Scott Roos
Special to the Herald
Led by Forrest and Nevada Eaglespeaker, The North Sound has built a reputation for music that is both intimate and expansive—songs rooted in Forrest’s Blackfoot identity and shaped by years of growth, collaboration, and touring.
Blending modern country, folk, and Americana influences, the duo, who cite the musical collaboration between Emmylou Harris and Graham Parsons as a primary influence, continues to push beyond genre expectations while keeping story at the centre.
“This record was very much collaborative…,” Forrest said of their most recent release, What It Takes.
While earlier albums were largely driven by his solo songwriting, this latest chapter reflects a deeper creative partnership forged over four years on the road.
“We’ve had time to tour and really figure out our sound… it was almost like forming a new relationship in that way.”
Nevada described the shift as both natural and transformative. Traditionally, Forrest would bring song structures to her for refinement, but What It Takes marked a turning point. In particular, with the song “‘Til the Love Runs Out” that saw Nevada in on the process from the get go.
“For this one, Forrest kind of sat down and he started playing something, and I just heard a song in my head immediately,” she said. “It was the best collaborative experience we’ve had writing together.”
That evolving dynamic is shaping not just the studio work, but the live show audiences will experience in Prince Albert. The January 23 performance is part of a two-night run celebrating the five-year anniversary of As the Stars Explode – an album the band never had the chance to fully tour due to the pandemic.
“We’re playing two sets each night,” Forrest explained. “The first set is As the Stars Explode, and we’re tracking it live… we want to put out a five-year anniversary live version.”
The second set will feature songs from What It Takes, select covers, and unreleased material currently being road-tested.
For Forrest, revisiting As the Stars Explode is more than nostalgia.
“As the Stars Explode is the recovery record, the rock bottom the feeling like a newborn out in the world, and now this record (What It Takes) is very much like, ‘what does that look like now?’ You know, we stayed on that path, life has gotten better, but now what’s that look like? What are the things that we’re dealing with now, you know?”
That sense of reflection and openness runs through the band’s sound, which Forrest describes as distinctly shaped by place. “I’ve always loved the music that comes out of these lands,” he said. “Canadian records have space in them… and they’re rooted in story.”
Songs like “Wash Me Away,” written about Forrest’s grandmother – a residential school survivor – highlight that storytelling ethos.
“Regardless of where you came from… there’s always a chance for redemption,” he said.
Now returning to the Rawlinson Centre with a full band, The North Sound is ready to give these songs the room they deserve.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Eaglespeaker said. “I think it’s going to be a good night.”
The North Sound performs Friday, January 23 at the EA Rawlinson Centre for the Arts. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.
