Ariel Posen named his new album after a street in Winnipeg, but not from his childhood. Bannatyne is where he spent his twenties, recording until dawn in a friend’s studio above a nightclub.
“A friend had a studio at the top of a nightclub on that street,” he says, “and I would often head there after I would finish playing a gig, sometimes as late as midnight, and we would record other artists’ music that he was producing until the early morning. I used the street to use as a theme for Winnipeg. The name is so unique and a big part of me became who I am on that block.”
Bannatyne, arriving today, is an album about coming home. Years of touring changed how Posen sees Winnipeg. “I’ve found more appreciation and pride for home. The more time you spend away from it, the more you realize how special it is. Of course, a place is just a place, and it’s the people that make somewhere special. Winnipeg is filled with special people and they have impacted me greatly and always shaped me into who I am. I’ll always have love for Winnipeg and am proud to represent it all over the world.”
The album sounds rawer than his previous work. You can hear it in the tones, in the takes. “On every album, I want to try and do something new and different while staying familiar to my previous work. I wanted a non-polished and more gritty sound overall. I wanted there to be audible vulnerability and tension to complement the lyrics and the vocals. I think a lot of the records I’ve been listening to lately have more of an authentic and grittier sound, rather than the polished thing. In fact, I didn’t even think about it, I just went with what I was hearing in my head and where the rest of the songs were informing everything.”
That sound carries 90s rock energy, though it still feels current. Posen grew up in that era. “Yes! Funny enough, that’s so true. I’m a 90’s kid and grew up on The Beatles but also on Green Day, Nirvana, Chili Peppers, Rage, Silverchair and so many more bands before I got into different styles of music and started to explore everything deeper. I’ve really been leaning more into a rockier sound and it feels natural. For this record, there wasn’t anything specific that I was listening to that was informing these decisions. It came from experimenting and that then informed the songs and the parts and the sounds once I felt like I was latching on to something interesting and more importantly ‘different’.”
Between his last songwriting-focused album and Bannatyne, Posen released the Mile End project, three records of improvised guitar instrumentals with no vocals. “Those records were an exercise in expressing myself only on the guitar. It’s a big part of who I am as a musician. I am a song guy through and through, but finding composition in an improvised setting was really fulfilling to me. It was never meant to be an album, let alone three of them. I’m so moved that it resonated with so many people. Those records will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Bannatyne includes two collaborations. Dallas Green of City and Colour appears on “Empty-Handed,” a track with a lingering sense of regret. Posen wrote it about sitting with a mistake rather than fixing it. “I think it’s really hard to make peace with a situation that you messed up. Time can fix that, but in the case of this song, it is definitely describing the feeling of, like you said, sitting with it and accepting it. You can only learn and move on but you can’t change the past.”
The collaboration happened simply. “Funny enough the song was completely finished, including the vocals. I could just hear him singing the chorus with me. I’ve never been one to force collaborations if it wasn’t necessary. It was as simple as one would think. I called him up and told him that I heard him on this song and I sent it to him to see if he felt the same way. He called back and said ‘I feel like you wrote this song for me to sing on’. Needless to say, he overdelivered with options and cool parts that really helped lift the song. I was also surprised how much our voices sat nicely together. I’m just so grateful to him as a friend and as a musician and its really cool that he’s a part of it. He really lifted it to the next level.”
Kathleen Edwards joins Posen on “More Me With You,” a sparse duet. “I’ve been a big fan of Kathleen since I can remember. The song itself has a nice intimate feeling to it and doing a duet style of song felt right. She was a first choice for me. Her musical instincts and the way she put her stamp on it was better than I could have hoped for. She found the perfect balance of sounding like herself and also blending into what the song needed and didn’t need. Just like Dallas, it was an absolute honour to have her be involved and would love to do more together in the future.”
Posen has earned serious recognition as a guitarist. Rolling Stone called him “a modern-day guitar hero.” He has his own Fender Stratocaster signature model. He’s played Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. “All that stuff is amazing and the highest honour, but also think those things have happened because I haven’t tried to get recognition that way. I’ve just done what I do and have actively tried to not compare and not do what has been done already. I’m incredibly grateful for all those things, and the guitar, along with my singing voice, is also my voice, so I’m just flattered that anyone feels something from it. At the end of the day though, I keep chipping away trying to create cool things and will continue to try to do so!”
Posen has said each record is him finding himself a little more. With Bannatyne complete, things feel clearer. “Each album is a time stamp to where you were at that time and who you were at that time. I listen back to older records of mine, and I see and hear that crystal clear. This one is a very clear representation of myself from 2024-2026. Who knows where I’ll be taking things next, whether it’s the same or different, but I definitely feel like this record is the most ‘me’ yet. Most likely because I’ve had so many more experiences doing this and have the clearest vision on where I wanted to take things. Hope it comes off that way to everyone listening!”
Bannatyne is out today via New West Records. Posen kicks off a Canadian tour April 7 in Winnipeg, heading through Ontario and Quebec in May with Montreal’s Wendlo supporting most dates. The Montreal show lands at Bar Le Ritz on May 16.
Photo Credit : Josh Kirschner
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