Fredericton rock ensemble Free To Grow have dropped a brand new EP, Miracle. The independently-released album is dedicated to Bruce Hughes, a musician and active supporter of the East Coast music scene who survived a series of strokes in May 2017, dubbed by his nurses as a “miracle man.”
The EP holds its ground throughout, never straying away from its suave, spunky, bluesy vibe. “Miracle Man” in particular honours Hughes and his astounding comeback from a seemingly fatal occurrence.
Barely three months after he suffered his first stroke, Hughes performed at Fredericton’s Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival with his former band, Blind Dog. Today, he performs regularly with his new band The Unheard as he continues on the path to full recovery.
“I have known Bruce since 2006 when he was a radio host at 95.7 the Wolf in Fredericton,” says Jeff Patch, guitarist of Free To Grow. “He used to invite local musicians for interviews and to play live.”
“Since the start of Free to Grow 5 years ago he has been a friend of the band, coming to our shows and buying our music.”
“Tougher than a boiled owl,” are the worse Patch uses to describe Hughes.
Patch also touched on the band’s creative process, explaining how it shows itself in the EP.
“Songs can sometimes start with a story or lyrical idea. Others can start with a chord progression while playing guitar,” Patch remarked.
“Miracle Man’ is fun and about a good story and hope. ‘Bad Bear’ is based on trying to cope with sociopathic people who act nice but are really nasty. ‘Chaos’ is a kind of bleak outlook that you never have control over what happens.”
“’Chaos’ is based on a riff a few years old. I resurrected it and the song came out fairly quickly earlier this year.”
Miracle tells us a remarkable story, and long-time fans of the band will find great joy in the way Free To Grow chose to tell it.