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Vancouver Rock/Alt Band Whitbeck Releases Debut Album, ‘January 22’

By Kath Galasso on April 28, 2022

Vancouver-based Rock/Alternative Band Whitbeck, led by award-winning guitarist, vocalist and producer Greg Whitbeck, have announced their debut album “January 22”, out April 15, 2022. Rock fans can expect dense guitars and rousing arrangements grounded by driving rhythms. Whitbeck live features mega talents, guitarist Sean Dillon, and former Sick Logic rhythm section Mario Loubert and Shiraz Mohammed.

“January 22 is our 1st full length album & also the 3rd single & video from the record. The song itself is about the paradox of hope & renewal vs defeat & resignation against a backdrop of the beautiful, shining port city of Vancouver, Canada. Mixed & produced later, it was written & recorded in the cabin of my 27’ Albin Vega sailboat I lived on at the time and all the vocal & guitar tracks are the originals from those Shelter Island Sessions.”

Lead single and album opener “West Coast Love Song” carries a profound meaning as it explores the tragedy of the Canadian residential school system, more than 150,000 children from hundreds of indigenous communities across Canada were forcibly taken from their parents by the government. The song is dedicated to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls of Canada.

“West Coast Love Song is one of the darkest songs I’ve ever written, & one thing I’ve written about plenty is the blackness. It features the incredible Susana Williams’ vocals as well as her appearance in the video & an incredible cameo of her walking out of the ocean onto the beach outside her home of Sunshine Coast, Canada. Far from a love song, it has morphed from a lament of loss & sorrow in the deep green of west coast cedar shadows & pacific waves gloaming to a sad, yet eerie & perhaps even violent yarn about a chilling demise. Though not affiliated, we dedicate it to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls of Canada.” – Greg Whitbeck

“January 22” pays musical homage and takes influence from 90’s Alternative/Grunge, classic Rock n’ Roll and modern Indie Rock, realizing its own cohesive signature sound. Greg Whitbeck‘s emotionally charged vocals and down-to-Earth lyricism is backed by dynamic guitar arrangements and layered, memorable melodies. Although some of the songs undoubtedly explore dark territory, the underlying energy throughout is resilience and hope.

Stream the full January 22 album on Spotify