12BeLowZero – Bruce County Blues

12BeLowZero instantly wake me up with a fresh set of cowbells and typical groovy bass. It almost hit me like someone ringing your doorbell during a well-deserved afternoon nap.

It has a nice friendly vibe accompanied by a slow mood before the vocals start. Maybe this is the typical Bruce County Blues tranquillity that sounds oh so sweet in this fast-paced, increasingly demanding world. A lovely authentic, slightly old school sound that slowly drags me and my imagination into a pleasant black and white movie.

The lyrics are not too poetic, but practical and straightforward with a polite smile. Christina (vocals) has an intriguing voice that, at times, sound a bit held back but suit the black and white movie feel really well.

“My ex and my spouse are one and the same” is a forthright example of a strophe that put an instant smile on my face that lasted the entire track. Stereotypical American countryside? Yes, I thought at first but being a European I had to do some research and found that 12BeLowZero are actually singing about Canada… And so while setting my prejudgment straight, I hear Christina sing “the 2 brothers both named Darrel” and it shows that the typical countryside picture was sort of right 😉

Take a choir singer, a harmonica tornado, a Double bass player who doubles a doctor, a guitarist who swears he never played in a band before, and a drummer who learned to play within prison walls. Deposit them in the frigid wasteland known as Grey-Bruce, Ontario, Canada. Stir regularly. Cool to 12BeLowZero.

Post listening, I read that Bruce County Blues was written while one of the band members was teaching a group of students some classic Canadian slang. Lastly, I would like to give a little huzzah for the harmonica that is well performed in the song. I really love this song but have to admit that I have never really listened to country music before. Will definitely listen to more 12BeLowZero and country in the future, so huzzah it is!

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