Toronto’s Yonder have one foot in the city and one out in the country. Compared to everything from grandiose indie-rockers Arcade Fire to alt-country pioneer Gram Parsons, Yonder came together in 2003 and have steadily built a rock-solid reputation for writing rootsy urban anthems alongside bona fide tear-in-your-beer ballads.
In 2005, the band took to the country to recorded their first EP in a secluded setting: a rustic cottage north of Havelock, Ontario. With producer Dean Marino (Born Ruffians, Amy Millan, Ian Blurton) at the helm of a portable studio, Yonder recorded a set of demos over a weekend, smashing out early versions of “Jesus Freaks,” “Night We Touched the Stars” and “If Only”. Playing their loud and emotionally-charged songs while looking out over the serene lake to a fortress of trees in the distance, front man Zachary Bennett knew exactly what he wanted their first LP to sound like: a contradiction of cold stone and soft grass.
In 2006, on the strength of their demos, Yonder signed with indie roots-rock label Northern Dust Records and set to work recording their debut LP in Toronto with Marino, but this time at his studio, Chemical Sound. The aptly titled Skywalk To Crescent Town—the title suggests an old country classic but is actually a reference to a bridge that connects a subway station with a set of concrete high-rises in Scarborough—was recorded and mixed over two weeks with Bennett and Marino co-producing. Armed with a string section, a horn section, pedal steel, banjo, fiddle, upright bass, harmonium and even a musical saw, Skywalk truly toes the line between city and country. Using humor and humility, Bennett’s lyrics paint a stark and sometimes frightening portrait of life, love, and loss, while blurring the line between fiction and reality.
Most recently, Yonder has been selected to play a showcase at Canadian Music Week in March of 2008. The band is also looking forward to promoting Skywalk in cities and towns across the country in 2008.
