How Welland musician found inspiration in his own backyard
Spencer Burton’s run-in with coyote sparked idea for name of new album
Inspiration can sometimes come from the strangest of places.
And when Spencer Burton was looking for a title of his latest album, he thought about a coyote that has been, in his words, “messing with” his chickens on his family’s hobby farm in rural Pelham.
“He was a beautiful animal,” Burton said. “I set up cameras to find out its patterns. I purchased animal-proof cages. He could wreak havoc on the farm.”
He began to change his mind when he reviewed the footage and saw the white coyote with a “big old rat” in his mouth. “They can bring in disease,” Burton said of rats. “I began to think of how he was benefiting me.”
Coyote. That’s what he’d call the album.
“The album has songs about fear, about hate and about love. All of that could be applied to how I felt about the coyote.”
The album, recorded in Nashville in late 2019 under the guidance of producer Andrija Tokic, has actually been ready to go since March of last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused its release to be delayed until this year. “Coyote” was released Feb. 19, but songs from the album were released in dribs and drabs over the past few months.
“The record company (Still Records) wanted to try something different,” Burton said. “We released it song by song over the past five months. It was a learning process for me. It was scary.”
Working with Tokic was a great experience, Burton said.
“He brought in such an awesome crew of people to play on the record,” Burton said. That list included legendary lap steel player Lloyd Green, who has played with the likes of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Paul Mccartney. The album is a continuation of Burton’s move away from his punk rock roots of his days with Attack in Black to a more country-folk direction. Burton, for one, doesn’t see the change as a big deal.
“I just got kind of tired and wanted to get into something new,” he said. “Music is just music. I’ve kept the anger. I’ve kept the fire.”
The big difference, he said, is age. “When you get older, you can’t strum a guitar as fast,” he said with a laugh.
Besides causing the album’s release to be delayed, the pandemic has also meant no live gigs for Burton. It’s something he finds frustrating.
“I’m just managing, just like everybody else,” he said.
On the upside, the shutdown has meant he has been able to spend more time with family.
“You get to know them more,” he said.