Editor’s Note: On March 25, Pembroke, Ontario indie rockers Gatlin Black released a superb seven-song debut EP, entitled Modern Spirit. According to a press release, the songs on the EP evoke a “nostalgic sound reimagined for a modern age” and “feels rooted in vintage influences while still speaking to the present.”
“Modern Spirit was both a statement and a turning point for Gatlin Black,” says the band via press release. “To come out of the gate guns blazing, hoping to create a buzz but also to learn as much as we could about the songwriting/releasing process so we could become a music-making factory. We chose to record with producer Jordon Zadorozny and engineer Rich Allen with a clear purpose: not just to capture the songs at a high level, but to push ourselves deeper into the craft of making records. The goal was never simply to release music; it was to become the kind of band that can write, perform, record, and produce our own work from the ground up. In that sense, Modern Spirit reflects the DIY mindset of the modern era—artists building and running their own creative engine.”
The EP’s title also refers to the band’s personal transformation, specifically for frontman Jake Weckworth. According to the press release, “Many of the songs capture his change from a heavy party lifestyle to a healthier, more focused path. It’s a collection of songs that show the band taking on life’s challenges and channeling that energy into something creative, disciplined, and self-sustaining.”
The band penned an exclusive essay about how touring has shaped their identity.
A Story From The Road
As Gatlin Black saddles up for their debut tour, in support of their recently released Modern Spirit EP, we reflect on the early days of touring, where ⅘ of the members of Gatlin Black toured under “Jake Weckwerth & The Greedy Dead”. We were currently supporting what we had released under that title and landed a string of consecutive shows in Toronto. The Horseshoe Tavern, The Dakota Tavern, & My House in the Junction, which was and still is a huge deal to us! I suppose you could say this was a pivotal moment for ⅘ of Gatlin Black because it essentially created the foundation in which we would learn to travel with each other from here on out. We carved out certain rituals that I’m sure every traveling band finds themselves doing: searching for records during the day, post-show eats at 2 AM with all the 2 AM people, and hotel antics designed to keep the spirit lighthearted and distracted from how close we’re sleeping next to each other!
Of course, this journey starts out with a 5 hr van trip from Pembroke to Toronto, hauling the gear and ⅘ of Gatlin Black to the shows in the ol’ white Dodge Caravan. Jake’s ol’ White Dodge Caravan is treasured by the band for three reasons. 1.) Its storage capabilities. 2.) Its reliability in getting us to and fro shows! 3.) Its amazing ability to store 10,000 songs on its Hard Drive; all CD uploaded tunes from all 5 of our favourite artists, uploaded specifically for the purpose of keeping us musically occupied on the road! Also worth mentioning would be that for this 3-day string of shows in Toronto, Jake’s mom packed the group 3 days’ worth of the randomest combination of groceries; however, these groceries would get us through our 3-day milk run!
Now, this was one of the first times this specific group had more than 2 gigs in a row, and of course, with that came some challenges. One of the first challenges would be that we were stuffed in a hotel room in downtown Toronto, packed in like sardines (5 of us in a 2x Double Bed room), and would have to get used to shower cycles, put up with snoring, learn to deal with claustrophobia, and maintain close sleeping quarters! We had our buddy, Patrick, who met us and asked us for a place to crash. He claimed a tight but manageable sleeping space on the floor… Though we adjusted to the tight arrangements, there was still the issue of frontman, Jake Weckwerth, having to learn to preserve his voice over the course of the mini tour, having just gotten over a cold! He concocted a homebrewed lemon, ginger, and honey vocal remedy in advance to ensure his intense performances would be readily available for all 3 nights, but he ran out of the remedy on the 2nd night due to damaged vocal folds… Despite the damage, the band rocked all three nights, with Jake just getting by by the skin of his teeth!
Nerves for the show aside, during the days the band found themselves inhabiting the local Toronto record stores in search for gems and more CDs to fill the van’s hard drive. To their luck and surprise, they somehow got the record store owner to play some of their music on their house speakers after some heart-to-heart music conversations! Back at the hotel room, we found ourselves keeping the vibes lighthearted and comical by promoting our shows from the hotel balcony, freshly out of the shower, in nothing but our towels. This got a great response from the public and hopefully got some good people out to the show! We stayed nourished thanks to Jake’s mom’s plethora of random consumables. Jake used what was set in front of him and threw together a peanut-butter and olive sandwich! A sandwich no one in their right mind would find delectable but this strange dude… With that done, Jake found himself a career-long rider requirement and a new tradition for pre-show/motel madness snackery.
So, as Gatlin Black gears up for their upcoming support tour for their debut release, Modern Spirit, we look back on the past with fondness and keep the good times rolling as we put our best foot forward. Gatlin Black looks forward to visiting the next city or town’s late-night eats, record/coffee shop stops, remaining ridiculous, and keeping it light while we hit up all the happening spaces all over North America as we roll out on the Gatlin Black: Modern Spirit Tour 2026!! Rock n roll.
You can follow and listen to Gatlin Black in the author box links below
Gatlin Black
Contributor
Gatlin Black is an indie rock band from Pembroke, Ontario featuring Jake Weckwerth (guitar/vocals), Levi Post (drums/harmonies), and Jake Cancade (lead guitar/ harmonies)
