Editor’s note: This article is part of a series called New Music Mondays, where we endeavour to feature new music by musicians from the Greater Sudbury area each Monday. If you’re an area musician and would like us to profile your work, email us at [email protected].
In normal times, weekends usually find David McNab at local bars and pubs, entertaining the patrons with his country crooning.
While McNab has been able to get in some gigs over the past year when pandemic restrictions allowed for such activities, it’s safe to say in-person performing has been severely curtailed.
“I definitely miss playing,” he said. “I think it’s really hard right now for a lot of musicians to stay motivated and doing their craft.”
Like many local musicians, McNab has been reaching out to fans online, releasing videos of both cover tunes and his own original music.
“My fan base has grown leaps and bounds,” he said, adding that he’s had messages from fans across North America since he started posting more online content.
McNab said his style is outlaw country, a subgenre of country music most popular during the 1970s and early 1980s, which often centres on outlaws and prisoners.
He also runs a tribute act called Outlaw State of Mind, the only tribute act to American country musician Chris Stapleton in North America — the bearded McNab does bear some resemblance to Stapleton.
As mentioned above, Stapleton has also been releasing videos of his own original music. He said he doesn’t have an album yet, although he’s working on it.
One of his original tunes is “Memories in a Bottle.” You can watch that below:
“‘Memories in a Bottle’ is about a guy remembering a love that is past,” said McNab. “Basically the reference to the alcohol, it brings those memories up for him — something that he put away for her, but comes back to him when he’s remembering.”
You can watch more of McNab’s videos by following his Facebook page. You can also follow the Outlaw State of Mind tribute Facebook page here.
