Steve Maloney (and the Wandering Kind)

Winner of..
Best Artist to Enjoy Quietly at Home
Most Talented Local Musician
Best Local Singer (Male)
Honourable Mention: Most Original Songwriter - The Overcast

If you've ever been to St. John's, Newfoundland, you'll know that the rocky coastal town can be as unforgiving as it is welcoming. This dichotomy informs the folk songs of Steve Maloney and The Wandering Kind: "There's a mystical quality to some parts of town," says Maloney. "The weather isn't perfect, but I find that it's endless in offering inspiration."

After releasing a debut record in 2014, the band spent the summer roaming on an east coast tour, with both solo and group stops in Halifax. He says they're all excited to see Braids at Halifax Pop Explosion, and Maloney is especially looking forward to The Weather Station, Nap Eyes and Andy Shauf. To describe Steve Maloney and The Wandering Kind in three words, he says, "Townies love reverb." - Adria Young

Steve Maloney and the Wandering Kind craft atmospheric folk music, with strong, operatic vocals leading the charge. The group have been praised for their intricate arrangements, and captivating vocal delivery. Currently touring Canada in support of their self titled debut. www.stevemaloneymusic.com - Halifax Pop Explosion

Newfoundland-based folk singer Steve Maloney usually spends his days making music in St. John's — be it solo projects, filling in on drums and keyboards for local bands, or with his band the Wandering Kind. Well, this summer, he'll be focusing on the latter, as they make their way across the Eastern part of Canada on tour.

Dubbed the "Summer/Revival Tour," the string of shows will take the four-piece band out to Ontario and back again. Things officially kick off in Sydney, NS, on June 12, before heading out of the Maritimes and into Montreal on June 19. That'll be followed by a hefty chunk of dates in Ontario at the end of the month before heading back towards home.

August will see Maloney playing a couple solo shows in his home province, then reuniting with the gang to wrap things up with shows in Bonavista, NL, on August 8 and a spot at the Writers at Woody Point Festival, which runs from August 11 to 16 in Woody Point, NL.

You can see the full itinerary listed below, and scroll past that to relive the band's stop at Exclaim! TV.

Tour dates:

06/12 Sydney, NS – Governor's Pub & Eatery
06/13 Charlottetown, PEI – Fishbones Oyster Bar
06/14 Halifax, NS – The Company House
06/15 Moncton, NB – Plan B Lounge
06/18 Fredericton, NB – The Capital Complex
06/19 Montreal, QC – Glass Door Gallery
06/20 Toronto, ON – Junction City Music Hall
06/21 Burlington, ON – Sound of Music Festival
06/25 London, ON – House show
06/26 Hamilton, ON – Homegrown Hamilton
06/27 Hamilton, ON – House show
06/28 Guelph, ON – The Cornerstone
06/29 Peterborough, ON – The Spill
06/30 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
07/01 Ottawa, ON – Avant-Garde Bar
07/02 Montreal, QC – Inspecteur Épingle
07/03 Rimouski, QC – Le Bercail
07/30 St. John's, NL –LSPU Hall
08/03-04 Woody Point, NL – the Heritage Theatre *^
08/06 Eastport, NL – Winterset in Summer Writers Festival *
08/08 Bonavista, NL – The Garrick Theatre
08/11-16 Woody Point, NL – Writers at Woody Point Festival

* with Hey Rosetta!
^ solo - Sarah Murphy

Steve Maloney and his band, The Wandering Kind, are starting to make a name for themselves even outside their native Newfoundland. And it’s no wonder considering Maloney’s impressive classically trained vocals and an extensive band that includes Adam Hogan and Phil Maloney from Hey Rosetta! along with Paddy Byrne, Robbie Brett, Jen Benson and Amy Joy.

On top of that, the group recorded with additional St. John’s recruits Tom Power, Romesh Thavanathan, Jill Dawe, Terry Campbell, Michael O’Keefe, John Duff, Chris Harnett and Nicole Hand for their self-titled debut album, adding the banjo, cello, trombone and a couple of trumpets and saxes to the mix. The result is a self-described “alternative-folk” mix that tapers into some vintage sounds as the album moves from a strong country-infused debut to a slow-moving waltz at the close.

The banjo accompanies the very first notes of “Exaggerations” as the album bursts into life. A brief interlude reveals some of the powerful vocals to come before launching into the rolling chorus one final time. Meanwhile “Circle Comes Undone” flirts more with the alternative part of the group’s label, reaching into indie and hints of folk for inspiration.

“In Spring” is the first song on the album, but not the last, to tap into a 1950’s slow rock vibe as Maloney’s vocals caress the notes. “Tyrant Games” eases out of this, at least instrumentally, but keeps one foot firmly in the romantic past with Maloney’s singing. “Sentence” and “On the Other Hand” emerge as the strongest folk numbers on the release but as with most of the latter half of the album there’s no escaping Maloney’s training as his voice hops along to the waltz being created.

The release ends on an even quieter note, as the multitude of instruments fade away and Maloney’s vocals stretch out like a thing from the past, reaching through an old player for one finale coda. Overall, the album is filled with this kind of passionate delivery as a crackling, vintage finish holds the variety of sounds together.

Alternative-folk doesn’t quite encompass everything Steve Maloney and the Wandering Kind have going on—there is a fusion of genres from folk, to country, to classic and classic rock that’s difficult to pin down. Maloney’s voice is partially responsible as it evades those simplistic labels. The range of instruments, and the comfort moving between them and spreading them out throughout the album, is another genre-defying feat. But that resistance to categorization is one of the band’s greatest strengths as it commands attention with those nuanced surprises.

Top tracks: “Circle Comes Undone”; “On the Other Hand”

Rating: Proud Hoot (Really Good) - Grayowl Point

Steve Maloney’s vocals will blow you away. Hailing from St John’s, Newfoundland, Maloney is a warm, down-home boy who is charming and friendly, but when he starts to sing your jaw will drop. His powerful voice lifts his beautiful folk fare, original and cover songs alike. Maloney covered Wilco’s “We’re Just Friends” and played a handful of new songs from his record due to drop in March. He’s working on the new album with fellow Newfoundlanders Hey Rosetta!. - Mixtape Magazine

Greeted with a hometown hero's welcome, Steve Maloney, with his scruffy face, oversized sweater and dark Guild, seemed like he might be the product of a young folk singer assembly line. Then he opened his mouth and it sounded like someone performing an aria. The percussion and rhythms were inventive, the electric guitar textures were tasteful and added vital colour, and the young female back-up vocalists sounded like singing saws. For his part, Maloney is oddly reminiscent of Josh Groban; his tone is clear, his phrasing emotive and surprising. He'll speak-sing a verse but then send a chorus flying into space. There was no question that the Rocket Room was packed for him. He's beloved in St. John's and, if they haven't yet, the rest of the world can expect to hear more from Steve Maloney and the Wandering Kind. - Exclaim!

Newfoundland-based folk troubadour Steve Maloney has had a pretty busy spring, what with the release of he and his band the Wandering Kind's debut self-titled LP, performance on the RBC Breakout Stage at this year's ECMAs and gigs across the country.

While on his recent stint touring around Ontario, Maloney stopped by the Exclaim! office in Toronto to play a stripped-down rendition of "Circle Comes Undone" for Exclaim! TV.

Removing the layered guitars and ornate sounds of his original composition, watch as Maloney transforms the sprightly jaunt into a low-key acoustic number, which fully accentuates Maloney's powerful vocals and subdued guitar playing.

Watch the video now in the player below, and don't forget to catch Maloney as he plays Montreal's Casa Del Popolo tonight (April 16). - Exclaim!

Steve Maloney has been playing around town for a while now, garnering a well-earned reputation as one of St. John’s most talented singers and songwriters.Many publications have dubbed him “one to watch,” and last fall, when The Scope polled Newfoundland for its “best of local music” issue, Steve emerged as both “Best Solo Male Artist” and “Best Artist to Enjoy Quietly.” He calls making those lists “really unexpected” and a highlight of his musical career so far, and fair enough: it was high praise for a man without an official debut album. Luckily for us, the wait is over. His self-titled debut, Steve Maloney and the Wandering Kind, is available on iTunes and at Fred’s Records. The trouble with establishing a name long before releasing an album, for many artists, is the pressure to live up to the buzz and acclaim of media declarations like “One to Watch.” While The Overcast can guarantee you that Maloney’s album is both gorgeous and original, Steve does agree that “yes, it’s definitely stressful, but I’m glad people are interested. It’s grey and worrisome when you put yourself, and something you’ve made, out in the open. But, opinions and criticism come with the territory. Some of the songs on this album are two and three and even four years old. So it was nice to document them and move forward.” He was lucky enough to “document” these nine songs with the helping hand of Romesh Thavanathan – the cellist for Hey Rosetta, who’s becoming a reputable album producer. “We were friends from before, and Romesh had been working on a few projects but hadn’t released a full length album, and neither had I. So, it seemed like a good pairing, releasing our first album together. It gave the project a sense of freedom, knowing we both wanted to put our best foot forward. This is the first record I’ve made outside of the scrappy demos from my bedroom. There was a little compromise, but we mostly felt free to try different things and experiment. I learned a lot from Romesh on the production side of things, he definitely opened my eyes to a lot of different possibilities during the recording process.” The album was recorded in the empty building previously occupied by the old Piccadilly strip club. They got in there before renovations started to convert the space into, of course, more downtown condos. Some of the songs on the album were recorded live off the floor. An approach Steve cites as a little stressful, “knowing there would be no possibility of revision (no take-backs), but in a way it made us focus intently together and gave us some pretty cool moments we probably wouldn’t have captured otherwise.” Romesh’s recording of the album isn’t the only Hey Rosetta connection. Steve’s brother Phil plays drums for both Steve and Hey Rosetta, and his drumming on this album is so subtle and calculated, it’s hard to imagine another drummer complementing Steve’s music so well. “We grew up together, and have shared music and instruments our whole lives. He’s not afraid to give me his opinion and knew the songs well. He’s also an amazing percussionist, so it seemed like the most natural fit. It was nice to make this thing together.”
His band, “The Wandering Kind,” also consists of Adam Hogan on lead and Pete Mills on bass. It’s a bit of a supergroup, with each member bringing their own style to the mix. “Usually I’ll record a rough demo of a song and the arrangement,” Maloney says, “so everyone can get the intended feeling. From there we bring it into rehearsal and parts are changed and rearranged according to everyone’s musical personality. The demo essentially acts as a guide. The last thing I want to do is put a cap on anyone’s creativity.” Part of what’s so striking about Steve Maloney’s music is how vocally driven it is. Steve’s elegant, solid musical arrangements step back and let his voice shine. He is, in fact, trained in classical singing, and it’s a trait that helps his album stand-out from the mountain of other local albums Newfoundland produces every year. “Yeah,” he says, “I went to music school for a couple of years studying classical music, then moved to Toronto to study contemporary music for a year, and came back to the classical program.” He also has a multi-lady backup singer section going on, comprised of Jen Benson and Amy Joy. “We played in a group together, called Other People, where I was on drums and vocals, Jen was on keys and vocals, and Amy sang lead. Jen and I also knew each other from music school. We all get along really well, and have a musical history and ultimately they have great voices.” Speaking of great voices, when he first hit the local music scene, playing solo shows, his voice and sophisticated musical arrangements quickly earned him comparisons to Jeff Buckley. It is a sound one can hear on at least one of his new album’s tracks: a stand-out called “On the Other Hand.” He says the comparison is definitely flattering. “I love his voice and his music. Tough to live up to, but flattering nonetheless.” But comparisons will never do Maloney justice. He is legitimately one of our province’s most original and talented songwriters, and his debut album with The Wandering Kind is quite unlike any other out of this province in recent times, so, what kind of artists (or things) have influenced the man? He’s not entirely sure himself. “I try not to think of which genre we’ll land in, but rather follow the feeling of a song, whatever that may be.” Steve Maloney and the Wandering Kind had their album release at The Rockhouse, March 29th, with Fog Lake and East of Empire, before hitting the road for an April tour. “We’re showcasing at the ECMAs, after which I’ll be on a solo tour to Ontario and back, returning home to play Lawnya Vawnya at the end of the month.” - the Overcast (Chad Pelley)

Steve Maloney and the Wandering Kind... nominated for 5 awards, including; FACTOR Album of the Year, Group of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, SOCAN Songwriter of the Year, and The Telegram Folk/Roots Recording of the Year. - MusicNL (Jen Winsor)

Steve’s big wins in the categories of “Best Quiet Album of the Year,” “Best Quiet Song of the Year,” “Best Artist to Enjoy Quietly at Home,” and “Best Solo Male Artist” stand, but they’re also a little deceiving.
The album has impressive range, and that range includes some big songs, like the rolling, rollicking runner-up for best song of the year, “Circle Comes Undone.” There’s also a notably large cast of supporting musicians on the album, including multiple trumpet, sax, and trombone players that create a
legit symphony in the background. Phil Maloney, his brother, does a remarkable job complementing these songs with bang-on percussion that is worth studying if you’re into recording and mixing. If these two grew up playing music together, it shows.
Steve Maloney and the Wandering Kind’s self-titled debut opens on a genre-blending bang, with “Exaggerations.” It’s a footstomper, full of handclaps, catchy banjo work courtesy of CBC’s Tom Power, and nice harmonies.
The craftsmanship is remarkable, and it has a really nice, atypical song structure that lets the song wax and wane and build and break. “Exaggerations” embodies the range, talent, and musical merit of the entire album.
The second track, “Circle Comes Undone,”
is one of the best Canadian songs of the year, period. It’s a rocker, courtesy of Adam Hogan’s stellar work on the lap steel, and it’s
the kind of song that possesses its listener, immediately, and never loses its hold on you. “Circle Comes Undone” also has a beautiful diminuendo of an outro that leads fittingly into track three, “In Spring.” “In Spring” does an exceptional job showing off Maloney’s singing chops and why he won “Best Local Male Singer” by a landslide. It’s not a quiet song, but it’s a moody slow number that marks a turning point in the album; things mellow out from here on in. It’s clear the tracklisting was carefully (and correctly) ordered.
Track 4, “Morning Break,” was voted “Best Quiet Song of the Year.” It’s a spare, gorgeous song that exercises restraint to evoke pull in
its listener, with just mere touches of backing instrumentation (including cello from the album’s producer, Romesh Thavanathan). Thavanathan is to be commended here too. The album wasn’t rushed, and he found the right way to fill every hole in the background of every song, and, knew which ones to leave bare.
“Tyrant Game,” another
gem, is next. Its bouncing
drums and horns pick up
the mood and tempo, and it’s
another song that shows off
the strength of his voice, as does
track six, “Forest Fire,” a favourite
among long-standing fans. There’s
moments “Forest Fire” falls away
to nothing but his voice, and just as you’re lulled, the brass and backing harmonies come back in. Like every track here, the subtle, sophisticated, calculated, and controlled background helps the track shine,
and shine brightly.
Another standout track is “On the Other Hand,” which will, and has, earned him comparisons to Jeff Buckley. At least in how they are/were both such original, distinct songwriters of vocally driven songs. “On the Other Hand” is the second-last track. It builds beautifully, with much emotion, and explodes
in its own tempered, intense way. The album arguably could have done without the closing track, “Bridges.” It’s an interesting, different song, but its looseness feels unwhole, and
a little hard to call a song; it feels more like a hidden track than an album closer. “On the Other Hand” would have left us with more of an impression and absolute satisfaction with the album.
All in all an awesome album that feels far
too sophisticated to call a debut. There’s a real personality in the mood throughout the whole album that will leave a great first impression with its listeners. - Chad Pelley