Said The Whale Release Catherine North Demos As Tribute To Dan Achen

Said The Whale have made available four demos recorded at Dan Achen's Hamilton, Ont.-based Catherine North Studios as a tribute to the late producer, who died on Monday (March 15).

Said The Whale cut some demos for some songs that eventually ended up on last year's Islands Disappear and the Magician EP at the studio in October 2008. They'd first met Achen while recording with singer/songwriter Amanda Zelina, and say they were not only impressed with the space, but Achen's work ethic and style.

"One of the first things we ever heard him say was during the first time we met him at the Amanda Zelina session; In response to someone's query 'shouldn't we lay down a click-track first?' he promptly replied, 'No man, just vibe with it'" the band wrote on their MySpace blog on Wednesday (March 17).

"I remember how freeing it was to hear a producer say something like that, and every time I've recorded with a metronome since then I've always wondered if Dan would have done it that way.

"Having only spent a brief period of time with him, its hard to provide a detailed memoir of his character, but ask anyone who knew him and they'll tell you how great Dan was and what a pleasure he was to work with. His resume was extensive, and he had great musicians working with him for good reason.

"Canada has lost a fantastic member of the music community, and alot of people have lost a good friend. Our condolences go out to those who share in this loss."

You can download the four demos through Said The Whale's MySpace page and website.

Achen, who produced and/or recorded albums by City And Colour, Kathleen Edwards and Martin Tielli, passed away after having a heart attack while playing hockey.

Said The Whale will play these shows in support of Islands Disappear:

March 25 Montreal, QC @ Green Room w/ In-Flight Safety and Graham Wright
March 26 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox w/ In-Flight Safety and Graham Wright
March 27 Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo w/ In-Flight Safety and Graham Wright
March 28 Hamilton, ON @ The Casbah w/ In-Flight Safety and Graham Wright
March 29 St. Catharines, ON @ The Mansion House w/ In-Flight Safety
March 30 London, ON @ Music Hall Lounge w/ In-Flight Safety and Graham Wright
March 31 Windsor, ON @ Blind Dog w/ In-Flight Safety and Graham Wright
April 1 Peterborough, ON @ The Red Dog w/ In-Flight Safety and Graham Wright
April 4 Sudbury, ON @ The Townehouse Tavern
April 9 Corner Brook, NL @ Grenfell College
April 10 St. John's, NL @ The Rock House
April 13 Moncton, NB @ The Paramount
April 14 Charlottetown, PEI @ Hunter's Ale House
April 15 Sackville, NB @ George's Fabulous Roadhouse
April 16 Halifax, NS @ The Pavilion w/ Hollerado
April 17 Fredericton, NB @ Seahorse Tavern w/ Hollerado
April 28 Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre w/ Plants And Animals
April 29 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos Cantina w/ Plants And Animals
April 30 Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room w/ Plants And Animals
May 1 Calgary, AB @ Royal Canadian Legion w/ Plants And Animals
May 2 Kelowna, BC @ Habitat w/ Plants And Animals
May 4 Victoria, BC @ Sugar w/ Plants And Animals
May 5 Vancouver, BC @ The Commodore Ballroom w/ Plants And Animals