Rube & Rake’s new album begins with an ode to family and friends— togetherness—as Josh Sandu declares, against a hopeful bluegrass backdrop, “somewhere there’s a place to lay my head.” Nine songs later, over a gently plucked guitar, he sings, “I won’t go picking it up, the weight of the page is just too much.”

Following the award-winning 2017 debut Back and Forth, the St. John’s- based Sandu and Andrew Laite wanted to keep the core of that album’s artistic successes—musical and collaborative harmony, folk storytelling—while recognizing audience expectations have intensified. “The first album ends up being the greatest hits of what you’ve done so far,” says Laite. “With record number two, you want it to be in the ring with the first one, only bigger and stronger.”

For their sophomore album Leaving With Nothing, Sandu and Laite enlisted producer Adam Hogan, best known for his anthemic guitar work as a member of Newfoundland’s most beloved indie-rock outfit, Hey Rosetta!. Recording in bits in houses around St. John’s, Rube & Rake (& Adam) worked to expand the band’s sound to include more instrumentation, pleasingly surprising time changes, and an overall expansion of intention.

deCoste Performing Arts Centre – November 4, 2022

Mermaid Imperial Performing Arts Centre – November 5, 2022

Capitol Theatre – November 9, 2022

Marigold Cultural Centre – November 10, 2022

Eastern Labrador Arts Alliance – November 12, 2022

Chester Playhouse – November 13, 2022

King’s Theatre – November 19, 2022