Neighbours Band Album Release!

Neighbours Band (NeighboursBand.ca) has released our first album of originals! Search for the album title Winter (Longing for Peace) on Apple Music or iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music or Youtube Music. 

Neighbours Band continues high energy live gigs with covers of popular artists at community events and parties. Our album releases allow our original songwriting to respond to the storms of current issues that continue to rush at us. So the Winter album is a bit serious like the times. Its genre is hard to pin down – blending many styles – lets just call it singer/songwriter.

Two years ago in 2023, we were anticipating a 23 Stories album with 23 originals. Its now 2025 but good things take time – with recording and production moving slowly between fun live gigs, jobs, families, travels and enjoying our wonderful Vancouver Island.

Songwriting has continued, and now Dave, Mick, John and Jaime in Neighbours Band are planning several short album releases this year.

Watch our website for updates! Posts, lyric videos and other album releases will continue through the seasons of 2025.

Control

CONTROL written by W. Mick Gibbs is the third of three NeighboursBand.ca lyric video pre-releases leading up to Earth Day. Is Mother Nature out of control? Or is it us? She will adapt quickly based on physics and biology. Can we adapt fast enough?  Mother Nature will survive. Will we?

Trees

TREES is a love story for Canada’s forest ecosystems, and the trees in them and trees everywhere. TREES is the second NeighboursBand.ca pre-release towards Earth Day. This is for the future and Sadie, one of the NeighboursBand.ca daughters, written by her father W. Mick Gibbs.

Climate Change

It’s coming up to another Earth Day, and NeighboursBand.ca is featuring three songs that comment on our relationship with nature.  CLIMATE CHANGE explores the confusion between climate change awareness and prompt action.

Neighbours Band Winter Collection

Spring is at least a month late this year in Canada. But it’s time to close out the Winter collection of pre-releases. As well as going through the SongStories Blog, you can view/listen to the 7 songs in the winter collection in a playlist here:

 https://vimeo.com/showcase/10338305 

The playlist is a nice way to hear/see all seven songs in a continuous series. No ads. Enjoy!

Winter Song

It’s April. In Canada, that’s a struggle between winter and summer, with spring days once in a while. There might be heat one day and blizzard the next night. Winter Song is about getting through the tough times supporting one another. It features lyrics by Barry Hodgson, who often travels from Quebec to Vancouver Island – seeing much of our Canadian weather smorgasbord. Music and singing is Neighbours John Little – a multi-talented lead/bass and mandolin player. Enough of winter – its time for spring. But there is beauty there!

God I Want to Sing You a Lullaby

Neighbours is not a gospel band. But all of us have a spiritual side. It’s Good Friday. The Christian God is one of the most famous fathers in the world, and he is crying today.

Many spirits in the world try to point us towards good, whether through organized religion or simply our awe for our world and its life. Whatever your higher spirit, some days they could use a lullaby.

 

Why Do We Have To

If Night in Ukraine (re-released today) is about courage and defiance, Why Do We Have To (Say Goodbye) is the flipside of sadness and grief in the face of separation.

The song is relevant to Ukraine. But the original was written for two dear friends.

Rob Hobby (deceased 2022) was a lifetime friend who we saw one Thursday night and who was suddenly gone within days. He introduced me to fishing, kayak building, storytelling, and good humour. A late-in-life back to the lander, he was living off-grid and innovating on his 30 acre lakeview retreat in the BC Interior. I regret never getting there, but heard many stories. Rob raised Ted and Kara with spouse Pat, and they are out changing the world with his pride and blessing.

The other person in the back of my mind is Ron Reid – a dear brother who is very much alive and active, while being at very high risk. A fish and wildlife grad from U of Guelph and recently an honourary Doctorate, he has dedicated his life with spouse Janet to conservation causes, founding the Couchiching Conservancy.  Thanks, Ron, for being my guiding star in environmental causes. You will live forever!

All of us – Ukrainian, Russian, anyone anywhere in the world – are losing someone. If we keep them in our hearts, we don’t have to say goodbye.

Night in Ukraine

It’s April 5, 2023 and it still goes on. We’re re-releasing Night In Ukraine now that we’re more online.

February 25th 2023 means a full year of war in Ukraine. My spouse is of Ukrainian Canadian heritage. The tragedy strikes deep here, but is nothing compared to the suffering there. Wherever you are – fighting for peace –  or fleeing for peace –  this song is in support of you and Ukraine getting through this nightmare.