Amy was her name. And she was the spark that flickered throughout the making of The End of America’s, (TEOA) latest single, “Canyon”, a heart-wrenching song that will allow her name and love to never be forgotten.
Videos by American Songwriter
‘“Canyon’ was written for a friend I lost in
2016,” bandmember Brendon Thomas told American Songwriter. “Her name was
Amy Regan, and she was also my partner for over three years. Amy was a
beautiful person with a stunning voice and wrote the songs to match it. Music
was in the fiber of her being. She commanded any stage with her gift and always
connected deeply with her audience. I learned a lot from her. One of the
hardest parts about her passing, for me, was coming to terms with how much she
will miss out on, and how many people will never know what they’re missing in
her absence. That loss will always feel immeasurable.”
“I penned ‘Canyon as an invitation to her
spirit, to be a part of my journey now, and to be a part of the music in some
way. ‘If you’re here, sing now.’ We both dreamed of playing Red Rocks,” Thomas
said. “It always felt like Mecca for us, where you may one day be called up to
present your song to the Great Spirit. If TEOA ever makes it to that stage,
then I want her to be there to howl at the moon with us.”
“Canyon” is a smooth ride, that takes you along every step of the way with clean, climatic riffs building up to the chorus that features fine-tuned vocal harmonies, followed up with whirling guitar solos. It is brimming with stories and memories that provide the song with its hindsight. The lyrics in the song ‘if you’re here/be part of this,’ are directed to Amy and transform the song into a forever pipeline and connection between the her and Thomas. The fervent song makes a flawless closing with the lyrics ‘ain’t it some kind of blues’ which is a reference to “Some Kind of Blues”, one of Amy’s songs from the CD she gifted Thomas the first night they met.
“The arrangement for ‘Canyon’ was built around the opening riff, which I’d been saving for the right song,” Thomas explained. “Most of the lyrics came from freestyling in the car over a scratch track with Amy in mind. I wanted it to feel conversational. When I brought the song to James and Trevor, I envisioned harmonies in the chorus that could paint the sky. Without question, they made it soar. They also wrote the respective piano and acoustic guitar parts which really served to ground the song.
“In February, I shared a demo with our friend Kirby Sybert after our Mountain Stage show. He was there to film us, but at the infamous after-party jam it was revealed that his many talents also apply to the drum kit (he killed it that night.) Kirby offered to try some ideas on ‘Canyon’ and they were spot-on, so we had him sit in. Everything was recorded remotely at our home studios and I spent a few weeks mixing in quarantine.”
TEOA is a Philadelphia/NYC based trio, who credits their name to the Jack Kerouac novel, On The Road, a timeless story about experience through travel. Members Brendon Thomas, James Downes and Trevor Leonard met on tour in 2005, all fronting separate bands while forming lasting friendships.
The three were also known for improvising vocal harmonies together on each other’s songs during tour. When all three projects folded, it was almost second nature for them to create a group that made vocal harmony a focal point. They have since released four albums and plan to release a single every month for the next year, including the official release of “Canyon” on June 18, you can pre-save it here.
