My partner Dan Frechette and I had wanted to create a supporting music video for this song ever since we released it on our penultimate album, "Driving By Candlelight," back in 2018. The pieces didn't fall into place until two weeks ago. After a bit of online sleuthing in a flurry of inspiration, I knocked out the video from concept to final edit over an intensive 24 hours. Please click the player below or here ---> https://youtu.be/CcvpvsyzGaY to check out "New York City Sundance"! We hope you enjoy it! And if you do, please help our grassroots career to by sharing it!
Background on the song: Written on this day back in 2001, Dan had been performing across eastern Canada that summer with a First Nations band from Winnipeg. After a Dodge minivan breakdown, being stranded for two weeks with "six large adults" in a trailer, and a sweat-lodge "rebirth" at Akwesasne, the Mohawk Nation territory in upstate New York, the song came to him. If you'd like to hear Dan's complete and humorous recount of that adventure, please also enjoy the live performance we did of the song back in 2019 down below, or click here: https://youtu.be/gnNexKBy2sw
Speaking to themes of identity, authenticity, and conquering inner and outer demons, New York City Sundance has remained a central song of Dan's ever since. Our arrangement came together back in 2013 as we jammed on the upper deck of a ferry while touring around Vancouver Island.
For the album track, Dan recorded 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars and lead vocals, I contributed violin and harmony vocals, and we enjoyed featuring the talent of Stan Poplin on doublebass and Jimmy Norris on drums. The audio track produced by the two of us, was recorded and mixed by Justin Mayer at Bear Creek Recording Studio in Bonny Doon, CA, and mastered by Jaime Sitar of Outta Town Sound in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Credits:
Song written by Dan Frechette.
Arrangement by Dan Frechette & Laurel Thomsen.
6 and 12 string guitars, and lead vocals by Dan Frechette.
Violin and harmony vocals by Laurel Thomsen.
Doublebass by Stan Poplin.
Drums by Jimmy Norris.
Audio recording and mixing by Justin Mayer.
Audio mastering by Jaime Sitar.
Video concept, production, and editing by Laurel Thomsen.
Video clips care of videezy.com and shutterstock.com.
Additional videography by Dan and Laurel.
