Fronted by Tim Carman and Pat Faherty, formerly of GA-20, Canyon Lights are a blend of throwback rock n’ roll, swampy Americana, and heavy blues.
Friends and bandmates since 2018, Pat and Tim have racked up thousands of hours performing on stages all over the world. Their love of blues music fueled their explosive performances with GA-20, a three-time #1 Billboard charting blues band from Boston, MA.
In 2023, Pat and Tim began connecting over their mutual love of ’70s rock ‘n’ roll bands like Mountain, Thin Lizzy, and James Gang. Inspired by this era, Pat proposed the two work out some song ideas he had been playing with. At the same time, Tim revealed to Pat some personal lyrics he had held onto for years. The songwriting connection was instant and unique. Pat and Tim realized that this was a new venture, not strictly blues and not confined to any lane of creativity. The two flew to Denver in early 2024 to put these sounds on tape with friend Dylan Brown at the helm as engineer and co-producer. From this session, Canyon Lights was born.
The trio’s debut studio album Breathe Easy will be released later this summer.
After finishing the album, which featured bass guitar (played by Pat) on every track, the pair realized they needed a third member to cover the low end live. They reached out to friends in the music community for suggestions and one name kept turning up: Heather Gillis.
Pat and Tim flew to Nashville, TN to meet and jam with Heather, and the connection was instant. Gillis, a talented multi-instrumentalist, has extensive touring experience with artists like Butch Trucks and Lindsay Lou and also leads her own group called Wolf Twin. While in Nashville, the trio recorded a live version of their original song “Seventh Son,” which they released December 5, 2024.
The word is out on this new trio. And they’re only getting started…
Today, Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere for the band’s rendition of the James Gang’s 1971 hit tune “Walk Away” along with its music video. In the hands of these talented players, the song is given a thicker, bluesier sound that also feels like a faithful take on the original. Of course, we can expect plenty of juicy solo action from Faherty while Carman and Gillis unload a forceful rhythmic backbone to push it all forward. For fans of the more authentic blues and soul style of GA-20, this marks an exciting new direction for Faherty as he leans into his love of classic rock and roll.
Tim Carman describes the inspiration behind recording the tune:
“We’re all big fans of James Gang and everything Joe Walsh. While touring as the opening act for George Thorogood, Pat, Heather, and I started playing ‘Walk Away’ live and wanted to capture that energy in the studio. Recorded at 3rd Street Music in Hamilton, OH, our version draws inspiration from a killer live video of the James Gang performing the song in 1971. It’s loose, gritty, and we aimed to channel that raw energy in our recording.”
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