The Sheepdogs Buy Back Their Catalogue, Release Surprise EP On Their New Independent Imprint
Paradise Alone is the first offering on the group's new self-owned Right On Records, going independent after parting ways with their major label.
The Sheepdogs
Today (Aug. 22), multi-platinum selling and multiple Juno-winning Canadian rockers The Sheepdogs released a surprise new five-track EP, Paradise Alone, alongside a video for new single “Take Me For A Ride."
For the Saskatoon band, who gained prominence after winning a contest to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone in 2012, it represents a turning point. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of The Sheepdogs, and plenty has been happening in their career. Paradise Alone, released on the band’s newly minted label Right On Records, is the group's first full independent release since leaving Warner Music Canada.
Since parting ways with that major label in 2022, The Sheepdogs were reportedly able to buy back their catalogue and distribute the music along with future releases via Right On Records, distributed through The Orchard worldwide.
"We've been a band for 20 years, and pretty comfortable with who we are and how we do things. We've lasted this long by staying true to ourselves, doing things our way, and not chasing trends," says bassist Ryan Gullen in a statement, noting that the band already handles their own management, marketing and production. “Acquiring our catalogue and starting our own label is about taking things to the next level. We want to be in the driver’s seat, doing things our way, and maybe even helping other artists do the same. With so much constantly changing, we're focused on staying true to our approach."
The EP was produced by frontman Ewan Currie and is the first recording to feature guitarist Ricky Paquette, who joined the band in 2022. Paradise Alone was recorded over a five day period at Southern Grooves in Memphis with Grammy-award-winning engineer Matt Ross-Spang, with whom The Sheepdogs have a long relationship.
The band first met Ross-Spang in 2014 at the legendary Sun Studios while filming a CBC Music Backstage Pass celebrating Elvis. Ross-Spang, then a young engineer working at Sun, so impressed the group that they brought him to Canada to engineer Future Nostalgia in late 2014, his first album engineered outside of Sun.
Ross-Spang has gone on to become one of the most sought after engineers in the U.S., working on many albums by such stars as Jason Isbell, John Prine, Al Green, Margo Price and more.
The '70s-style classic rock revivalists have pledged to take advantage of this hard-earned independence by releasing shorter collections of music on their own schedule, rather than following the traditional album cycle or chasing viral trends.
Renowned as true road warriors, The Sheepdogs have over 80 headline tour dates across Canada, the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. in 2024. They had a recent five show run supporting Bryan Adams in Quebec and Blue Rodeo in Saskatoon. A North American tour running Sept. 13 to Oct. 17 features just one Canadian date, at Oktoberfest Koolhaus in Kitchener. A European tour then follows, from Nov. 9 to Dec. 5. Check the itinerary here.
