Elliot C. Way Returns With 'Fool's Gold'
Almost three years after his critically acclaimed debut album All I Know, Vancouver alt-country artist Elliot C. Way is back with a new single "Fool's Gold," a song that combines '70s soul and outlaw grit with a double-shot of raw truth that Way pours straight down your throat.
"Fool's Gold" was originally written and recorded by The Wild North, Way's former band and a staple of the Vancouver country rock scene. The song quickly became a fan favourite, and Way continued to perform it after embracing life as a solo artist.
Over time, the song became more than just a throwback; it evolved into a show-closer, a ritual, and an anthem that fans had to hear at every show. Recognizing its power and enduring appeal, Elliot brought the original members of The Wild North back together-now that most of them are now members of City & Colour-to re-record it, this time through the lens of his modern outlaw country sound.
With his long-time friend, producer, and original Wild North bassist Erik P.H. Nielsen at the helm, the track was recorded at a former Vancouver CBC studio where Nielsen is now building a new facility.
Lyrically, "Fool's Gold" is a reflection of Way's journey through life as a songwriter and survivor in the ever-changing music industry. Built around vivid, sometimes dark imagery and triumphant undertones, the song is an epic ride through personal struggle, perseverance, and the hunger to keep pushing forward.
It speaks to the fighter in all of us-even when nothing is perfect, we keep on keeping on. As Way sings in one of the track's defining lines: "I've been on this mountain since I was 20 years old... I've been looking for diamonds, only finding fool's gold."
That perseverance is also evident in the work ethic of everyone involved in North Country Collective, the label that Way co-founded and runs with Nick Lawton and fellow alt-country artist Bob Sumner. The organization is a fiercely independent home for roots-driven music, focused on supporting artists who are carrying the torch for timeless storytelling in modern country and rock and roll. North Country Collective has built a brand that is synonymous with quality and a sense of artistic vision not often found in the worlds of alt-country and Americana.
In Elliot C. Way's case, his vision encompasses the kind of country music made for back roads, trucks, beer drinking, and howling at the moon, all set to a groove that demands that you cut loose. Once upon a time, Waylon Jennings asked the musical question, "Are you sure Hank done it this way?" Elliot's response with "Fool's Gold" is, this is the way Waylon would have done it.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]