For music diehards, there’s nothing quite like seeing a band in its natural environment.
Namely, the stage.
Bringing that vibe to an album is “easier said than done”, says Gavin McLeod. Nevertheless, it’s a goal that was firmly embraced throughout the making of Constant Astonishment – a long-time-coming offering set for a Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) release.
“We made it a conscious effort to do the whole thing very live, off the floor sort of thing, so it felt how we do live,” said the 25-year-old Miltonian – who’s been performing regularly for well over a decade. “So much has to go right to be able to pull that off, but it’s something we went in wanting to do.”
Available on all the usual channels – Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc. – the nine-song album was recorded two years ago but is only now being introduced via Dine Alone Records.
McLeod says that as with many debut albums, Constant Astonishment features a notably stylistic difference between its songs – one of which will already be quite familiar with fans.
“That’s the one I feel I was creatively going for,” said the local musician, of first single Things We Used to Do – released last spring. “At its core it’s kind of a Neil Young-y, folk acoustic song. I love that old stuff, 70s folk rock like Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and a lot of rock coming out of the UK right now. We tried to blend those two things.
“It’s (album) been sitting around in one form or another for a long time. The memories of making that and getting to do that with your friends is unmatched.”
The upcoming release follows what McLeod simply describes as a challenging year behind the scenes.
Now in a better place professionally, he looks at those recent struggles with big-picture perspective.
“I learned some tough lessons. It makes you stronger and it bonds you with people you’re close to. So it’s ultimately a good thing.”
His 2024 whirlwind included a never-aired performance on America’s Got Talent, which may have upset local fans more than McLeod himself.
“Deep down it wasn’t the right thing for me to be doing. It didn’t fit the type of music I want to make,” he recalled, noting that he was made to do a cover song he wasn’t exactly thrilled about. “On the surface it seems like it was going to work, and I guess it (airing) would have helped with streaming numbers or something.
“But when you get there and there’s people juggling fire and stuff and you’re sitting there with a guitar, it’s like ‘OK, this isn’t really for me’.”
Taking to the local stage as a preteen with various shows – including his annual Jammin’ for Joy charity concert – McLeod honed his skills through Milton’s House of Chords, where he now serves as mentor with the youth band program.
Among his proteges – so to speak – are White Rabbit, who are starting to carve out their own notoriety.
“To see them come up and play shows and put a record out is really cool,” said McLeod, who played a number of festivals last year – including headlining Downtown Milton SummerFest. “It’s fun to mentor a young kid who knows they want to do this. To give them a little guidance, it’s really nice.”
McLeod has had plenty of that support himself over the years, continuing to enjoy it among fellow musicians and fans – in particular at Toronto’s Rivoli.
“There’s really good people there, and they really care about fostering young bands and talent. They’ve helped us out a lot. Brendan at the Rivoli, he’s a wicked dude.”
Speaking to his evolution as a musician, McLeod feels there’s more focus now on trying “to say a little bit more in the lyrics” – a desire partially influenced by today’s British rockers like Sam Fender as much as the 70s folk poets such as Young and Dylan.
“I try to sit down and write something that means something to me lyrically before I even touch the music. I think music kind of ebbs and flows, but I think it kind of lacks that, or it’s lacked that for the last little bit, of people being really direct with what they want to say.”
Follow the local musician here.