“Won’t you come back home? Well, I don’t think so.” This telling exchange from Octoberman’s “Run From Safety” (release date: Aug 21, 2007) epitomizes the ethos of Octoberman’s Marc Morrissette. In 2003, the itinerant songwriter abandoned his Vancouver home for travels through Asia and Europe. When Morrissette returned to North American shores, he arrived bearing a travel journal blackened with observations and reflections. These insights would soon become the basis of Octoberman’s outstanding 2005 debut, These Trails Are Old and New.

Embodying the sensibilities of Neil Young’s songcraft and Jack Kerouac’s travelogues, These Trails won widespread praise from Uncut, Maverick, The Globe and Mail and dozens of other publications. Just as Morrissette’s penchant for melancholic vocals and melodic guitar work caught the ears of critics, it won the hearts of audiences. The songwriter established Octoberman as a live institution in Vancouver, sometimes taking to the stage with a seven-piece backing band and on other occasions with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and harmonica. 2006’s seven-song, live-recorded Laguardia EP ideally encapsulated the intimacy and immediacy of these solo Octoberman performances.

However, employing a full band to expand upon his spare arrangements had opened Morrissette’s eyes to the possibilities for Octoberman’s second full-length album. Between March and August 2006, he retreated to three studios in Vancouver with co-producer and engineer James Henderson and captured his musical musings. Along for the ride were his regular backing band: Rob Josephson (drums), Graham Christofferson (bass) and Peter Doig (guitar); as well as other collaborators: Leah Abramson (vocals), Shaun Brodie (trumpet), Kris Hooper (lap steel), Jason Starnes (keyboards), Mike Morrissette (vocals), Ryder Havdale (vocals) and C.L. McLaughlin (vocals).

Morrissette proves exceedingly skilled at conjuring both the wariness and weariness of a man who’s seen the world. Yet, despite intense explorations, he’s come away with little in the way of certainties or answers. Instead, every discovery begets further questions. It’s these quandaries and conflicts that continue to drive the man and his music. Once Octoberman made the decision to run from safety, turning back was not an option. Upon mastering his new album, Morrissette quit his job and embarked on a European tour that lead him through five countries in five weeks. He next crossed the Atlantic, climbed into his Volkswagen and toured the continental United States. One can only imagine the inspiring questions that were raised along the way.

For more info:
http://octoberman.ca or http://myspace.com/octoberman