Acclaimed Yukon-based singer/songwriter Gordie Tentrees releases his eighth album, Mean Old World, a 10-song collection of soul-stirring, unapologetically rough-hewn songs, appropriately recorded over the course of a week of minus-35 degree weather here in Whitehorse OCT. 20 at YUKON ARTS CENTRE w/Dakhka Khwaan Juniors and special guest musicians. 

This week (Sept. 27) the new record debuts at #6 on Canada on Folk Roots Charts
https://www.earshot-online.com/charts/index.cfm?intChartTypeID=107
As of Sept. 28 in the US it was the most added record on the National Folk Charts coming in at #20 along with the likes of Jackson Browne, Tim O'Brien and Son Volt. 

Gordie Tentrees has made his most impressive musical statement to date, proving that Canadian songwriters are among the best in the world—even if they’re from the furthest corners of the country.

Check out the raving review from Canadian Music Mag Spill
https://spillmagazine.com/spill-album-review-gordie-tentrees-mean-old-world/

Working with a small combo of acoustic multi-instrumentalists that includes Bob Hamilton of the Undertakin’ Daddies and Jaxon Haldane of the D-Rangers, Tentrees uses a distinctly Canadian style of roots music as the foundation for 10 new songs that are by turns joyful and thought-provoking in the style of Corb Lund and Fred Eaglesmith, artists to whom Tentrees is often compared.

The themes contained on Mean Old World stem from his family’s journey in navigating the Child Welfare system. Songs such as “Every Child,” “Rosetta” and especially the album’s title track are reflections of truth, loss, hope, colonialism and growth that have come from these first-hand experiences.

“It’s been a long time since I have believed in a batch of tunes like these,” Tentrees says. “I think ‘Wind Walker’ especially is a reminder that we northern folks move to the beat of our own drum, and that’s why we live here. There are positives and negatives to that, particularly when you’re a non-Indigenous parent to an Indigenous child. I think I conveyed that in ‘Every Child’ and ‘Mean Old World.’ ‘Every Child’ also features The Dakhka Kwaan Dancers and they have taught me a lot through their inclusive warmth and creativity.”

Tentrees has certainly earned the respect of his peers, not only through his writing, but also his tireless international touring regimen that has averaged over a hundred shows a year for the past decade and a half. Being forced off the road in 2020 added a different vibe to Mean Old World, allowing for more focus to be placed on developing the songs, while also giving Gordie some added time to appreciate his community.

Slowing down is certainly something Tentrees had not considered up until now. He adopted a bulldog attitude during a difficult childhood in Hamilton, Ontario, and later on a farm in Bancroft, Ontario. He found focus in his teens through boxing and earned a Golden Glove ranking—illustrated on Mean Old World’s rousing closer “Ring Speed”—while also dispensing his life lessons as a teacher and youth worker. He actually didn’t consider a music career until his early twenties after moving to the Yukon.

However, Tentrees quickly made fans once his songs started being heard, the most crucial being Fred Eaglesmith who took Gordie on his first tours of Europe and the U.S., becoming a mentor in the process. Tentrees has since shared stages with Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, Mary Gauthier, Kelly Joe Phelps and many more.

Now with Mean Old World, Gordie Tentrees has made his most impressive musical statement to date, proving that Canadian songwriters are among the best in the world—even if they’re from the furthest corners of the country.

Mean Old World is available through Bandcamp, Apple Music and tentrees.ca/music. The official video for "Wind Walker" released on Sept.14 https://youtu.be/33c4e4jSwno

Masks required • As per public health orders, patrons must show proof of vaccination for entry