Sandy Hook-based songwriter and musician James Brose released a new CD that includes a nod to the Gimli Glider after working on the project for a few years while teaching local students.
Brose, who’s originally from Kenora and who has won and been nominated for a number of awards through a U.K. international songwriting contest, said he’s ecstatic about the release of his CD titled And Friends.
The CD features 11 tracks of rock, light rock and adult contemporary songs. It includes the song Fly Me Away, which was written in part for the 40th anniversary of the Gimli Glider, whose story rivetted the airline industry and caught Brose’s attention at the time of the miraculous landing in 1983, and the pop rock track Let Me In that he co-wrote with George Belanger (lead singer of 1970s and 1980s Winnipeg band Harlequin) when they formed Harlequin II.
“It’s taken quite a few years to put the entire package together and, during this time, have gone through many personal changes, which of course has a tendency to appear one way or another in some aspects of my writing. COVID certainly impacted my state of mind as with many others. It also impacted the lives of many people I personally knew, so accordingly one tune on the CD is dedicated to the transitions some of us had to endure,” said Brose, who plays guitar and bass. “Most certainly, putting an entire CD of music that came about while strumming the guitar at the kitchen table, bringing it into a professional studio, and then putting it out there can be quite the daunting, but incredibly satisfying task.”
The idea for the title stems from the number of seasoned musicians on the CD who helped Brose put together tight and engaging songs.
“This idea came about as a result of having so many incredible musicians participating and influencing the direction of my music,” said Brose. “This includes more than 30 professionals, including eight different vocalists and five guitarists, many from the Winnipeg musical community.”
The CD cover art features the Gimli Glider on the runway, by local artist Manette Vandale, whom Brose commissioned.
Brose, who was classically trained as a child, said he’s on the lookout for potential bandmates in the surrounding area so that he can perform live as he did for years in the past, including touring with Harlequin. In the meantime, he’ll keep on writing new songs and teaching all genres of music to local students.
“Despite dedicating a little time to finding some potential musical partners to perform as a band, nothing definite has appeared. As I hope to perform this material on stage some day, finding the perfect band members for such a show is always on the back of my mind,” said Brose. “In the meantime, I’ll keep up with teaching locally and, of course, working on some new music.”
And Friends is available on popular streaming services including YouTube, Spotify and Apple. People can also directly purchase and download the CD and/or songs via the website Bandcamp.com where he’s listed as Jamie Brose.
“Despite the masses listening to streaming services, I’ve had quite a few enquire about the availability of physical CD’s so that is something I am now focusing on,” he said. “For some, it’s always nice to have something physical in your hand, along with the lyrics and musical credits.”
