Earlier this month, we announced the details for Sentimental Gentleman, the latest album from Montreal songsmith Mike Feuerstack's long-running Snailhouse project. The album is due on May 24 via Forward Music/White Whale. Now, Feuerstack has shared some insights about what we can expect from his latest, as well as provided a rundown on some North American tour dates and a song from the album.
Unlike other recent Snailhouse albums, Sentimental Gentleman was recorded live off the floor with Feuerstack and his three bandmates. "I thought it would be fun to try and make the record in a pretty classic format, just to go all in in one room and just record," Feuerstack tells Exclaim! "Obviously there were things added, we did some overdubs and had some friends contribute but mostly it's live in a room and it has that vibe, so it's very consistent from beginning to end in terms of one mood."
Despite the new recordings having more of a band feel, Feuerstack is quick to explain that Snailhouse is very much his vision. "I sort of define it as a body of work that is mine," he says. "I'm sort of the creative director and there are lots of collaborators that come and go... Once we've done the initial push for this record, I'll be playing some solo shows here and there and the next record might just be me and a hand pipe. It's kind of hard to predict what's going to happen next. It's just a matter of shear feasibility."
Though Sentimental Gentleman is not due until May, Feuerstack explains that the album has actually been complete for close to a year. "I'd say we wrapped it up last spring or so," he says. "It took a while to find a home and make plans to put it out and stuff. It happens to me every time I put out a record. I think part of it is I'm not really good at multitasking so I don't think about the business end of things or how to actually put it out to the world. I don't want to be thinking about that while I'm making music. I want to put that out of mind, and then all of a sudden I have a new set of problems to start solving."
Feuerstack's insistence to focus on the music side instead of business has perhaps led to less of an audience than he deserves after 15 years of hard work. But does he feel like he hasn't been fairly recognized? "I think if you throw that question to any artist, no matter what level they're at, it's always possible to feel that," he explains. "If you're selling out 200-seat rooms you wonder why you're not selling out 500-seat rooms and so on... I just try not to think about it in those terms. I just try to focus on keeping my head down, making good work and feeling good about what I'm offering the world. But I think it would be foolish to say I don't wish for a bigger audience. That wouldn't be really true."
Surrounding the album's release, Snailhouse will embark on a world tour that includes Europe, the United States and Canada. All dates are available below, while album's title track can be downloaded here.
Sentimental Gentleman is available for pre-order now on CD or vinyl here. The vinyl LPs are available in limited-edition dark red clear vinyl and will ship as soon as they are in stock.
Tour dates:
4/24 Gent, BE - Cafe Video
4/25 Paris, FR - l'International
5/1 Guastalla, IT - Handmade Festival
5/2 Czech Budweis, CZ - Velbloud Club
5/3 Vienna, AT - Arena
5/5 Offenbach, DE - Hafen 2
5/6 Magdeburg, DE - Cafe Central
5/7 Erfurt, DE - Franz Mehlhose
5/8 Berlin, DE - NBI
5/10 Hamburg, DE - AstraStube
5/26 Toronto, ON - The Dakota
5/27 Ottawa, ON - Maverick's
5/29 Montreal, QC - Sala Rosa
6/2 St.Andrews, NB - Sunbury Shores
6/3 Parkindale, NB - Parkindale Hall
6/4 Hampton, NB - VIntage Bistro
Unlike other recent Snailhouse albums, Sentimental Gentleman was recorded live off the floor with Feuerstack and his three bandmates. "I thought it would be fun to try and make the record in a pretty classic format, just to go all in in one room and just record," Feuerstack tells Exclaim! "Obviously there were things added, we did some overdubs and had some friends contribute but mostly it's live in a room and it has that vibe, so it's very consistent from beginning to end in terms of one mood."
Despite the new recordings having more of a band feel, Feuerstack is quick to explain that Snailhouse is very much his vision. "I sort of define it as a body of work that is mine," he says. "I'm sort of the creative director and there are lots of collaborators that come and go... Once we've done the initial push for this record, I'll be playing some solo shows here and there and the next record might just be me and a hand pipe. It's kind of hard to predict what's going to happen next. It's just a matter of shear feasibility."
Though Sentimental Gentleman is not due until May, Feuerstack explains that the album has actually been complete for close to a year. "I'd say we wrapped it up last spring or so," he says. "It took a while to find a home and make plans to put it out and stuff. It happens to me every time I put out a record. I think part of it is I'm not really good at multitasking so I don't think about the business end of things or how to actually put it out to the world. I don't want to be thinking about that while I'm making music. I want to put that out of mind, and then all of a sudden I have a new set of problems to start solving."
Feuerstack's insistence to focus on the music side instead of business has perhaps led to less of an audience than he deserves after 15 years of hard work. But does he feel like he hasn't been fairly recognized? "I think if you throw that question to any artist, no matter what level they're at, it's always possible to feel that," he explains. "If you're selling out 200-seat rooms you wonder why you're not selling out 500-seat rooms and so on... I just try not to think about it in those terms. I just try to focus on keeping my head down, making good work and feeling good about what I'm offering the world. But I think it would be foolish to say I don't wish for a bigger audience. That wouldn't be really true."
Surrounding the album's release, Snailhouse will embark on a world tour that includes Europe, the United States and Canada. All dates are available below, while album's title track can be downloaded here.
Sentimental Gentleman is available for pre-order now on CD or vinyl here. The vinyl LPs are available in limited-edition dark red clear vinyl and will ship as soon as they are in stock.
Tour dates:
4/24 Gent, BE - Cafe Video
4/25 Paris, FR - l'International
5/1 Guastalla, IT - Handmade Festival
5/2 Czech Budweis, CZ - Velbloud Club
5/3 Vienna, AT - Arena
5/5 Offenbach, DE - Hafen 2
5/6 Magdeburg, DE - Cafe Central
5/7 Erfurt, DE - Franz Mehlhose
5/8 Berlin, DE - NBI
5/10 Hamburg, DE - AstraStube
5/26 Toronto, ON - The Dakota
5/27 Ottawa, ON - Maverick's
5/29 Montreal, QC - Sala Rosa
6/2 St.Andrews, NB - Sunbury Shores
6/3 Parkindale, NB - Parkindale Hall
6/4 Hampton, NB - VIntage Bistro
