All of Green release long-awaited debut CD.

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Matt Carter

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Good things come to those who wait. For fans of the Fredericton band All of Green, the wait has been a little longer than expected. Following a short hiatus after five years of writing and performing, they band is back, stronger than ever, and ready to release their long-awaited debut, To This Point.

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"It's a great feeling to finally have a finished recording," said guitarist and founding member Steve Dunn. "It's been way too long. Obviously we should have done this a long time ago, or maybe we should have just done it right the first time."

Two years ago the band entered the studio in hopes of putting an album together only to be disappointed with the final outcome, and scratching the entire project.

"It didn't feel like something we wanted to put out," he said. "At the time, the tunes were quite a bit older, and when it was all finished, it really didn't end up being what we were hoping for." Forming back in 2003, the band immediately earned their place among other city acts with their strong songwriting, musical versatility, and a great live show. Over the years, despite a few lineup changes, their songwriting has grown stronger and they've been able to further develop their sound into something they're all very proud of today.

Despite years of waiting, Dunn feels now is the right time for their debut to finally come out.

"It's kind of a blessing in disguise. We have newer songs on this recording and we're all better players now," he said. "We went in with a plan on this one. The last time in we really didn't have a plan." The songs on To This Point represent the band to a 'T'. Catchy hooks, odds times, and the unique blend of chordal tones that form the basis of the group's sound are well-intact.

The addition of popular city musician Andrew Butler to the group's lineup has proved beneficial to everyone involved. Not only is he a strong musician by any standards, he's also a great guy for getting things accomplished.

Butler joined the group just over a year ago and according to Dunn, he's a big part of the reason this recording project actually happened.

"He [Butler] is quite a motivator," said Dunn. "When he joined, he was completely gung-ho about getting things done and he probably ended up doing more work for this project than the other four of us. We've very thankful to him for getting this whole thing going." For Butler, the move as a great chance to play music with his friends and when invited, jumped at the opportunity.

"I was lucky to come into an existing group that I was a fan of in the first place," he said. "It's been great." The band has also recently welcomed city bassist Tayce McAvity into the fold. Over the years, McAvity has become a highly sought-after musician with an addictive sense of rhythm.

"Tayce is playing bass at the moment," said Dunn. "We asked him to stick on for the release shows and if he wants to stick with it, he's in, which I'm sure he is." Longtime members, Caleb Crandall and Matt Gillies round out the lineup for this recording. Their familiar harmonies are a key part of the group's sound.

To record the album, the band did most of the work over a six-day brainstorming music marathon. Choosing to leave the confines and often stale atmosphere of the studio behind, they hooked up with Competition Studios engineer Brad Perry and loaded themselves into a cottage on Harvey Lake, away from all the distractions of everyday life.

"It was great. Basically, we just woke up and played music," said Dunn. "We did all the music there and then recorded the vocals back in Fredericton." Working in a comfortable environment is key to any musician. In fact, many groups today choose to avoid recording studios altogether and instead, bring the studio gear to some place unique and inspiring.

"I've worked in a studio before," said guitarist Andrew Butler. "It always feels like you're on a stopwatch because things have to be done by a certain time. That adds a lot of pressure. For us on this recording, being able to have the five guys and Brad just out in a cottage on a lake was so laid back. We were out there for six days and just stocked up on Alpines and food. It was a fantastic experience." Brad Perry, the project's engineer, has a strong reputation among many Fredericton musicians as a guy with a great ear and a personality to match.

"Brad is a super easygoing guy and has very good ideas that really come out in the mixing," adds Dunn. "Personality wise, he's the perfect guy to get along with in the studio because things can get tense at times and he always keeps his cool. He does a great job." The recording was later mastered at Medium Rare Studios by ECMA nominated engineer and producer James Gauthier.

The album will be available through the band's website as well as at all the local shops.

Now, with the recording finished and ready to go, the band is gearing up for a number of release shows starting with a hometown date at The Capital on September 26. Following that show, the band will head to Saint John and then make its way around the Maritimes.

"We'll see what happens after that," said Dunn. "We'll probably take some time playing here and there and do some more writing in hopes of start working on a second disc in the new year." Hopefully the time between recordings will be a little shorter this time around. As important as time is, it can also be hard to come by. When at least five lives are involved in the equation, things can be rather unpredictable, as the members of All of Green will surely agree.

"Practicing is few and far between," said Dunn. "Basically, it's very hard. We have five guys that have five different lives, work different jobs, and have very different hours. It's hard at times. We get together when ever we can, which usually means, when we need to." Most of the group's songwriting is done individually or in pairs. Ideas are noted and then later presented to the group. From there, input comes from everyone until the basic structure is achieved.

"It's very much a collaborative effort," said Dunn. "To me, this album is more like a mixed tape. We had each angle of the band bring their two cents in from song to song." For Dunn, the future of the band is going to get very exciting as this lineup settles into itself and really starts to see its own voice develop.

"It's going to get interesting now because even though Butler has been in the band for a year and a half now, we've only written a couple of songs with him and now with Tayce, the new material will include their input as well. I'm very excited."