The Saddletramps were an
alternative country
Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...
band from
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
in the 1980s and 1990s. Core members of the band included Ken Horne, Andrew Lindsay, John DeHaas and Brian Duguay, although the band is now most noted for the early participation of singer-songwriter
Sarah Harmer.
History
In the early 1980s several
Fanshawe College students from the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...
who shared a rented house in
London, Ontario
London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...
got together to form the band Tin Mitten.
[Therese Greenwood, "Band's name confuses fans". '' Kingston Whig-Standard'', January 23, 1992.] The band was soon renamed The Saddletramps, after deciding that the name Tin Mitten, which had been conceived as a parody of a
heavy metal band name, didn't fit their actual style.
[
Lindsay met seventeen-year-old Sarah Harmer while working at Sunrise Records in Burlington, and she joined the band, later commuting to Toronto to perform on weekends while attending Queen's University.
In 1989 the Saddletramps released their first album, ''The Saddle Tramps'', on cassette tape, with Dehaas on bass, Duguay on lead guitar and vocals, Harmer on vocals, Horne on percussion, Lindsay on vocals and guitar. Mike Northcott also contributed some instrumental work. The album was recorded at Grant Ave and Axon Studios, and all but one of the songs were written by the band members.
In 1990 the band released a second cassette album, ''Yardsale''. Harmer left to concentrate on her studies after ''Yardsale'', and later started her own band, Weeping Tile. She was briefly replaced by Mia Basso as the band's new vocalist, although Basso was no longer in the band by the time of their 1993 album ''Well Gone Bad'', on which all vocals were performed by Lindsay and Duguay.][Bernad Pilon]
"Westward ho, at long last"
'' Regina Leader-Post'', March 7, 1994. That album, their only one to receive full national commercial distribution, was produced by Ken Greer.[
The Saddletramps disbanded in 1995.
]
Post-breakup
In 1999, following Weeping Tile's breakup, Harmer began a solo career; her solo album '' You Were Here'' included a new recording of "Don't Get Your Back Up", which she had originally recorded with The Saddletramps on ''Yardsale''.
Lindsay, Duguay, and Dehaas formed a new band called Loomer along with Michael Taylor, Iain Thomson, and Scott Loomer. The band released an album, ''Love Is A Dull Instrument'' in 2004. They followed up in 2006 with ''Songs of the Wild West Island'', which included a guest appearance by Harmer as a duet vocalist on "Only Lovers".
Andrew Lindsay died in May 2023.[Kerry Doole]
"Obituaries, June 8, 2023"
''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', June 6, 2023.
Discography
Albums
*''The Saddle Tramps'' (1989) Tracks: "Christ", "Life and Times", "Church", "Winds of Change", "Alaska", "I Don't Mind", "Blue Eyes" and "Fallen Angel"
*''Yardsale'' (1990) Tracks: "Weight of the World", "Deal With It", "Boomerang", "4000 Roads", "She Don't Love", "Rain of Gold", "Wastin' It On You", "Race Along The Edge", "Passin' Thru", "Don't Get Your Back Up"
*''Well Gone Bad'' (1993)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saddletramps, The
Canadian alternative country groups