By Will McGuirk

It will be forever my fave album, the ‘Less Art, More Pop’ from Alberta’s Jr. Gone Wild. Among the first albums I bought after arriving in Oshawa from Dublin in 1984. It was an introduction to a style known then as Cow-Punk now as Alt-country, or even Americana. Such a great record, go listen now, it still stands up. There were more albums over a decade or so and then break-up and then a reunion in 2013 where I saw them at the Red Dog in the Peterpatch.

And now there’s another album, after 25 years, original members Mike McDonald (guitars/vocals), Steve Loree (lead guitar) and Dave “Dove” Brown (bass) have reunited with McDonald’s nephew Quinton Herbert on drums for ‘Still Have the Jacket’ a title which speaks to that attachment we have to fave physical objects, t-shirts, jackets, records - its a source of pride, yip still have it, sentiment as a currency. Anyway on to the new album, the band have released a couple of tracks, “Girl in the Crowd’ and they cover Chilliwack, and they cover “Fly At Night”, which is a fave song of mine, so thats weird, but thats music, but only now do I know Bill Hendersen of Chilliwack produced the ‘Less Art, More Pop’ so it all wraps around itself like that fave jacket you still have.

Its out on Nov 12 2021 on weewerk/Stony Plain. I’m getting it, and hopefully I will be selling it at a record store four doors down from the record store where I bought Jr. Gone Wild back when I would wear that jacket.

Gigs: Jr Gone Wild, Ron Hawkins and the Do Good Assassins at the Dakota Tavern

Jr. Gone Wild have still got it. New album out Nov 12 2021