Leeroy Stagger’s “secret album” and near sold out tour

Written over the span of just 3 weeks while at a songwriting residency in Banff Alberta, Leeroy Stagger’s latest album, Me and the Mountain was dropped with no fan fare or build up of any kind … the accompanying tour about the same, yet thanks to two decades of building up a fanbase, word quietly spread and the smaller acoustical sets started selling out, regardless of how out of the way and obscure the venue.

Thirteen shows in thirteen straight days across Washington Stage and Western Canada before landing back in his adopted home town of Lethbridge Alberta.  All of 2 days off before packing up and heading out again into Saskatchewan to wrap up this tour in Edmonton at the Highlandia Music Festival with an unexpected round of fireworks courtesy some of the residents in the Highlandia neighbourhood.

 

Most of the shows have been sold out or within a handful of tickets of being sold out with a surprising age range in the audience … from pre teens and millennials to seniors … all fully engaged and very politely attempting to video songs and take photos with their phones without impacting the experience of those around them … and a few finding the odd open space to start dancing along.

 

As fans, we often are only able to base the show on the one performance in our hometown.  I’ve had the fortunate timing with my other assignments to find myself able to attend 3 of Leeroy’s shows and while the music is for the most part the same – a show’s length may vary and therefore the set list is tweaked accordingly – but the venues and experiences in just what I have seen have been so different … from having to cram into a bit of a literal corner indoors at the last minute courtesy a rainstorm that would have required a cancellation of the show if not for having a “Plan B” … to playing in a venue on one of the hottest days of the year to a sold out crowd with no air conditioning … to an outdoor festival that was a mosquito version of The Birds prompting the band to break to spray themselves down thanks to a fan offering up some much appreciated repellent.

 

In between the songs, Stagger played to his storyteller strengths and shared the stories of inspiration and often comical yet inspirational experiences in writing the songs … from the first time he met The Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie to his reaction to hearing of Leonard Cohen’s passing and the resulting song that “just fell out in about 5 minutes” the next day.

 

 

The level of attention and engagement from the audience was evident in Vancouver with the eruption of laughter from the audience in hearing the lyrics to Fire and Fury (formerly titled Buchanan Street) following Leeroy’s comical story of what prompted him to change the name after performing it front of a sold out crowd at Glasgow’s King Theatre as part of the Celtic Connection.

 

 

There will be another album, Strange Path, released in the fall.   That one, Stagger says, will get “the push” and a more traditional tour playing to larger venues, but for now, the band has enjoyed the intimacy of the smaller crowds, being able to unplug from the amplifiers and head out into the crowd to hang out and play … and of course the ability to just hang out and chat with everyone afterwards.

 

 

Me and the Mountain is available now on all streaming platforms … Strange Path is set to be released in September, but an unexpected early release (even to Leeroy!) of a single from the upcoming album is out now as well.

 

If you want to stay in touch with Leeroy for a chance to get the inside scoop on any other secret albums and surprise tours … or find out about his other projects, head to his website www.LeeroyStagger.com and be sure to check out his Spotify account for all the latest, and sometimes unexpected releases!