Ian Blurton Solo Album Features Broken Social Scene, Ex-Danko Jones, Raising The Fawn Members

Ian Blurton has no plans to unleash new material with his hard-hitting trio C'Mon until next spring, so he's decided to issue a solo disc called Happy Endings.

The album's 13 cuts took shape in different studios in Toronto, Winnipeg and British Columbia over the last several years.

"Folded Plastic" was originally done for Blurton's post-Change Of Heart act, Blurtonia, but the number never made it onto either of the group's two well-respected releases.

"Explosions In The Thigh" was a discarded Amy Millan track Blurton reshaped, and the drums for another track were recorded during downtime while Blurton was producing The Weakerthans' 2007 Reunion Tour effort.

"I just hope that folks don't expect a rock record as it's got influences from a wide array of sources like psych, folk, dub, pop and more," Blurton explains.

"I guess the major difference between this and my past stuff is that I played most of the instruments myself. It's more isolationist and I didn't really write any songs for it. I just let whatever happened happen. Most of the tracks are first takes and I let a lot of things just go."

Initially, Blurton plans to self-release Happy Endings as a small run and see how things progress. Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew, ex-Raising The Fawn member Scott Remila (who's now with City And Colour and Le Pigeon), ex-Danko Jones and Change Of Heart drummer Damon Richardson and Huron's Aaron Goldstein are some of the guests Blurton recruited for Happy Endings.

"I just asked a few people here and there who I thought would be fun to work with or who I have never had the chance to work with," he says. "Most of my buds tour a lot so timing had something to do with it. I wish Mary Margaret O'Hara was on it."

Blurton will play shows in support of Happy Endings for the next few weeks. Hamilton, Ont. quartet Huron are opening all the shows with selections from their eponymous debut and will also back Blurton during his sets.

"I produced Huron's record and thought it would make a good fit," Blurton says. "We get along really well and I totally respect them as humans and as a band. We have been reworking the songs and I love the three guitar thing we got going on. It's different because a lot of the keyboard parts have now become guitar parts."

According to a post on his MySpace page, Blurton and Huron will be playing Happy Endings from start to finish at all of the concerts. They'll also be adding some extra sonic goodies to the mix before the night wraps up.

"We covered 'Sin's A Good Man's Brother' by Grand Funk at our first show and we will be learning a couple more," offers Blurton. "It's all top secret."

Here are Ian Blurton and Huron's tour dates:

Nov. 13 London, ON @ Call The Office
Nov. 18 Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Tavern
Nov. 20 Hamilton, ON @ This Ain't Hollywood
Nov. 25 Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Tavern
Dec. 3 Montreal, QC @ The Green Room
Dec. 4 Kingston, ON @ The Toucan
Dec. 16 Guelph, ON @ E-Bar