An album 20 years in the making for a Brantford musician is aptly named Finally Crafted.
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KC Armstrong first had to renovate his home after moving here from Lakefield, near Peterborough, 18 years ago in order to create a studio in his basement. He then had to learn how to use Pro Tools music software to record and mix 30 songs he had written.
His music has been labeled as Americana, which he says is a relatively new term in recent years.
“Americana generally means somewhere between country, blues, rockabilly, rock ‘n roll, and southern rock all meshed together,” he explained. “The genres are getting so intermingled and crossed.”
Armstrong has been a musician since his teenage years and was on the road with bands by the age of 19.
He plays bass primarily, but is adept at acoustic guitar, keyboards, percussion and harmonica.
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As a long-time country artist, Armstrong’s band Cadillac Ranch backed up Ronnie Hawkins at one point in his career. That came about through a friendship with Robin Hawkins, son of the American music icon who spent much time in Canada.
“One day he had me up to Ronnie’s manor where we were recording a demo to be used as a theme song for a NASCAR driver,” he shared. “We were in the middle of that, and Ronnie came busting in, visibly excited because he had just received a call from a member of Parliament who was putting together the big SARS concert (at Toronto’s Downsview Park) with the Rolling Stones, AC/ D.C., Rush. He’d been asked to do it.
“He comes right up to me and says guess what boys? We’re going to be opening for the Rolling Stones and I’m going to get Cadillac Ranch to be my band.”
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A month of rehearsals ensued, including a warm-up gig at Casino Rama. But Hawkins’ health diminished and resulted in their performance at the SARS show being canceled.
The new single I Don’t Care from the nine-song Finally Crafted album has been getting widespread air play on online country music stations around the world, Armstrong noted.
“I hear blues in the song that I released and yet the country stations are all over it.”
Music publicist Eric Alper describes the single as an Americana-laced barroom keeper that proves the artist cares about offering finely crafted music.
“I Don’t Care is a beer-raising, brassy and bouncy slice of Americana… (with) a gritty but groovy vibe from start to finish,” Alper noted.
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Armstrong cites the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, and Rush as his early influences and draws inspiration for songwriting through personal experiences and observing people around him.
The core of his band includes Sean O’Connor on saxophone, Steve O’Connor on keyboards, guitarists Scott Utting and Barry Haggarty, drummer Jake Adams, and backup vocalist MaryEllen Allen.
Finally Crafted is the first installation of a trilogy, with the second album’s release slated for next year.
“We’re planning a tour for the summer of 2025 with the release of the second album, hopefully at festivals,” he said. “The heyday for bars was the 90s and there’s nothing going on anymore that I’m aware of.”
Finally Crafted is available on CD through Apple Music, Amazon, and through the artist’s website at kcarmstrong444.com. Limited copies are also available at The Beat Goes On music store on King George Road in Brantford.
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