Donlands, by JERRY LEGER

Donlands

by JERRY LEGER

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Full Digital Discography

24

releases

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of "Why Should We Try Anymore" Jerry Leger sings Hank Williams, Donlands, The Time Flew By, Latent Uncovers, Live From Paradise, Father Christmas, Christmas Without You, Nothing Pressing, and 16 more. , and , .

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1.	Sort Me Out 03:06	lyrics	buy track
SORT ME OUT Love and faith I want to see them on my track I gave it all away Then I wanted it back Every joker wants a laugh Every go-getter takes a stab I feel my tension shift See the pendulum lift In a room where I sit To sort me out You can't win When you don't know What you're fighting for Journey of a bullet Reason for a scar And the way we are portrayed What's real, who's to say These thoughts are swirling 'round Both feet on bleeding ground But help is what I've found To sort me out Out on the home stretch In on the scheme I knew it was you standing there By the records and magazines If dreams are made for two Tell me, how did we do? Dancing eyes in cobalt blue Starlit sky above the spruce And here you are right on cue To sort me out
2.	I Was Right To Doubt Her 03:06	lyrics	buy track
I WAS RIGHT TO DOUBT HER I was right to doubt her She was giving me the slip When her alarm went off this morning She had already split And I thought things were going Much better than they were But I know that troubling feeling She'd take a different turn Back into his arms And out of this world I was wrong to convince her That this was the place for us In my hometown far from her friends I began to lose her trust A sleepy kind of city And a stubborn set of rules The local closes at eleven And further she withdrew Back into his arms And out of my view Snow on the ceiling Snow on the floor I can't stand the feeling Of snow anymore Snow in the dealing Snow at my door I can't stand seeing The snow anymore I was right to doubt her She was giving me a line When I told her that I loved her She took her time to reply But I was not her first man And I would not be her last I was caught up in what I wanted And what she wanted was in the past Back into his arms And out just as fast
3.	I'll Stay 05:17	lyrics	buy track
I'LL STAY It's lonely on the bottom And death at the top They'll be singing your praises When the story is hot And I'll be here missing Those good days we knew I can carve out a future But I want it with you Tell me You want it this way Give me one reason and I'll stay I'll stay We're reckless in wonder And running low on funds In a diner off the highway That's as cheap as they come In the middle of somewhere Is a place where we're from And I'd reach out and touch you If only you'd slow down Tell me You want it this way Give me one reason and I'll stay I'll stay With two arms to hold you Two arms to console you In a world that unfolds you And me This time next Friday I'll be dancing up a storm To a band I've admired Ever since I was young The singer was shaky And the band dodgy too But they still swing for the fences With nothing to lose Tell me You want it this way Give me one reason and I'll stay I'll stay
4.	Three Hours Ahead Of Midnight 03:11	lyrics	buy track
THREE HOURS AHEAD OF MIDNIGHT Drew you the way I last remembered Forgot everything up til then Was love something that we measured When we were acting more than friends I'm drawn to the light I got a stake in the cause I love to see the sunshine pouring down Your ever-flowing golden locks I will be your cuddly toy Three hours ahead of midnight Take my hand and we'll see this through Just like paper in the wind Pushed into what we could do But now we're resisting I will be your cuddly toy Three hours ahead of midnight Three hours ahead of midnight Don't you break down on me While we still have joy left Before they take me from your reach And you won't know where I went I'll still be your cuddly toy Three hours ahead of midnight Three hours ahead of midnight
5.	The Flower and The Dirt 04:12	lyrics	buy track
THE FLOWER AND THE DIRT When we decide that it's over And the red curtain drops The spotlight starts fading And the people file out You can have the glory And I'll take the hurt You were always the flower And I was always the dirt Every line you memorized Was something that I wrote Your admired inflection Was from the way that I spoke I didn't have your guts But put in all the work You were always the flower And I was always the dirt Who is deserving And who gets the blame Who does it for love And who does it for fame The stages got bigger And so the money flowed My bad habits returned So you too gave them a go But they didn't fit you right Just made you feel worse You were always the flower And I was always the dirt Who is deserted And who runs away Who is forgiven And who burns at the stake Across a dirty table And our bottomless cups It's a war of opinions 'Til we finally give it up 'Cause what does it matter To little town flirts You were always the flower And I was always the dirt You were always the flower And I was always the dirt
6.	Wounded Wing 03:45	lyrics	buy track
WOUNDED WING If it's left up to chance In the marigold sun I hide in the promise of protection The whistle blows But the work ain't done Looking down to see Another town crumbling Wounded Wing See how she flies Way up in that undying sky The restless wind don't care why But she won't take the fall The temperature drops And they bustle no more She waits for the siren That waits for the door In walks the killer And in comes the hound One waits for the hammer And waits for the ground Wounded Wing See how she flies Way up in that undying sky The restless wind don't care why But she won't take the fall In the worst of years Said it was best to leave me be Where she had to go I couldn't be following So, goodbye to what we knew And hello to what we need She let go of my hand But couldn't let go of me Wounded Wing See how she flies Way up in that undying sky The restless wind don't care why But she won't take the fall
7.	You Carry Me 03:15	lyrics	buy track
YOU CARRY ME Trick our minds Kick those tires If I'm so wise Why am I the liar? I don't want you to wait for me But I don't want you to go Is that so You carry me, you carry me Is that so You carry me, you carry me Remember the last time And that time after You saved my life You didn't just stand there I don't want you to wait for me But I don't want you to go Is that so You carry me, you carry me Is that so You carry me, you carry me And I know When I get tired And I can't fool you And when I'm wired I'm on the next move I don't want you to wait for me But I don't want you to go Is that so You carry me, you carry me Is that so You carry me, you carry me Carry me home
8.	I Need Love 03:32	lyrics	buy track
I NEED LOVE I need love More than ever before Deep inside my chest Down to my very soul I need light In the darkest of days Just like anyone else Who's had the guts to say I'm lonely and scared I'm not equipped as I thought I was To let my body stand bare And survive every shot I need love I'm lonely and scared I'm not equipped as I thought I was To let my body stand bare And survive every shot I need love To brace me up Strength from the heavens Just won't be good enough I need love
9.	Out There Like The Rain 04:59	lyrics	buy track
OUT THERE LIKE THE RAIN She was out there like the rain But didn't tell a soul Using anything to ease the pain Or so we've been told I know I've needed a little lift Every once in a while A break when life it drifts away And you're frustrated like a child Looking up Seeing what Was at the beginning Before the rain He was out there like the rain When I ducked for cover His ramblings were always the same Put the blame on each other Now, I don't know about someone else And two sides of their person But somewhere there's a crack in the wealth And the poor just keep on losing Looking up Seeing what Was at the beginning Before the rain We're out there like the rain Snapping them out of their comfort But on this hot summer day It's relief from the torture Make-up running down my face Revealing nothing new Along the tracks You'll see a trace Of what I couldn't choose Looking up Seeing what Was at the beginning Before the rain
10.	Slow Night In Nowhere Town 04:10	lyrics	buy track
SLOW NIGHT IN NOWHERE TOWN Stabbing cigarettes in a metal ashtray Picking fights and standing your ground But the only thing there is the mirror and you Slow night in nowhere town Another coffee on a breathtaking day But have nothing to talk about Things drying up in my writing pen Slow night in nowhere town Slow night in nowhere town I get all I can From the giving hand Snake bit But I ain't dead One lone dancer and a mirror ball She's the only soul around I've found Pours me another when the song is done Slow night in nowhere town Main drag was once a parade Now it always looks closed down Guess I'm walking alone again Slow night in nowhere town Slow night in nowhere town I get all I can From the giving hand Snake bit But I ain't dead Gloves worn through the fingers and palms Me and Bert stuck on Thirteen Down I've seen this movie a thousand times Slow night in nowhere town Slow night in nowhere town Slow night in nowhere town Slow night in nowhere town

about

As Toronto’s music scene has grown in stature on the world stage, singer/songwriter Jerry Leger has been making his own significant contributions. A favourite of Uncut Magazine and Rolling Stone Germany, Leger has also earned the praise of fellow artists Ron Sexsmith (“he’s the real deal”) and Doug Paisley, while maintaining a long relationship with Cowboy Junkies as part of their Latent Recordings roster, with their songwriter/guitarist Michael Timmins serving as producer.

On his new album Donlands, Leger has taken a different approach, teaming up with legendary Canadian producer/engineer Mark Howard (Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Neil Young), whose trademark atmospheric sound adds an entirely new dimension to Leger’s approach. Named after the street in Toronto’s east end where it was recorded, in what once was the Donlands Theatre, Donlands presents Jerry Leger as he’s never been heard before.

“Not a lot of people make records like Mark Howard anymore,” Leger says. “After I got to tell him how much Tom Waits’s Real Gone meant to me, I fell right into the experience. Like all my albums, we recorded Donlands mostly live in the studio with my band The Situation [Dan Mock, Kyle Sullivan, Alan Zemaitis] in a circle—no headphones, just listening and existing, breathing as a whole. To me, it’s a record that lives in its own world. Since I was a little kid, I've loved how recordings like The Flamingos’ ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’ and ‘Pledging My Love’ by Johnny Ace sound so haunting. I knew Mark could get us that, with the right choice of material.”

Leger began by sending Howard 20 demos, and was pleasantly surprised when they basically agreed on which 10 should comprise the record. From there, he describes the process as treating each song like a blank canvas, building up arrangements with the help of engineer Aaron Goldstein, who also added pedal steel and guitar to several tracks. But overall, Leger says it all came down to the atmosphere Howard created. He says the experience felt almost like creating a film noir soundtrack, with something unknown always lurking in the shadows.

That certainly comes across on songs like “I Was Right To Doubt Her,” with its spooky organ and Spanish-style percussion recalling Howard’s work on Willie Nelson’s Teatro. But mostly, Leger wears his poetic heart firmly on his sleeve on “Three Hours Ahead Of Midnight” and “The Flower And The Dirt,” songs that underscore Leger’s uncommon ability to pen timeless music and lyrics. Further, as on the Roy Orbison-esque opening track “Sort Me Out,” and the heart-wrenching piano ballad “Wounded Wing,” Leger digs deep to express the strength and resolve we’ve all needed to get through the past few years. He says, “This record is a place I've known about and where I’ve always wanted to live, so it was a nice and rewarding visit. It's another piece of me that floats in a dream. It's surreal at times, just like writing can be surreal.”

Donlands comes to an appropriate close with “Slow Night In Nowhere Town,” in which the movie ends and we walk out of the theatre into a steady downpour, unsure of whether to go home or just keep moving. For Jerry Leger, the search for the elusive creative spark remains never-ending, but there are always new routes to explore in getting to it. With Donlands, he has made an album that stands as one of the peak moments in an already towering body of work.

credits

released October 27, 2023

All songs written by Jerry Leger, Leger Music (SOCAN)
Produced, recorded and engineered by Mark Howard (assistant engineer: Aaron Goldstein)
at Gold Standard Recorders, located in the old Donlands Theatre, Toronto, Ontario
Mixed by Mark Howard at Gold Standard Recorders and in Topanga, California
Mastered by Philip Shaw Bova, Ottawa, Ontario
Album design by Jonny Desilva
Photography by Laura Proctor (except Jerry at the piano, taken by Alan Zemaitis)

Jerry Leger - vocals/electric & acoustic guitar/piano
Dan Mock - electric & upright bass/vocals/moog synthesizer/electric guitar
Kyle Sullivan - drums/percussion/vocals
Alan Zemaitis - piano/electric piano/organ/vocals/acoustic guitar
Aaron Goldstein - pedal steel/electric guitar/vocals

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about

JERRY LEGER Toronto, Ontario

singer/songwriter from Toronto, Canada. Jerry Leger has been called “one of Canada’s best” by Exclaim, a “gifted storyteller” by The Toronto Star and "One of the best Canadian songwriters" by Rolling Stone.
Ron Sexsmith, Jim Lauderdale and Michael Timmins of Cowboy Junkies are known fans. ... more

shows

May 13

TivoliVredenburg Club Nine

Utrecht, Netherlands
May 13

TivoliVredenburg

Utrecht, Netherlands
May 15

Union Music Store

Lewes, UK
May 20

Sneaky Pete's

Edinburgh, UK
May 27

Green Note

Camden, UK

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