Comedic and heartfelt, Songs for the Town is local musician Danny Bell and His Disappointments’ second full-length release.
Recorded in Prince George at Pulp City Records, the album is steeped in Bell’s affection for the northern capital and everyday life in northern B.C.
“It talks about struggling with depression and being a musician in the small-time music industry of Canada and the funny things and hardships that go along with that,” explains Bell, in an interview with PrinceGeorgeMatters.
The album, which features the distinctive sound of Bell’s accordion, is both compelling and satirical.
“There is a love song to Prince George that is sort of a parody called Shitty Town,” says Bell, who moved to the city 11 years ago from the U.S. to attend the University of Northern B.C.
“It’s about what other people think Prince George is like — It seems like everywhere I go people are very okay saying what they think of Prince George or what they’ve heard of Prince George and it’s usually not good.”
He says wanted to challenge those perspectives in the form of a song.
“I love Prince George. I know that some people it slowly grows on you but I felt like it was a special place right off the bat,” explains Bell.
“After I left university and started playing music full time, my community switched to include all of these amazing musicians, artists, arts organizations and local businesses and I kind of got to know the community in a deeper way and it’s got even better.”
Bell says the songs from this album were written before anyone knew about the pandemic, but themes they explore like depression and social division in the community, are made even more relevant.
“There is a song called ‘Safe on the Hart’ which is about social divisions in Prince George – the Hart versus College Heights or the VLA – and type of thing assumptions that are tied to those areas, and I think that discussion can be applied to a much broader set of issues that everywhere around the world is facing right now.”
He says there are also songs that bring nostalgia for what are now simpler times.
“There’s a song where I jokingly complain about doing sound at the Legion and just wanting to hang out with my friends instead and watch the show and that is certainly not something I would be complaining about right now.”
Because of how the pandemic Bell says he’s had more time to focus on video projects to accompany the album’s online promotion.
His wife Evann Campbell, who is an artist and graphic designer dubbed Silky Hen, animated an entire music video for his song River Bank.
“She was lucky enough to get offered an artist’s residency at the Gavin Lake Forest Education Centre in the Cariboo and so we stayed there in a cabin for a week and basically did nothing but animate,” says Bell, explaining it took another two weeks to fully finish the video.
“This has obviously been my first time releasing something during a pandemic without the ability to tour or do a big splash with a CD release show so it has been interesting to switch those efforts 100 per cent online.”
Songs for the Town will be released through local label Good Egg Records and also features members from another local Prince George band Crones as well as Brin Porter on upright base, and Chloe Nakahara on fiddle.
“It kind of continually amazes me how much I love Prince George,” adds Bell. “I think it is such a great place of opportunity – You can make your own stuff and people pay attention sometimes.”
The album comes out on Dec. 11 but is currently available to pre-order and you can also listen to a sample of songs from the ablum online.
