Article by Anuppa Caleekal ©,2006 Digitalism Magazine ©www.digitalism.ca
1800’s New Brunswick,”stumping” was a pioneer way of announcing love by sticking notes in between the stumps of corduroy roads of Victorian, pre-Confederation New Brunswick. Corduroy roads were common back then where logs of wood were laid down upon dirt roads looking much like the fabric corduroy, making transportation easier over soft dirt roads of Upper and Lower Canada. Stumping was known as a backwoods courting custom where a silent declaration was made by the engaged couple to the world announcing their wedding date.
The custom being that the courting couple would stuff these announcement notes in between the stumps so other travellers discovering these pieces of paper would hear about the upcoming wedding plans.
This has been historically noted in Bill Casselman’s “Canadian Word of the Day where he notes that a Mrs.Bevan in 1845 wrote her recollections, “Sketches and Tales Illustrative of Life in New Brunswick, North America”.
Going down Corduroy Road, with such romantic historic charm, one can almost hear wedding bells chime in the distance.
In 2005 violins were at play as romance along with some stumping on Corduroy Road led talented musicians Reg and Andrea originally from Saint John, New Brunswick to announce their love and get married . They moved to Toronto one of the key Canadian music centres and shortly after by chance, they met up with other musicians who also happened to have Maritime roots. Together the talented group held by a mission,a vision knotting a common musical destiny, formed a band which became to be known as Corduroy Road.
You have got to listen to this band…travel to their website where you can sample their songs and music at
When you listen to the music it awakens your heart. The honest love and purity of the lyrics composed
and the fluid river like crystal clear voice of
paves the way to the tapestry of then and now, down Corduroy Road, country /rock or new country by genre. The haunting romance of the old pioneer ways of stumping on Corduroy Road permeate through the musical lyrics and vocals vibrating a heart beat somewhere from the romantic past.
Reg Arthurs in a interview for Digitalism Online Magazine, said,
“I write all of the lyrics & music, and Andrea helps me do the arranging with the band. I take my inspiration from every day life both within my own life, and the lives of people who are close to me. Our songs are all very honest”
This honesty in the music is very distinct and it is shared in their trilogy of music, lyrics and vocals especially in two of the songs I sampled at their website, my favourites,
one entitled “Shufflin’ Shame” and the other “Bright and Blue”
The band Corduroy Road is an all Canadian band ,all selections get full marks as they fully qualify as Canadian or CANCON, or Canadian conditions known as MAPL.
(The MAPL acronym and logo used here were created by Stan Klees)
The MAPL system by Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). is designed to stimulate all components of the Canadian music industry.
The CRTC is an independent agency responsible for regulating Canada’s broadcasting and telecommunications systems reporting to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Using the MAPL system as a guide Corduroy Road reflects the main components. The Music of Corduroy Road is composed by a Canadian , Artists performing are all Canadians, Production live performances are recorded in Canada and Lyrics are written entirely by Reg Arthurs, a Canadian.
Reg’s songs are all registered with SOCAN, and New River Music Publishing holds all of their performing and copying rights.
SOCAN is a copyright collective representing more than 80,000 Canadian music creators and publishers hundreds of thousands more worldwide.
As far as a tour, Reg mentioned , ” we are looking at a tour next Summer 2007 to support the release of our debut CD, “Not From the City” which is being distributed
independently through our publishing company, New River Music sometime in early 2007. We have a local show in Guelph, on Saturday night, December 16th 2006 at Wally’s Tavern on Wyndham St.”
So for those of you who want to hear a new country /rock magical sound sensation listen to Corduroy Road or walk down the path of Corduroy Road at http://www.corduroyroad.ca/