Factories and Alleyways is a band of brothers. Taking their cues from the timeless works of The Band, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, The Eagles, and Whiskeytown, the band produces music lush with three-part harmonies, delivered with raw emotion and soul.
Forming in Vancouver during 2011 Roots/Folk/Country/Canadiana band Factories and Alleyways had in one short year, gone from casually strumming and singing its music over beer and cigarettes in a dingy basement jam space, to receiving critical praise in major publications, national radio airplay and invitations to some of the coolest gigs going.
After touring to support the release of the band’s self-titled, debut EP, the good news started rolling in. The record was added to CBC Radio 3 and garnered a number of plays on CBC Radio One. It also charted on college radio stations across the country. Print and online publications weren’t far behind. Exclaim! Magazine, The Georgia Straight, Beatroute Magazine, The Province newspaper, popular blog forfolkssake.com and many more praised Factories & Alleyways’ debut effort.
The band was selected, along with some of Vancouver’s best talent (Daniel Wesley, Shaun Verrault, etc.) to record at the historic final day of tracking at the legendary Mushroom Studios. Allingham and the Denny-Keys were also invited to play with other high-profile artists at Record Store Day at Neptoon Records in Vancouver.
It is riding this wave of momentum that Factories & Alleyways released its first full-length record, “Canadiana”, on 11 June 2013.
Why ‘Canadiana’? Well, all too often, the combination of country, folk and rock music is boiled down to a singular term: Americana. While Americana has been used to describe some of music’s all-time greats, it doesn’t do justice to the band’s proud roots. In Allingham and the Denny-Keys’ music you can hear the power and beauty of the unique Canadian landscape. Warm three-part harmonies rise up like the morning sun over the west coast. Vivid storytelling lyrics sweep across the record like winds over the prairies. Outbursts of rhythmic power and loud gang vocals tower and resonate like echoes through the Rocky Mountains. Dynamic piano parts ripple and flow like the waters of the Great Lakes. And the whole record, from front to back, a raucous whirlwind of energetic music-making, no different than a maritime storm. This music is Canadiana, plain and simple.
“Canadiana” endeavours to capture the soul; the celebration, the love, loss and heartache, of Canadian life. “My Brother” is a story about labour unrest in small town B.C. after fires burn community-supporting sawmills to the ground. Campfire anthem “Pass Along” celebrates the simple beauty of breathing the air, hearing the music and being alive. Blue-collared scorcher “Without a Buck” regrets nothing as it tells the tale of gambling everything you’ve got and coming up empty, only to long for the true love you lost in the first place. “Hallelujah” and “The Back Door” quietly reflect upon the power and meaning of memories and how they shape our lives forever. “Life Is Now” reminds us that, here in Canada, we live in one of the greatest places on Earth and every day is a gift.
Factories & Alleyways is a band of brothers, all of whom play and sing the music like its their one true love and that love is all they got. Allingham and the Denny-Keys are inspired by their city (Vancouver) and its streets, and by the countryside (Langley) they grew up in. They’re inspired by the records that their parents spun endlessly throughout their youths. They’re inspired by the people they love, the adventures they’ve had and those that lie ahead. They’re inspired by a cold drink and a good story. The members all write, sing and play multiple instruments.
Factories and Alleyways is Jeremy Allingham / Matt Denny-Keys / Josh Denny-Keys / Alex Glassford
1. [2012] Factories And Alleyways EP
01. Without A Buck
02. 1000 Beers
03. Lonely Road
04. Right Now
05. Hallelujah
06. Goodbye
All Vocals - Allingham / M. Denny-Keys / J. Denny-Keys
Rhythm Guitar - Allingham / M. Denny-Keys
Lead Guitar - Allingham
Piano and Organ - J. Denny-Keys
Bass - M. Denny-Keys / J. Denny-Keys / Allingham
Drums - Glassford
Percussion - Allingham
Pedal Steel on 'Goodbye' - Doug Liddle
Fiddle on 'Hallelujah' - Kathleen Nisbet
Horns on 'Hallelujah' - The Cambridge Brass (J. Denny-Keys / Adam Junk / Nick Wilson)
Released 12 June 2012
Bandcamp Download
2. [2013] Canadiana
01. Without A Buck
02. 1000 Beers
03. Pass Along
04. The Back Door
05. Hallelujah
06. Right Now
07. My Brother
08. Sing To Me
09. Lonely Road
10. Life Is Now
11. England
12. Leave Me Alone
All Vocals - Allingham / M. Denny-Keys / J. Denny-Keys
Rhythm Guitar - Allingham / M. Denny-Keys / J. Denny-Keys
Lead Guitar - Allingham / M. Denny-Keys
Piano and Organ - J. Denny-Keys
Banjo - J. Denny-Keys
Bass - M. Denny-Keys / J. Denny-Keys / Allingham
Drums - Alexander Glassford
Percussion - Allingham
Fiddle on 'Hallelujah' - Kathleen Nisbet
Brass on 'Hallelujah' - The Cambridge Brass (J. Denny-Keys / Adam Junk / Nick Wilson)
Brass on 'Life Is Now' - Nick Wilson, Thomas Junk, Rebecca Isaac
Cello on 'Life Is Now' - Jeff Griffiths
Released 11 June 2013
Bandcamp Download
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