'd been working on up to that point. As we recorded with great caution, often one band member alone with audio engineer Mike Owens, we realized this was going to be a slow process. Trying to get used to the new idea of wearing a mask at all times, we chipped away at the foundation. Brad reached out to his friends in the Old 97s and brought bassist Murry Hammond on board for a remote session to add his distinct style to the song "Lose Your Mind". We also brought in bassists Paul McFarland (Lolo's Ghost) and Nick Salisbury (Ryan Bingham, Brian Fallon, and many Twin Cities bands) to add their unique styles to the songs. With touring all but shut down The April Fools invited Salisbury to come on board as a full time member. He proceeded to finish out the remaining bass parts on the record with some stellar playing. Many months later, and many small recording sessions later we are excited to release this album into the new world. Some songs we've never played together live as a group and some that were written pre-pandemic that have taken on an entirely new meaning.
More details coming soon as we finish up, but we are super exited to share this music with everyone and get back to playing live music!
Stay tuned!
The April Fools