AWARD-WINNING MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST
KEVIN HEARN
ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM “LETTUCE REJOICE”
A Collection Of Rediscovered “Orphan Songs”
Written Between 1995 And 2023
FEATURES PREVIOUSLY RELEASED SINGLES “WISHBONE” AND “LOVE IS THE KEY” FEATURING ANDY KIM & THE PERSUASIONS PLUS NEW SINGLE “COME TO LIGHT” FEATURING RON SEXSMITH
Watch The International Film Festival Lauded “Wishbone” Video HERE
(Toronto, ON - October 1) - Acclaimed musician, composer, and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Hearn today announces his new album, Lettuce Rejoice, arriving October 23 via Celery Music. Bringing together songs written between 1995 and 2023, the new record gathers a collection of tracks from across Hearn’s career, rediscovered and given new life. Produced by Hearn and Eric Ratz, with engineering from Kenny Luong, the album brings the songs into focus decades after some of them were first conceived.
The record draws together a wide-ranging cast of Hearn's longtime collaborators and musical friends. Hugh Marsh, Chris Gartner and Davide Di Renzo form the core band, with appearances from Michael Ray of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Ron Sexsmith, Kendel Carson, Tim Vesely of Rheostatics, Josh Finlayson and Andy Maize of Skydiggers, Stuart Kershaw of OMD, Rob Preuss of Spoons, Rob Kloet of The Nits, The Persuasions, and legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Kim.
The seeds for Lettuce Rejoice were planted in 2023, when Ratz reached out to Hearn about “Honeymoon Hair,” a song originally written in mind for BNL that Ratz had produced. When the two met to discuss finishing the track, Hearn played him a collection of other unfinished and unused songs from over the years. What began with one forgotten recording quickly grew into an album, with the pair returning to the material and finally giving the songs their own place in Hearn's extensive solo catalogue.
Among the songs finding a home on Lettuce Rejoice is the previously released “Love Is The Key,” Hearn's soulful collaboration with The Persuasions and Andy Kim. Originally conceived in Hearn's home studio as a heartfelt love song inspired by early rock and roll and classic vocal groups, the recording grew after The Persuasions joined Hearn in New York City to record their harmonies live off the floor. After hearing the song, which references his classic hit “Sugar, Sugar,” Kim joined the project himself, lending his unmistakable lead vocal to the track. Watch the Music Video HERE.
Lettuce Rejoice features two distinct versions of “Love Is The Key”, one led by Hearn and another featuring Kim on lead vocals.
Also included is “Wishbone,” an atmospheric meditation on lost love, memory and the ways people look to superstition and belief for answers. The song's beautifully crafted stop-motion video was created by JUNO Award-winning director and animator Sarah Legault and premiered at the Forest City Film Festival. It has since received international festival recognition, including selections at Cinequest, the Berlin Music Video Awards, Montreal's Courts d’un soir Festival and Cinejoy Film Festival, as well as finalist recognition at the USA Film Festival. Watch The “Wishbone” Video HERE.
Download hi-res screenshot from “Wishbone” Stop Motion Video Here
The announcement follows a characteristically prolific stretch for Hearn. In July, he released I LAND IN SPACE, a four-track collection of Sun Ra interpretations created alongside longtime Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter and vocalist Michael Ray. Featuring Hugh Marsh, Gavin Brown, Brian Ritchie, Jim Creeggan, Lori Cullen and Big Pat Hearn, the project continued Hearn and Ray's longstanding musical friendship while exploring the playful, free-spirited music and philosophy of Sun Ra.
Before that, Hearn released Portland Parish, an atmospheric and transportive collection recorded across three evocative locations in Jamaica’s lush and storied Portland Parish. The record features creaking pianos weathered by time and nature, ambient island soundscapes, and remarkable guest appearances, including a standout by Sun Ra Arkestra’s Michael Ray. Stream Portland Parish HERE.
Hearn also earned a JUNO Award nomination for “Album Artwork of the Year” for Basement Days, a collection of unearthed recordings from the 1980s, created with his delightfully offbeat high school band, The Glacials.
Hi-Res Press Photo HERE | Photo Credit: David Leyes
Lettuce Rejoice Tracklist:
01. Desert Jewel
02. Come To Light ft. Ron Sexsmith
03. The Beat Of Your Drum
04. Honeymoon Hair
05. Love Is The Key (Kevin Vocal)
06. Oh Hello
07. Storm Watching
08. Lonesome George
09. Wishbone
10. The Sea of Laughter
11. Love Is The Key (Andy Kim Vocal)
About Kevin Hearn
A gifted composer, in-demand collaborator, and ever-active musical force with zero interest in creative stagnancy, Hearn cut his teeth collaborating with the likes of Look People, and revered art-rock outfit Rheostatics before formally joining Barenaked Ladies in 1995. As the group’s profile swelled in the ensuing years, he explored new sonic ground with a series of innovative and imaginative solo albums. One of the most respected and sought-after Toronto musicians of the past 30 years, Hearn’s projects always attract brilliant collaborators including Violent Femmes, Gord Downie, Laurie Anderson, Garth Hudson, Ron Sexsmith, Dan Hill, Michael Ray of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Carole Pope, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Alan Doyle, The Persuasions, Violent Femmes, Colin Hay and drummer Rob Kloet (the Nits).
One of his most rewarding creative and personal relationships of all was with the legendary Lou Reed, for whom Hearn acted as musical director and keyboardist from 2007 until his passing in 2013. Hearn was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2018 as part of Barenaked Ladies. He released his ninth album, the captivating and compelling Calm and Cents, which was nominated for Instrumental Album of the Year at the 2020 JUNO Awards. Hearn also re-released his entire solo catalogue, which dates back to 1997’s debut Mothball Mint, and included a first time digital release of the sold-out 2019 Record Store Day Canada project Kevin Hearn & Friends Present: The Superhero Suite, nominated by the JUNO Awards for Album Artwork of the Year. Hearn’s previous album with Hugh Marsh, Dreaming Of The 80s, is a collection of the decade’s classics hits and deep cuts reimagined in Marsh and Hearn’s uniquely atmospheric and ethereal sonic environment.
Follow Kevin Hearn:
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Listen Harder Music Publicity
Cristina Fernandes | cristina@listenharder.com
James Tuchscherer | james@listenharder.com
