Album Notes

In August 2008, Winnipeg band The Western States packed their gear into a rented van and headed south. Two days later, they arrived at Premium Recording Studios in Austin, Texas to record the follow-up to their self-titled debut album.
In an attempt to replicate the warm sounds of some of singer/songwriter Sean Buchanan’s favorite records, the band recorded the album live to two-inch tape, without the use of any digital technology or effects.
Produced by the band and engineered by Andrew Hernandez (Bill Callahan), Bye and Bye has an honesty to it that retains the rough-hewn edges of the songs and captures the excitement of a live performance.
While Buchanan’s songwriting is the centerpiece of the record, the sound of Bye and Bye is augmented by Chris Carmichael (guitars, drums, vocals), Ashley Roch (piano, organ, trumpet, vocals) Jerrod Falk (bass, vocals) and Nicole Marion (guitar, vocals). Guest musicians include local Austinites Ricky Ray Jackson (pedal steel on “Time To Lose” and “Outstanding Balance”) and Katy Rose Cox (fiddle on “I’ll Be Free”).
Six days after arriving in Austin, the band began the long drive home, the completed master tapes in hand. Fuelled by Texas BBQ, cases of Modelo, and plenty of Stones, Neil Young and Dylan records, Bye and Bye possesses a timeless
quality, yet still manages to sound new and original.