The Low Ceilings keep rocking out through highs and lows
Have a First Listen to HeadRoom by the Low Ceilings
"I think if you put a sock on, you'll probably touch the ceiling," said Rob Cotter of his cramped basement practice space in his 80-year-old house.
Cotter's band, suitably named the Low Ceilings, has just released its debut album, HeadRoom, a collection of upbeat, guitar driven rock and roll songs.
Cotter and Andrew Wright, who both said they're outgoing by nature, met at their non-musical daytime workplace more than a decade ago and hit it off immediately.
"[Cotter] said he sings and plays guitar and writes songs," said Wright.
"And I said 'Well, I actually played in a band in Halifax, and hey, do you need a drummer?'"
Cotter and Wright were joined in Cotter's basement by Wright's brother David on rhythm guitar and Robert Ryan on bass.
The members of the Low Ceilings are big fans of the guitar-based rock and roll of the last few decades of the 20th century. Cotter is also into the Beatles, and draws a lot of his songwriting inspiration from the Fab Four.
HeadRoom is a collection of 10 upbeat rock and roll songs, recorded between 2017 and 2021.
Band tragedy
The upbeat vibe of the album hides a tragedy, however.
Rhythm guitarist David Wright died suddenly in May 2020.
David had played on eight of HeadRoom's 10 tracks, and in his memory, the remaining band members decided to finish the album with Cotter's adult son Nathan playing rhythm guitar on the remaining two songs.
With the pandemic, day jobs, families, and fitting in a replacement guitarist, the Low Ceilings see themselves as more of a studio band than a touring band.
"Rob's got a treasure trove of songs," said Andrew Wright.
"So we'd better record some more."
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