Canyon Lights Photo credit: Ron Bronson
Fronted by Pat Faherty and Tim Carman, formerly of GA-20, Canyon Lights are a blend of throwback rock n’ roll, swampy Americana, and heavy blues. Friends and bandmates since 2018, Pat and Tim have racked up thousands of hours performing on stages all over the world. Their love of blues music fueled their explosive performances with GA-20, a three-time #1 Billboard charting blues band from Boston, MA.
Drummer Tim Carman shares a bit more info on their latest single:
“‘Song Behind Those Tears’ is an exploration of empathy, delving into the hidden stories and unspoken sorrows that lie behind a pair of tear-filled eyes. The song was inspired by an intense interaction between Pat, myself and a mutual friend. After the encounter, Pat was moved to remark, ‘there’s a song behind those tears.’
“Although the lyrics came together quickly, the exact feel of the song took a while to reveal itself. While in the studio, with the help of co-producer Dylan Brown, we settled on the driving snare drum/tambourine groove with a Beatles-inspired guitar part. It quickly became one of our favorite tracks on the album.”
The roots of Canyon Lights go back to 2023, when Pat and Tim began connecting over their mutual love of ’70s rock ‘n’ roll bands like Mountain, Thin Lizzy, and James Gang. Inspired by this era, Pat proposed the two work out some song ideas he had been playing with. At the same time, Tim revealed to Pat some personal lyrics he had held onto for years. The songwriting connection was instant and unique. Pat and Tim realized that this was a new venture, not strictly blues and not confined to any lane of creativity. The two flew to Denver in early 2024 to put these sounds on tape with friend Dylan Brown at the helm as engineer and co-producer. From this session, Canyon Lights was born.
“The songs on this album are among the most personal we’ve ever written and recorded. Spending 200 days a year on the road, struggling with separation and loss, the thrill and loneliness of living out of a suitcase… a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this album. We held nothing back and we can’t wait for you all to experience these stories with us…” (Pat and Tim)
After finishing the album, which featured bass guitar (played by Pat) on every track, the pair realized they needed a third member to cover the low end live. They reached out to friends in the music community for suggestions and one name kept turning up: Heather Gillis.
Pat and Tim flew to Nashville, TN to meet and jam with Heather, and the connection was instant. Gillis, a talented multi-instrumentalist, has extensive touring experience with artists like Butch Trucks and Lindsay Lou and also leads her own group called Wolf Twin. While in Nashville, the trio recorded a live version of their original song “Seventh Son,” which they released December 5, 2024.
Since then, things have moved fast for the trio. After the release of “Seventh Son,” they signed with Burning House Management and Madison House Booking Agency and booked a slew of national tour dates opening up for the legendary George Thorogood & The Destroyers, including a second leg of dates with them later this summer. Dates here.
The word is out on this new trio. And they’re only getting started…
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