It all started with Adam. Sometime back between bands, he started recording songs on his own – acoustic numbers mostly, with a psych-folk feel. Songs started flowing. It turned into a real project. He called it The Great Outdoors. Next thing you know, The Great Outdoors’ self-titled debut hit the scene. A fan-base grew.
Adam soon found himself dividing his time between the hard rock of his new band Counterrevolutionaries and the ever-growing popularity of his passion project. In the wake of its sophomore release, A Scant 63, The Great Outdoors’ line-up expanded to include singer/songwriter Steve Wells and drummer Steve Wegelin (Radiogram, Red Sugar). Following a Canadian tour, The Great Outdoors released Food, Booze, and Entertainment – enlisting the talents of Randy Forrester (Radiogram, Red Sugar) and Craig McCaul (Frazey Ford, Kent McAlister and the Iron Choir), both of whom would soon become full-time Great Outdoorsmen.
It was around this time a creative shift took place: Steve Wells began contributing more and more material, and the band soon evolved into the double frontman act we know today. Following Wells’ establishment as co-songwriter, The Great Outdoors recorded and released their lauded Seasons series – four Eps, each one dedicated to a season, and all released during one calendar year. This lofty undertaking was followed up by the band’s first vinyl release – Live at the Auditorium Hotel – recorded and produced in partnership with Steve Loree (Jr. Gone Wild, Ian Tyson, Corb Lund) in Nanton, Alberta. As Live at the Auditorium Hotel cemented the band’s signature “heavy folk rock” sound, the storm of life was brewing on the ridge ahead: sickness, death, marriage, babies. It seemingly all came crashing in at once. Steve Wegelin then left the band, but was soon replaced by Aran Bingham (Counterrevolutionaries, Satan’s Cape). The line-up was now complete. Amidst the turmoil, the band continued to write, play, and live their busy lives together, growing closer than even before.
After a productive hiatus away from the studio, The Great Outdoors returned with a vengeance in 2020. Working in partnership with producer/engineer Jesse Gander (White Lung, Japandroids, Brutus) at Raincity Recorders, The Great Outdoors released This Busy Stillness in 2022 – a lush and provocative evolution of the band’s progressive sound. Featuring contributions from the likes of Ford Pier (horn arrangement) and Emily Heldson (fiddle), the critically acclaimed This Busy Stillness succinctly captured The Great Outdoors at the top of their game.
Just when you thought they couldn’t get any better, The Great Outdoors returned to Raincity Recorders with Jesse Gander to record their latest offering: 2023’s Hastings Sunrise. An epic collection of energetic and moving songs, Hastings Sunrise delivers a slightly more aggressive collection of work. An explosive effort from the very first note, it’s an often-heavy album – heavy and eclectic. Songs about uranium mining, gold diggers, and pathological liars. Songs about haircuts, death, and phantoms. The Great Outdoors’ signature folk-rock sound is still there but the amps have been cranked up. It’s an angry record. It’s a pop record. It will make you think. It will make you move. It will make you realize once and for all The Great Outdoors are the undisputed kings of the west coast underground. It’s Hastings Sunrise – quite possibly The Great Outdoors’ strongest offering yet. Come take a hit.
