New Life to Old Songs with The Fugitives

This week SongTalk welcomed Brendan and Adrian from The Fugitives to our studio.

The Fugitives are a folk collective headed by songwriters Adrian Glynn and Brendan McLeod. They’re joined by banjo player Chris Suen (Viper Central) and violinist Carly Frey (The Coal Porters). Over the past twelve years, they’ve earned a reputation for unforgettable live shows, brimming with complex harmonies, infectious storytelling and top-notch musicianship.

In November, they released a new album – Trench Songs. These songs were written by frontline soldiers during WW1. Essentially protest songs, they were often parodies of well-known tunes. The Fugitives have rewritten new melodies and music for these words, continuing folk music’s long tradition of reshaping songs over time—the same way soldiers reshaped these songs in the trenches.

We had a great conversation with Adrian and Brendan…

Including topics like:

• the way this project originated as a play, then a movie and finally a record
• how recording other people work help refine the group’s own songwriting
• how lyrics can suggest melodies
• how the music business has changed
• what did they change to make old songs contemporary

Website: https://www.fugitives.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFugitives/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CanadianFugitives