Scenic Route to Alaska

Warrington is the second full-length album from Scenic Route to Alaska, their first since 2012. Filled with upbeat indie folk, the album was inspired by singer Trevor Mann’s grandmother Dorothy, an English war bride who presumably graces the album’s black and white cover.

The album opens with its lead single, “Paris,” a buoyant and catchy track which has Mann declaring he’s “sick of secondhand advice telling me we’ll be fine.” This chorus is a good indicator of the rest of Warrington, as many of the album’s songs deal with topics like falling in love and losing someone, but the liveliness of the band’s instrumentation and Mann’s melodies never hit a depressing note.

“For Dot” comes in halfway through the album and slows things down for Mann to deliver a message to his grandmother that starts with “Even though you’re gone now / It doesn’t mean that you are lost.” It details Dorothy’s life, with Mann singing with a tremble in his voice about her hiding out underground as a young girl while bombs rained overhead, destroying her home. The guitar and drums are much more sparse here than on the rest of the album, allowing the real showcase to be Mann’s beautiful vocals. Things pick up near the song’s end, with him belting out “I know that you’ll always love me / I know that you always will,” as the music swells, creating a loving and energetic dedication to his grandmother.

After the rollicking drums and spirited vocal harmonies of “I Know,” the album ends on a quiet note with “Tell Me When,” with Mann repeating that love will keep us alive before his vocals give way to an intricate and beautiful musical outro. The song sums up the greatest lesson learned from the album’s 10 previous tracks in a soft and relaxing way, which is a nice cool-down after everything that comes before...

That being said, Warrington is a solid effort from the band and well worth checking out for fans of the genre. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, it offers uplifting songs with emotional and honest lyrics coupled with vocal melodies that dare you not to sing along. - Buzz and Howl

These guys are a great band with wonderfully complex rhythms and beats. And with their second full length album, Scenic Route to Alaska, much like Avicii, has taken their music to the next level. I will be honest, it is tough to write a music review when the television next to your computer is being switched between the NBA finals and Miss USA. But after putting on my headphones and starting this album, nothing else phased me. Scenic Route to Alaska grabbed my attention and never let go.

Scenic Route to Alaska is a folk-rock trio formed in 2010. Throughout their time together, they have nailed down their sound and Trevor Mann has written his own music to bring his own flare to the band.

I couldn’t have said it much better than that. This band has only been around for 4 years and have done so well tuning themselves and keeping their heads from getting the best of them.

Right off the bat, Scenic Route to Alaska gives you a feeling of Taking Back Sunday’s Summer Man with the intro guitar riffs. But Mann hit the mic in Paris and switched the feeling from TBS, one of my personal favorite bands, to The Killers. But don’t be fooled, Scenic Route to Alaska changes their tune more than award show presenters change clothes. They pull in the folk right away in the album with their song If I were a Ghost, giving a less banjo filled Mumford & Sons feeling.

Scenic Route to Alaska has gone from a group of friends in Alberta to being on the verge of jumping into the major music stream. Although they may not join the mainstream like so many other bands, I won’t know that unless I get to ask them, they have the full potential to reach fans of nearly every genre. I will be very surprised if Scenic doesn’t begin opening for larger bands, even in the US on a limited basis. Currently they are only touring in Canada, mostly in Alberta.

I found myself listening to this album and I just kept thinking, “okay, that has to be the end of the different sounds they have.” But on the next track, they would pull out a different style and I was captivated.

Mainstream similarity by track:
1. Paris (Taking Back Sunday meets The Killers)
2. If I Were A Ghost (Mumford & Sons)
3. Every Year or So (Simon and Garfunkel)
4. Cold in the Winter (Band of Horses)
5. For Dot (Civil Wars (new album) and Coldplay (select songs)
6. Fall (MuteMath)
7. Flowers (Landon Pigg)
8. Instrumental (John Mayer/Jason Mraz)
9. Waking Up My Heart (Alabama Shakes)
10. I Know (Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors)
11. Tell Me When (John Mayer with Band of Horses) - Crooked Line Reviews

With only one EP to their name, Scenic Route To Alaska have made an indelible impression on the Albertan scene, even playing the Edmonton Folk Fest. Their long awaited debut long player, All These Years, is ripe with the infectious and soul stirring folk pop we’ve come to love and expect from this passionate trio. The single, ‘Settle Down’, clearly stands out on the first listen, but repeated attention has drawn me more and more towards ‘Sidewalk Chalk’, ‘Losing You’, and ‘All These Years’. All in all, the record is an extremely cohesive collection of hits that could simultaneously fit into a set on community radio or big radio all the same. Somehow SRTA churns their inner complexities of alternate tunings, advanced bass writing, and complicated drum patterns into a butter that is deceivingly simple and catchy. These boys really are the hip, sensible, hometown boys who’ve somehow evolved into a burdock on the pant leg of the mainstream. If you missed their CD release on June 1st or didn’t get tickets in time, there are still tickets left for their all ages release on June 15th. - Argue Job

Canadian indie folk trio Scenic Route to Alaska come into their own on remarkable sophomore full-length “Warrington.” Trevor Mann (vocals/guitar), Murray Wood (bass) and Shea Connor (drums/vocals) grew up together in Edmonton, Alberta, and after a few years kicking around as a cover band, laid the foundation for Scenic Route to Alaska. This 11-track gem was inspired by Mann’s English war bride grandmother Dorothy and the band soars on keepers “Paris,” “Ever Year or So,” “Cold in the Winter,” “For Dot,” “I Know” and “Tell Me When.” Scenic Route to Alaska have crafted an eclectic sound that should appeal to fans of everyone from The Killers and Mumford & Sons to Alabama Shakes and Band of Horses. Highly recommended. (Jeffrey Sisk) - Pittsburgh In Tune

Some save the best for last, but with this line-up, it was more along the lines of going out with a bang. The headlining Scenic Route to Alaska kicked off with alternative beats, breaking hearts and stitching them back together with a deep-rooted hope. A warm, homey air lingered, paralyzing any negative emotion. The unique, raspy vocals of Trevor Mann complimented the simplistic melodies, bringing them to life, proving less is more. The interactive trio kept the crowd entertained and even gave us a preview of “Every Year or So,” their latest track, which is to be released in June. Pushing through until just before 2 a.m. with cheers louder than the last, this was a stellar show that I hope no one missed. - Beatroute Magazine

There’s something really endearing about bands that come out of long-standing friendships.

It doesn’t happen as often as you might think, and it doesn’t always turn out as well as you might hope. For Scenic Route to Alaska, it’s been the absolute perfect situation. All three members grew up in Riverdale, where bassist Murray Wood and guitarist Trevor Mann first started hanging around when Wood was five and Mann six. They met drummer Shea Connor when they enrolled in Grade 7 at the Victoria School for the Performing Arts, and began their first band in Grade 9.

They chose Scenic Route to Alaska as a name in 2010, just as Wood was making plans to attend the music program at McGill University in Montreal. With their bassist off for most of the year, the band played erratically, though still managing to record and release an album (All These Years) in 2012, driving out to Montreal to record in frenzied night sessions.

It was the kind of situation that would break up most bands, but somehow they’ve kept it together, even thrived as a unit. With Wood now returned home, and a soon-to-be-released new record, Warrington, ready to go, they’ve proven that their decision to stick together as a trio over the last four years has been a wise one. On Wednesday, the album was nominated for Pop Recording of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards.

The Journal caught up with bassist Murray Wood just after practice, speaking with him about recording, touring and friendship.

Q: The first single from the album, Paris, seems like a whole new direction for you. It sounds less like the folk-rock you’re known for and more toward an indie-rock.


A: Yeah, the single doesn’t really represent the whole record. There’s this 50/50 split going on between up tempo and ballady songs, and a mix of genres. Lots of folk, and then the indie rock thing. There’s also some with country-rock and pop-rock in there; it’s what felt right to us.”

Q: You took more time on it compared to your first album, right?

A: “We did it last August in Brad Smith’s studio (Nuela Charles, Picture the Ocean) for two weeks with (singer-songwriter) Jay Sparrow producing and it was amazing. It was great because before that, we would do rushed sessions, and even our songwriting was rushed because I was in Montreal. It was a long-distance relationship, but this was the first time we were all in one place together, so we could take our time and get everything we wanted.”

Q: Did you take away a lot from your time at McGill?

A: “Definitely. There aren’t a lot of gigging bassists in Edmonton, and especially not on the double bass. There were two in the whole jazz program at Grant MacEwan when I was there, and there were 30 at McGill. I was exposed to a level of commitment to music that opened my eyes. The students there lived their whole lives as if music was the only thing that mattered. It was intensive. To only think about music for the better part of the last five years has definitely changed things.”

Q: In that time Scenic Route to Alaska was constantly stopping and starting. It’s amazing that none one of you didn’t drift off to do something else.

A: “I think we were getting a reputation as a summer band, because that’s the only time that everyone could fully commit. It slowed us down, and it was frustrating for Shea, because he’s been out of school for a few years. He’d be like, ‘This is it, this is the year that we do it,’ and now finally we are doing it, we’re all ready to go.”

Q: Do you see Warrington as a step beyond where you were when you recorded your first album in 2012?

A: “We actually see it as our debut album. We still use the old record, but we’re so much prouder of this one because it actually does justice to what we’re trying to do.” - Edmonton Journal