Jerry Leger

The term Americana immediately brings to mind dusty acoustic guitars strummed authoritatively over lyrics that tap themes of rugged individuality — drinkin', rasslin', breakin' hearts and railin' against the establishment. Canadiana, on the other hand, is much harder to pin down. Most of the time, a roots-rock/country template not too different from the American variety comes to mind. While there's some merit to this characterization, many of the prominent purveyors of Canadiana (see: The Rheostatics, Gordon Lightfoot) favoured an understated humility that their more flamboyant American cousins don't have. Enlisting former Rheostatic Don Kerr as producer, Torontonian Jerry Leger and his backing band have tapped deftly into this quintessentially Canuck quality with an impressive take on roots and country. The songs are tuneful, accessible and direct. Bar-room blues, lonesome ballads and barn-rockin' stompers all coexist in an album that's charming not only for its strong songwriting, but also in its unassuming approach.
Pras Rajagopalan - Chart Magazine

When I get sent promos from artists I've never heard of, I try to guess what they will sound like before I listen to the album. You can often tell just by the cover -- the band's name, the quality of the packaging and the press release, the song titles, etc. -- whether or not it's going to be your thing. On the cover of Jerry Leger's new album Farewell Ghost Town is a sepia-toned photograph of a serious-looking young man in a suit. He stands outside a brick building holding a suitcase, casting an uncertain glance down the block. Its evocative, 1940s film-noir feel inspired me to listen to the album right away.

Leger's voice leaps out immediately; it's high, nasally, and pinched, the kind of voice that wouldn't make it through the first round of an Idol competition. But, as you might imagine, this is a good thing. Fuelled by the Situation's tight and controlled backing, Leger ploughs through the opener "Hat on Your Head" with caustic intensity. He sustains this vocal force throughout the album on both the rockers and the ballads. Like all successful, unique voices, Leger's ability to captivate and transport with his imperfect voice lies in his delivery. At all times focused on phrasing, Leger squeezes every scrap of meaning out of his carefully-wrought lyrics.

That brings me to Leger's real strength: his songwriting. His facility at telling reflective and convincing stories defies his age (he's 22). "Hat on Your Head" is an uproarious battle cry against being regarded by a lover as nothing but an amusing accessory: "I know you want me hanging off that hook / Constantly waiting for your precious look." Its raw, cutting energy is reminiscent of My Aim Is True (1977)-era Costello. "Love is Meant To Be Blue" is a gorgeous, Everly Brothers inspired rumination on, well, just what the title suggests. A haunting, jazzy kiss-off to a fickle relationship, "Old Shoes On My Feet" features some cool, understated piano by Ron Sexsmith.

With Farewell Ghost Town, Leger proves that he's got the chops to be around for awhile. When one of Canada's most accomplished and enduring singer-songwriters -- Sexsmith -- is calling you "one of the best songwriters [he's] heard in a long time," it'd seem like it's just a matter of time before your ship comes in, right? I hope so.
-Kate Steele - Coke Machine Glow, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Jerry Leger and the Situation
Farewell Ghost Town
Independent Release

On first spin the latest from Toronto singer/songwriter Jerry Leger makes you think you’ve put in the wrong album. With minimalist production, he’s managed to revive the appealing elements of Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello that were surely disappearing beneath today’s ambiguous production standards.

Farewell Ghost Town carries the torch of preservation. From the opening track “Hat on Your Head” Leger delivers folk rock in an old fashioned, albeit not dated, style. His vocals have a gritty, slightly off-key Neil Young approach. And his backing band, The Situation, effectively feed his folk-rock tendencies.

The folk-worthy steel guitar on “Love is Meant to be Blue” perfectly accompanies the Mick Jagger styled ballad and has a genuine classic feel to it. It is baffling how Leger is able to effectively use vintage production techniques and muddy guitar to temporarily revive the classic folk sound.

Another comparison, which Leger himself admits in his bio, is to Hank Williams. Much like Williams, Leger weaves interesting stories about love, anger and the realism of everyday life. His songs wouldn’t be out of place as background music for drinking cheap whiskey in gritty bars.

One of the album’s standout tracks is “On Your Own.” It’s the classic boy / girl love song but it’s delivered in a honky-tonk cowboy way. This is one song where modern production tactics emerge from deep in the mix. The steel guitar permeates through the layered acoustic guitar and rock drumming.

This album will sit nicely atop a stack of classic rock vinyl LPs near the turntable and CD player.

www.spillmagazine.com

- Andrew Seale - Spill Magazine

It is believed that a large majority of the musical talent that emerges from Toronto's indie music scene comes straight out of the city's west end. Enter Jerry Leger, a young and energetic songwriting whiz hailing from Toronto's east end. He's about to change that notion of where Toronto's talent resides with the release of You Me and the Horse. Although it’s his third album, Leger says it feels like his first.

“This new record feels more like it is a debut release for me,” Leger explains. “I learned so much from the making of my first two albums, you know with the learning curve and some bullshit along the way.”

Going back to 2005, his self-titled debut album Jerry Leger and The Situations was spontaneously born out of having lots of spare time available in the studio. Leger and his band had intially set out to record just a three-track demo.

“We had all this extra time to kill in the studio and we had lots of other songs so we just decided to have a go at putting a full album together,” he said.

Putting spare time to good use the result was a very fluid and lively folk-rock piece which garnered the attention of Juno winning folk/contemporary artist Ron Sexsmith of whom the young Leger (19 years of age at the time) had met while working at his day-job in the east end.

“Ron used to come into our shop quite a lot, he lived just up street from the store,” Leger said.

Through those frequent in-store visits, Leger managed to place some of his material into the accomplished hands of Sexmith. Gaining respect from an influential icon, Sexsmith began frequenting many of Leger's shows on the east end. He would later play piano on four tracks of Leger's 2006 second release Farewell Ghost Town and openly regard Leger as being, “one of the best songwriters I've heard in quite some time.”

Inspired by legends such as Neil Young and Bob Dylan, Leger pays notice to how important the storytelling aspect of their work has been critical to their success. As a kid, Leger's dad played a lot of Dylan and Young around the house and from his mom it was The Beatles. His grandparents would be the ones to introduce him to Hank Williams.

“Hank Williams’ song ‘Lost Highway’ just feels like an old friend,” Leger comments.

Strongly grasping the fundamentals of what has made the likes of John Lennon, Hank Williams and Bob Dylan so important to music - creativity, conviction and of course swagger. Leger uniquely pours these fundamentals into himself and his music, carefully and creatively forging his own path, not committing forgery.

Being free from a binding record contract has given Leger the opportunity to create music unrestricted and at his own pace. The result, the 23-year-old now has three highly polished records under his belt.

“I'll likely sign with a label eventually but for now it's been a lot of fun just being independent,” Leger says.

Last year he toured the southern states of America, exploring the origins of his very craft.

“I was very well received by the American crowds that I performed to, it was especially validating to hear praise from the folks who have “lived and breathed folk & roots music from its early beginnings,” Leger remarks about the tour.

You Me and the Horse is a collection of songs performed by Leger acoustically, his band The Situation taking a break this time around. As mentioned, this album feels like a first. A clean slate to be more precise.

“I love how it sounds and the album's simplified production,” Leger exclaims, adding, “the spotlight is on the songs and the songwriting, this is my best work to date.”

- William Self
- Spill Magazine

There is no shortage of talented young singer/songwriters in this city, but, at just 23, Beaches resident Jerry Leger has already gained more attention than most. Earning the admiration of such respected older peers as Ron Sexsmith (who called Leger “one of the best songwriters I’ve heard in quite some time”), Don Kerr and Josh Finlayson (of Skydiggers) has certainly helped the cause, and Leger’s just-released third album, You Me And The Horse, justifies their praise.
His songs are rich in poetic imagery and full of vivid characters and stories, while his unaffected vocals and the sparse and clean production of the record (it’s co-produced by Finlayson and Tim Bovaconti, Ron Sexsmith’s guitarist), provide a very sympathetic setting. Over tea at The Gladstone recently, Leger recalls that “when I initially met with Josh about doing a record, he said, ‘we should do one that is very stripped down and acoustic.’.I had the same idea in mind. I was reconnecting with the first few Gordon Lightfoot albums, and I just loved how it had that full yet sparse sound, yet sparse, so we were already on the same page going in. Tim co-produced, and he can adapt to anything.”
The new CD represents somewhat of a departure from Leger’s two earlier albums, his self-titled 2005 debut and 2007’s critically-acclaimed Farewell Ghost Town, he says. “This one has a little more story-telling. It’s more in that folk tradition. I often sat down and had a story in my head, or at least the beginning of a story. They don’t always need a resolution. The story songs are the ones you can work on for a bit. You can go back and edit, while those personal ones that throw in your own feelings are best when they all come out at once.”
Leger cites the likes of Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot and Hank Williams as crucial inspirations. “Dylan and Lightfoot were definitely big influences, and Neil Young. In high school, I’d skip class, go to the library, and break apart Dylan lyrics. I love country too, and I take from both. I found out from reading Chronicles that Dylan was a big Hank fan too. That was cool. The music I listened to was inside the family home. I never thought of it as being a different generation’s music. I always connected with it. Those are the building blocks for anything, the stuff you grew up with.”
Open mic nights in the East End are where Leger got his start as a performer. “There’s a coffee shop, GrabaJava,” he recalls. “At 15, I had this huge urge to play in front of people. They had an open mic kind of thing, but it was the same two guys all the time. I went there with a few school chums, played a few songs, and went from there. Then I started sneaking into the bars. The open stage nights are a good way to start if you’re trying to see how people react. You don’t have to be self-conscious.”
His confidence as a performer was boosted when he and his band, the Situation, played their first gigs in the U.S. last fall. “We got an invitation from the guy in Raleigh, North Carolina, who mastered this record and the previous one, Jeff Carroll. He said ‘you should come down here. People will love you.” And, yes, Raleigh’s a fun place to play. I asked around, and Ron Sexsmith gave me some names in Nashville. We played a place called the Basement, a cool place that’s good for indie acts and songwriters not doing that kind of country. That was great, with lots of people, but the second gig in Nashville was at a club that was closing down in a week. There were five very supportive people there! I was very proud when in the States a couple of really elderly gentleman bought the record and were really excited. They gave us the stamp of approval, and that felt great.”
In true troubadour/hobo fashion, Leger finds travel appealing. “There is something romantic about being a traveling musician, with guitar on the back. The States thing was like that for us, really touch and go. I like the troubadour image.”
You Me And The Horse is out on Golden Rocket Entertainment. - Tandem Magazine

"Leger has one of those openhearted and unaffected voices that you instantly trust...songs rich with poetic imagery and character-driven stories...clearly he is an artist to watch."
-Exclaim!

"charming not only for its strong songwriting, but also in its unassuming approach."
-Chart Magazine

"Leger has tapped deftly into this quintessentially Canuck quality with an impressive take on roots and country."
-Chart Magazine

"Strongly grasping the fundamentals of what has made the likes of John Lennon, Hank Williams and Bob Dylan so important to music - creativity, conviction and of course swagger. Leger uniquely pours these fundamentals into himself and his music, carefully and creatively forging his own path, not committing forgery. "
-Spill Magazine

"5 out of 5"
-Alt. Country.nl

"A singing poet"
-Now Magazine

"one of Toronto’s best emerging songwriters."
-Being There

"There is nothing I do not like about "You Me and The Horse".
Sounds like the son of T-Bone Burnett or the brother of Ryan Adams and writes songs as if he were the nephew of Bob Dylan and Hank Williams at the same time."
-Rootstime

"Wonderfully crafted melodies, evocative lyrics and the spirit and energy of a young songwriter. Compulsory purchase, a must have cd."
-Rootsville - You Me and The Horse/Farewell Ghost Town quotes

Jerry Leger
You Me And the Horse
By Kerry Doole

At just 23, Toronto singer-songwriter Jerry Leger has already earned the admiration of some illustrious senior peers. Ron Sexsmith played piano on Leger's sophomore disc, Farewell Ghost Town, and calls him "one of the best songwriters I've heard in quite some time," while Josh Finlayson of the Skydiggers was impressed enough to co-produce this album (with Sexsmith guitarist Tim Bovaconti). The result is certainly strong enough to vindicate their support. Leger has one of those openhearted and unaffected voices that you instantly trust. He names Hank Williams and Bob Dylan as his key influences, while Steve Forbert is another possible reference point. His songs sound more Bob than Hank, leaning more to the folk than country side, though Hank would surely approve of "Half Asleep And Drunk." The two co-producers add fluent guitar, mandolin and banjo but the sparse sound is primarily built around Leger's acoustic guitar, piano and harmonica work. This proves a suitable setting for songs rich with poetic imagery and character-driven stories like "Mansion Round The Bend" and "Daddy's Lantern." There's a sweet tenderness to "Drive Away Tonight" and an appealing sense of mischief to "My Little Crook," while the nomadic and restless feel of many of the songs is reflected in the album title. Clearly he is an artist to watch. - Exclaim! Magazine

There's a very sparse sound to the record. Was that your original intention?
When I initially met with Josh Finlayson about doing a record, he said, "We should do a record that is very stripped down and acoustic." I had the same idea in mind. I was reconnecting with the first few Gordon Lightfoot albums and I just loved how it had that full yet sparse sound, so we were already on the same page going in. Tim Bovaconti co-produced and he can adapt to anything."

Josh does a lot of co-writing. Had you thought of doing that with him?
He broached the subject early on and we did just write a song together that I like. Maybe we'll sell it to somebody. Tim McGraw might be sniffing for a new hit! There could be more on the way. He's a great writer but I think I'm still figuring out my own story though.

How would you compare this to the previous two albums?
This one has a little more storytelling; it's more in that folk tradition. I often sat down and had a story in my head, or at least the beginning of a story. They don't always need a resolution. The story songs are the ones you can work on for a bit. You can go back and edit, while those personal ones that throw in your own feelings are best when they all come out at once.

I hear you had your first tour in the U.S, recently.
We did the States in October, in the South. We got an invitation from the guy who mastered this record and the previous one, Jeff Carroll. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and he said, "You should come down here. People will love you." And, yes, Raleigh's a fun place to play. I asked around and Ron Sexsmith gave me some names in Nashville. We played a place called the Basement, a cool place that's good for indie acts and songwriters not doing that kind of country. That was great, with lots of people, but the second gig in Nashville was at a club that was closing down in a week. There were five very supportive people there.

Did you come into the recording of You, Me And The Horse with fully finished songs?
It was pretty much set. I'd done demos of about 20 songs at Josh's a few weeks before we went in. Some things change when you start playing around with them. You may cut out an extra chorus. There were one or two situations where Josh and Tim had input. Nobody was afraid to say, "That's not going to work." We did it in a few days, with mainly the three of us playing out lines for a lot of the songs. We did a lot of the basic tracks at Phil Presnal's house then took it to the Rogue to make it sound all nice.

Is folk what you grew up listening to and wanting to emulate?
Very much so. It was the music I listened to inside the family home. I never thought of it as being a different generation's music. I always connected with it. Those are the building blocks for anything — the stuff you grew up with.

Never had a punk rock phase?
No, no. A lot of the guys have been constant since I was a young kid: Hank Williams, George Jones. I got a George tape when I was six, The Race Is On, I believe.

To me, this does veer more to folk than country.
It does. I listen to more folk, like Dylan and Lightfoot. Those two guys were definitely big influences, and Neil Young. In high school, I'd skip class, go to the library and break apart Dylan lyrics. Rip them off! I love country too. I take from both but Dylan was definitely a big influence. I found out from reading Chronicles that he was a big Hank fan too. That was cool.

Did you start with open mic nights around Toronto?
I've always lived in the East End. There's a coffee shop there, Grabba Java. At 15 I had this huge urge to play in front of people. They had an open mic kind of thing. It was supposed to be an open mic but it was the same two guys all the time. I went there with a few school chums, played a few songs and went from there — started sneaking into the bars. The open stage nights are a good way to start if you're trying to see how people react. You don't have to be self-conscious.

Always do original songs?
At Grabba Java I did four songs. A couple of mine and Dylan's "Desolation Row," a weird choice, and another cover. After that I usually just did my own stuff because I wanted to get people's reactions. I didn't care how they reacted to me doing someone else's song. It was a little touch and go at the start. I've always had that drive and ambition but there are always bumps in the road. It's getting better though.

Ever study music academically?
No. I had music class in high school but it was awful. I sucked at it. I played the alto-sax and couldn't get the breathing right. We should have recorded that! [There's] an audience for everything.

Was it guitar you started on?
Yes, acoustic guitar. My sister in law dropped one off for my older brothers. They wanted to start a band. They had electric guitars but wanted acoustic too. When they weren't around I'd grab it, steal their guitar books and put some chords together. That was at nine or ten, and then there was a piano in the high school auditorium. I'd stay there every day after school and just practice.

And you talked Ron Sexsmith into playing piano on the second album, 2006's Farewell Ghost Town .
He approached me at a show we were doing at C'est What right before we started doing that record. He asked if there was anything he could do on that record. We were doing it with Don Kerr. I said, "can you play some piano on it?" I'd heard him play piano on earlier songs like "Gold In Them Hills." There was an old, broken down piano at the studio and he plays great on it. He's a good guy.

How did you meet up with Don for that record?
Through Ron and Tim. I heard a few records he'd done, like Pete Elkas and the Sexsmith and Kerr record, and really liked his approach, that very dry sound. I applied for a FACTOR grant for that record. I didn't get it but on the application form I put him down as the producer before I'd even asked him! A fun record to make, that one.

Must be a confidence boost to have artists like that be so supportive of your work?
It does feel good. I have complete respect for those guys, and it's good to have friends like that to work with.

How has reaction to the new record been?
It has been getting good attention so far. We did Q for CBC Radio and got a lot of response from that. It sold a good amount of records and got a lot of emails too. College radio has just started playing a couple of the songs now.

Any ones they're zeroing in on?
"Drive Away Tonight" and "Mansion Round The Bend," the nice little love song.

A good Canadian reference on "Mansion," I see.
Yes, Sudbury. The girl I love is still there. That one is for her. One day we will reconnect.

Been out West yet?
That is definitely on the to do list. I'm hoping to connect with the Sadies and do some stuff with them. I want to go everywhere. Just give me a date and I'm there. I'll walk if I have to, take my bike! I'm eager.

You're into that image of the hobo, the troubadour? Some of these new songs suggest that.
We always have these images of ourselves in our minds. Whether it's a certain lifestyle, like the Tom Waits drunk on a barstool, though he's not one. There is something romantic about being a travelling musician, with a guitar on the back. The States thing was like that for us, really touch and go. There is something there where it feels like you're living. I like the troubadour image.

Sense that these songs could travel well?
Yes I do. Especially when we play with the band, all kinds of people come to our shows, young and old. I was very proud when in the States a couple of really elderly gentleman bought the record and were really excited. They gave us the stamp of approval, and that felt great. (Golden Rocket) - Exclaim! Magazine, Toronto