Roots rock outfit Northumberland releasing self-titled album June 2
Release party at Belly Up Bar and Grill June 3
TRURO - You would be hardpressed to find a local band with as much collective experience as Truro's own Northumberland.
And with that experience comes not only skill and humility but also a unique perspective on their own music.
Comprised of Corey Matheson (guitar, vocals), David Dean (guitar, vocals), Bruce White (bass, vocals), and Jim Fulmore (drums), many of the members came from a Tom Petty cover band that came about in 2017 after the musician's passing.
It was during the pandemic that Northumberland came into being, with Matheson as the primary songwriter, though their time together spans decades.
"If you want the real history of the band, it started back in the mid-1980s," said Matheson. "David and I went to junior high together, and we had a band back then. A lot of Poison tunes, The Call stuff.
"At the same time, Bruce was our music teacher. Fast forward many years, we've all played in bands, and I moved back to Nova Scotia from Ontario in 2012. Through a mutual friend that Bruce plays with, he came back into my life around that time.
"When he first walked through the back door that night, I said, 'Hey, Mr. White,'" said Matheson. "It took me a while to not call him Mr. White anymore."
White, when asked about joining his former student's band, explained his criteria honestly.
"It was a pretty natural fit," said White. "The thing that we all look for today is, am I comfortable and do I like the people I'm with?"
For White, that answer seemed to be a resounding yes.
"We like each other, we like playing with each other. It works that way."
THE ALBUM
The band's philosophy is perfectly captured in the title track of their upcoming debut album (dropping June 2) titled "Never Too Old."
"We're not as young as we used to be, but we don't really care at this point in the game," said Matheson. "To us, it's not about making it - we just love playing music, and we don't care what happens. We hope people like us, but it's not a deal breaker."
With their collective expertise playing in several bands over the last few decades, they explained they've found a creative harmony in crafting each and every track.
"Corey is the songwriter, but we all add our little things in, too," said Dean. "He'll bring the bare bones of the song, and we'll jam, and after a couple of times through, we basically have the song.
"After all this time, it makes me feel young again, that's for sure."
"The funny thing about it, too, is that when Corey brings a song to us, half an hour later, it sometimes doesn't resemble that anymore," explained White.
"It goes from an acoustic demo to parts with energy," added Matheson.
When asked about their influences, Tom Petty was among them, as were singersongwriters Jason Isbell (as well as his band, Drive-by Truckers) and Chris Stapleton, though they are also inspired by southern rock and blues, soul, and even Van Halen.
One thing that Northumberland isn't is by the books - their debut will see the band taking listeners through a number of different stylings, from root rock jams such as the aforementioned "Never Too Old," to slower, synth-fueled melodies like on the track, "Lone Drifter."
"Some people would try to pigeon hold us into a country rock kind of thing, but it's not," said White. "That comes with too much of a preconceived style about it, and that's not really it, though there are elements of it."
What is consistent between the album's tracklist is a sense of humanity - each song, no matter the genre or tone, is, essentially, about people. Matheson confirms this as the philosophy behind his songwriting, which he said was a result of being brought up on old country music.
"I try to write about real people, real stories, just from my own observations. I like a good story song, so when I write a song, I try to have some kind of story in there."
And while the band is on the cusp of releasing their debut, they already have more than enough songs written for another genre-bending album, which they plan to record in Matheson's home studio.
"We have a whole album's worth of stuff written right now that hasn't been recorded, which is crazy," said Matheson. "We're putting this one out next week, and the next one's ready to go."
"We're just going to keep on playing, keep putting stuff out, and if someone wants to listen, that's great, but we're still going to do it," said Matheson. "It's something we all love."
Northumberland can be found on most music streaming services (Youtube Music, Apple Music, Spotify). To learn more about them, visit their website at northumberlandband.com. The band will be performing at Belly Up Bar and Grill on June 3.