The Warped 45’s use the words of David Seymour as an opener for their recent release, ’10 Day Poem to Saskatchewan’. Winter wheat under a full moon, walking backwards into the wind, vesper bells tolling in the rain, horse hair dance floors and Saskatchewan fields come together as a clear description in the title. The band picks up and continues the theme throughout the album, their first full length effort. The Warped 45’s are one of those bands that manage to include the sound and feel of their environment in the music they create. ’10 Day Poem to Saskatchewan’ blends guitar distortion with banjo, barrelhouse piano with Fiddle reels and rolls. Alt Country from across the border where a brand of northern Americana makes its home. Cousins Dave and 
Ryan Wayne McEathron formed The Warped 45’s in 2007. The two share multi-task duties on the album, each bringing vocals, guitars, mandolin, banjo and percussion to the mix with Ryan Wayne adding in harmonica. They join Kevin Hewitt (keyboards, vocals, banjo, guitar, percussion), Hamal Finn Raye (drums, vocals, percussion) and Alex Needleman (bass, percussion) in making up the five piece. Opening slots for Elliot Brood and Drive-By Truckers in their native Ontario has led to cross Canadian treks building a presence in their homeland.
The sound of ’10 Day Poem to Saskatchewan’ takes the possibilities of electric and acoustic instrumentation and develops a third option that allows the two camps to exist more as soul mates. The blend of acoustic guitar and barely held in electric rage that take turns riding shotgun on “Really Don’t Mind” are great examples of how well the notes get along in the hands of The Warped 45’s, showcasing not only the six strings, but a percolating arrangement that travels on a march step rhythm. Nothing sounds forced on the album. To me, that’s a sign of players that have an intuitive confidence in the use of a band. Whether the tones are a near pure country (“Progress”. “Why Oh Why”), rock solid twang (“Two Month Old Apologies”, “Leader of the Lost Expedition”, “We Know One Thing”) or wandering Roots sonic (“Trestle For A Train, “To The Daybreak”), The Warped 45’s corral notes and beats, not to fence in the sound but to allow it to mingle on common ground.
The rise of The Warped 45’s has been an organic building, taking the band from small clubs to magazine covers. One of the album’s cornerstones, “Radio Sky”, has been receiving lots of love and the video has been opening to eyes on Alternate Root TV and CMT. The song bares its heart early on, pinning Indie emotions into place with an epitaph that befits the DIY ethic, “let my headstone be my favorite juke box loaded with all the songs of my friends”. Amen!
More on The Warped 45’s can be found on their website, thewarped45s.com. Danny McCloskey
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