“ And within two weeks , I was just miserable ,” he says with a chuckle . “ I was so grumpy and no fun to be around ; it made me realize that I like working , I like being busy , I like having things to do .”
So instead of basking in domestic bliss , he booked some studio time in Toronto for December , called his usual supporting cast of musicians to block off the dates , and got to work . Over the span of about three months , he penned and then whittled down a pool of songs to a solid dozen , then flew back to his longtime home base for a week in the studio with go-to producer / engineer ( and manager ) Robbie Lackritz .
Joining in the sessions were frequent collaborators Christine Bougie on guitar , Don Kerr on drums , Mike O ’ Brien on bass , and Felicity Williams handling the backing vocals . New to the fold this time was guitarist Sam Weber , who Jurvanen first came across on YouTube and had invited to open some Bahamas shows .
“ He just fit in right away . I ’ d show them something , then put the guitar down and see what he and Christine came up with ,” Jurvanen enthuses . “ That ’ s how I like to work in the studio ; I like being in charge , but not in control . It ’ s exciting not knowing exactly what ’ s going to happen or how something might come out .”
The fruits of their labour are lovely indeed , from the soulful single “ Trick to Happy ,” propelled by those familiar palm-muted melodies and Jurvanen ’ s silky vocals and cleverly wry lyricism , to more upbeat offerings like “ Own Alone ” and “ Done Did Me No Good ” to the stripped-back , sweet , and sincere “ Half Your Love .”
That last one is actually the first “ sort of co-write ” to appear on a Bahamas record – the product of some Nashville writing sessions with Pat McLaughlin . “ I think it might be one of my favourite songs I ’ ve ever written ,” the artist says candidly . “ It ’ s just simple and to-the-point ,” which of course is a key component of a truly great love song .
Of the many facets of his artistry , Jurvanen asserts that it ’ s his songwriting that means the most . “ If I had to analyze myself from the outside , I would hope that ’ s what people are connecting with and what they ’ re recognizing as my voice . I never thought my voice had that ‘ special quality ’ that ’ s immediately recognizable , like a Willie Nelson or Feist , so I hope to develop that as a writer ,” he shares . “ Over 10 years and five albums in , I think that ’ s starting to happen – where they might know it ’ s me .”
I think it is , too , though disagree that he lacks an instantly-recognizable voice ; actually , what ’ s especially unique and alluring about Bahamas is that recognition can just as easily be attributed to his singing , his guitar playing – with its tasty dynamics and small bit of slap and bite – and yes , by the sheer musicality and intangible magic of his songs .
Since the majority of his work surrounding Sad Hunk predated the pandemic , I ask Jurvanen how he ’ s been keeping through quarantine and beyond .
“ You know , it ’ s actually been great ,” he laughs . “ I don ’ t mean to make light of anyone else ’ s hardships , but if I have a problem , I usually think I can just work harder to solve it . It never would ’ ve dawned on me in a million years to just do less , so it ’ s actually nice to be forced to do that and reckon with that , and it ’ s an opportunity to develop new skills .
“ Like , I miss my band , I miss performing and touring , but at the same time , I ’ m not bored ; I ’ m working on music and working on videos … I guess I ’ m a glass-half-full kind of guy . Like , of course I want to play ; everybody wants to play and have it go back to how it was , but it ’ s not , so accept that and do something else that ’ s worthy of your time and effort .”
With a brand-new album to share and promote , he ’ s been focused on ways to connect with fans and generate some excitement despite not being able to tour .
“ Most people would agree – there ’ s something about a live show as a performer and audience member ; it ’ s a connection that ’ s just missing in the virtual world , and figuring out a way to translate music over a video chat or whatever is really challenging ,” he says .
One that he ’ s running with is connecting with different musicians from around the world to record special in-studio performances of Bahamas songs new and old along with some other surprises , and Jurvanen mentions folk-rockers Dawes and Jason Isbell ’ s backing band The 400 Unit as participants thus far . Obviously , they ’ re fans themselves .
“ There are just so many incredible players out there that inspire me , so it ’ s been fun to give them my songs and see what they can do ,” he says – again , in charge but not in control .
As we were explicitly told in 2014 , Bahamas Is Afie – and the artist seemingly takes great pride in being the same person at home with his family and friends as he is on stage or on social media ; however , hearing him jokingly lament being “ Not Cool Anymore ” on Sad Hunk ’ s seventh song , there ’ s at least one way Jurvanen and his creative outlet differ . To eager listeners around the world , including some pretty high-profile peers , Bahamas is indeed pretty damn cool .
Andrew King is the former Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Musician .
PHOTO : NAOMI YASUI
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Fender American Stratocaster (“ Pink Strat ”) Guild M75 Aristocrat with Bigsby Guild M75 Aristocrat Gold Harmony H44 Stratotone Gibson 1948 J-45 Acoustic Gibson 1951 J-50 Acoustic Martin . 1947 D-28 Acousticð Martin ð1950 5-18 Acoustic Tex Amps Texosound Custsom 18-Watt Amplifier ( w / Afie Jurvanen nameplate )
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