Events in one’s life can be recalled vividly regardless of the distance from when it first happened. Ideally, one ends up with more pleasant, happy recollections than tragic ones, but tragic ones are also part of life. For The All Canadian Soundclash’s vocalist Andrew Michelin, the gorgeous lead single “Tired” from the group’s new four-song EP Nashville was inspired by a friend who was killed by a drunk driver when Michelin was in his early twenties.
“I wrote the song in about ten minutes when I was twenty-one sometime after my friend’s funeral,” Michelin, the lead vocalist of the Ottawa-based roots rock group, says. “It’s only now that I had the chance to have it professionally recorded. I think my friend Heather is looking down on me. Proud of the song.”
He should be. Despite the grief bursting through the song’s surface, “Tired” is a gorgeous tune Michelin sings perfectly about the pain of loss. From the tender piano introduction courtesy of keyboardist Dane Bryant to guitarist Troy Lancaster’s fantastic guitar work throughout, “Tired” is a song that will put The All Canadian Soundclash on playlists internationally.
Fleshing out the cut are the rock-steady rhythm section of bassist Lex Price and drummer Shawn Fichter while Tim Galloway adds acoustic guitar and Tania Hancheroff’s delicate but dreamy backing vocals. Listeners familiar with Tom Petty’s deeper ballad-leaning cuts featuring Mike Campbell’s guitar wizardry or Bob Seger’s “Turn The Page” would realize the quality emanating from “Tired,” a recording Michelin says is “a deeply personal and emotional song for me.”
Young and bright, oh sunflower. Please don’t turn out your light.
You’re colorful, so radiant and I know by now you’ve taken flight.
And when you spoke I almost choked fighting back the tears.
Now you’re gone I’ll write this song, inspiring through the years.
“Tired” is the lead single from The All Canadian Soundclash’s Nashville EP, a four-song effort which originated from a meeting between Michelin and acclaimed Nashville producer Dean Miller. Miller, who worked with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson and the late Merle Haggard among others, heard the band’s 2021 album Better Late Than Never. Piqued by Michelin’s songwriting, Miller invited him down to Nashville to record.
In the summer of 2024 Michelin ended up in Nashville’s Sound Emporium, an iconic studio founded by Jack Clement that saw a who’s who record there, from R.E.M. and Jelly Roll to Taylor Swift and Johnny Cash. “I thought, ‘What in the world am I doing here?'” Michelin says. “The more I realized who had recorded at Sound Emporium before me, the more I was blown away! My daughter was excited that Taylor Swift had recorded there too.”
A behind-the-scenes mini-documentary for Nashville and a music video for “Tired” have been released. The All Canadian Soundclash will also celebrate Nashville’s release with a special concert at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern on Nov. 13 which is sure to be a hot ticket. But for now, fans should instantly fall in love with “Tired,” a devastating but delectable jewel.
