Corb Lund and The Hurtin’ Albertans to bring Canadian country to M-Shop

Michael Van Zanten

Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans are set to bring a taste of Canada’s country music scene to the Maintenance Shop at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15.

The country band from Alberta was formed during the 1990s and has since become a regional favorite. The Hurtin’ Albertans have also found critical acclaim and have made fans by touring in the United States, Europe and Australia as well.

“The style is a combination of traditional western music mixed with kind of an indie metal sensibility,” Lund said. “It’s old fashioned country music. It’s not like radio country; it’s more like a traditional country sound.”

Lund has a history in Canadian metal. He was the bass player in The Smalls, a metal band also based out of Alberta. The group was fairly popular during the ’90s, and broke up in 2001.

“I was in The Smalls from the ’90s to the 2000s,” Lund said. “At about halfway through, I started writing country songs and doing a gig on the side with a country band. In 2000, The Smalls disbanded, and I started doing it full time.”

Lund’s country side project served as a convenient backup when his original project decided to call it quits. Since then he has found success, and according to the critics, his background in country has proved to be his greatest strength.

Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans have released seven albums up until now. They have gone gold in Canada twice and have won several country music awards. They tour regularly in the United States and Canada, and have played in Europe and Australia more than once.

The Canadian country group saw its commercial breakthrough with their third album, “Five Dollar Bill,” in 2002. Lund traveled to Nashville to work on the record with producer Harry Stinson. After its release, the album went gold in Canada and received critical acclaim.

The band’s fourth album, “Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer,” was produced by Stinson as well. It also achieved gold status in Canada, and was named Album of the Year by the Canadian Country Music Association in 2006.

Lund has since signed with New West Records, and has released two albums with the label. His most recent album, “Cabin Fever,” was released in August of last year.

“It’s quite raw,” Lund said. “We didn’t use a lot of studio trickery, over-dubbing or any of that kind of thing. We didn’t pretty it up; it’s raw country music. It’s full of energy. I think it’s one of our better ones.”

This past summer, Alberta saw some if its worst flooding in history. The city of Calgary saw the worst of it, and the flood has been estimated to cost over $5 billion in damage. At least four were confirmed dead, and as many as 75,000 people were evacuated.

Lund released a song titled “Blood Sweat and Water” in July as a tribute to those affected by the floods. The song focuses on Calgary’s rodeo called Stampede as a metaphor for the city’s resilience.

 “It’s a tribute to everyone who’s been toughing it out dealing with the flood damage in southern Alberta,” Lund said. “I was really moved by how the organizers in Calgary were able to bounce back so quickly from the flood and go forward with the Stampede despite challenges I can’t begin to imagine.”

You can catch Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans live in at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, M-Shop. You can buy tickets live at the M-Shop box office or online at midwestix.com at $8 for ISU students, and $10 for the public, with a $2 upcharge the day of the show.