First Listen: Vale by Cabbages and Kings
The hard rock band Cabbages and Kings has had a productive year since it relocated from St. John's to the small central Newfoundland community of Norris Arm.
Cabbages and Kings has just released a new album, Vale, recorded in their new studio and rehearsal space in Norris Arm.
"My grandparents' house [in Norris Arm] became for sale, so my wife and I bought that, and I gutted it and turned it into a studio, said Mike Kirby, the band's keyboard and bass player, and vocalist.
"That's where we're hanging out now, and making music."
Joshua Noble and Brandon Hopkins, the other members of Cabbages and Kings, live at the house in Norris Arm, while Kirby and his wife live nearby in Botwood.
The band is getting to know the other residents of Norris Arm, and despite the band's loud, hard rocking sound, they feel welcome in the quiet rural community.
It was a worry of mine, how a rock band was going to be accepted in that environment, but honestly, it's been nothing but love," said Kirby.
Have a listen to Mike Kirby's interview with Heather Barrett of Weekend AM.
Do you have a new album of music that we should know about for First Listen? Email us wam@cbc.ca and tell us about it.