Canyon Lights

Jason Landry, contributor

 

When I met Pat Faherty backstage at a recent gig and learned that he started a new band and that their first album was coming out, I was intrigued. As a fan of the band that he and drummer Tim Carman were in prior, most people would assume (as I did upon first listen) that the music they would be releasing would sound very similar in nature. But as the saying goes, don’t assume anything.

 

The band Canyon Lights was born out of Pat and Tim’s love for bluesy classic rock and were soon joined by bassist Heather Gillis to round out their trio. The gritty blues is ever present, but the music the emanates through the speakers harks back to the 1970s giving new listeners a taste of the past. 

 

The album kicks into high gear with the track “Seventh Son”. A slide guitar solo and Tim’s thunderous drums lay a blues-rock foundation for what’s to come. The infectious earworm of “Late To The Ball” follows, its groove so catchy you’ll be humming it for days. The song is elevated by harmonies that reappear in multiple tracks through the album. 

 

Something struck a chord in me as I was listening to Pats vocals on the track, “Song Behind Those Tears”. It catapulted me back 30 years ago to when a young Dave Grohl released the first Foo Fighters album. Pat’s vocal range seemed analogous to Dave’s, especially on the Foo’s track “Big Me”, and the tempo was pretty close too. That then sent me down a rabbit hole—thinking about when musicians leave bands to forge new paths. How many others have done the same and were driven to do something new…something freeing.

 

“Let Me In” harks back to the band’s GA-20 roots, grounding the album in raw, traditional blues with a modern bite. Then comes “Drivin’ Me”, a track five masterpiece where the addition of a killer slide guitar by Johnny Stachela helped to underscore the desperate, gut-punch lyric, 

    “And it gives me no pleasure, to leave you this way, but that gold in my veins is drivin’ me insane.”

 

“Codeine and Caffeine” is a raw, stripped down package—just Pat and his guitar. It’s how a seasoned musician differs from others. They’re able to pour out their soul and put deep emotion into such limited space but make it feel expansive all at the same time.

 

The back half of the album roars with “Running Wild”, a blues-rock anthem that honestly makes me wanna drive fast! As the track gradually builds upwards, overdriven guitars scream and the final 30 seconds showcase Pat and Tim’s airtight chemistry—it’s pure fire! “Movin’ Down” keeps the momentum with harmonies that feel like a rare gem in today’s rock scene. “Love Me Sweetly” offers a deep bass line that harkens early ZZ Top songs. “Blood Red Moon” has that slow-motion cinematic feel to it, painting a picture like you’re rolling outa Vegas on a dusty road in the back of a vintage Cadillac convertible contemplating life or trying to disappear from one. 

 

Closing with “Breathe Easy”, A classic-rock vibe with more killer harmonies and a raunchy slide guitar that channels everything from Leslie West’s heft to Duane Allman’s soul to Johnny Winter’s fire, all tied together with harmonies that lift the spirit. 

 

Although “Take Care” is the second to last track on the album, no one in the band actually plays or sings on it. As the French say, it’s a dénouement—it’s a tying up of loose ends. It’s a snippet from the song, “I Hear A Dream”, from the 1939 Gulliver’s Travels animated cartoon. As the lyrics in the song suggests, for the sailor to go back to sea. And in a sense, this slight intermission before the title track/final track of the album is a metaphor for Pat and Tim to reunite, get back on the road, and do what they do best. At least, that’s how I see it. And when you get a chance to listen to this album in its entirety, I hope you’ll all agree that rock is here to stay, no matter if it’s blues, or classic, or a little bit of both.

 

Their album Breathe Easy drops August 29, 2025 on Sgt. Honeyeater Records. 

 

Catch them on tour this fall opening for George Thorogood & The Destroyers. 

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