Reignwolf is taking an unconventional path

Saskatoon’s Jordan Cook is building his musical career the old-fashioned way—by hitting the road and living out of a suitcase

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      Snow is falling in Saskatoon when Jordan Cook picks up the phone, and as peaceful and serene as that weather report might sound, the singer-guitarist reveals he’s having trouble relaxing. Over the past 12 months, the man known to scuzz-blues fans as the architect of Reignwolf hasn’t had a lot of downtime. The problem with redlining it, evidently, is that hitting the off switch is easier said than done.

      “This was the craziest year,” Cook says with a laugh, and then starts reeling off the highlights for him and his band, which includes bassist David Rapaport and drummer Joseph Braley. “We were lucky enough to go out with Black Sabbath for a couple of months. We got on their Canadian tour, which we were absolutely thrilled about—being from Canada, you always want to give back to your home. And it was really cool because I’d never played an arena in my hometown of Saskatoon, and there I was showing up with Black Sabbath, which just amped up everything that much more.”

      The incredible moments didn’t stop there. Other holy-shit highlights for Reignwolf in 2014 included recording in Dave Grohl’s studio, connecting with producer Rick Rubin after he stopped by an L.A. gig, scoring an invitation to the 2015 Lollapalooza festival, getting a 10 New Artists You Need to Know nod from Rolling Stone, and generally blowing the minds of everyone lucky enough to have caught one of the band’s live shows.

      Not bad for a guy who doesn’t even have an album out yet.

      Yes, in decidedly unmodern fashion, Cook has spent the past couple of years building up his audience the old-fashioned way: playing live while living out of a suitcase. His journey started in some ways with the death of his father, that driving home the point that we can all go at any time. Cook’s response was to move from the Prairies to Seattle, where friends and acquaintances included Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd, who he’d end up jamming with.

      “My father was the guy who gave me my love for music—his name was Bob Cook,” the singer says. “When he passed away, it drove me to get out of my hometown and mix things up a bit. I had lived in the same house as him, and was doing shows mostly around Western Canada. Something told me to pack up my stuff and see what would happen. I’m thankful I did, because that was the start of Reignwolf.

      “When something tragic happens, it wakes you up to the idea that it could all be done for you tomorrow too,” Cook continues. “That’s what made me go to Seattle and check it out. I started throwing random shows and doing what I could, and then the next thing you know, Sasquatch wanted to book us. All these little things started happening, and it was beyond exciting.”

      Along the way, there have been sporadic unvarnished and punishing singles like “In the Dark” and “Are You Satisfied?”, both of which inject down-and-dirty blues with brain-melting levels of distortion.

      Mostly, though, the hype has been generated by a live show where the sweat—and, on occasion, blood—starts flying with the first note. Based on reviews, the singer is a nonstop kinetic blur who’s as likely to be launching himself off his timekeeper’s kit as standing behind the drums at the end of the night, alone on-stage while his wingmen watch him pull double duty from the sidelines.

      Cook acknowledges he’s taken a path that’s unconventional by today’s standards. The modern way of forging a career is to wait until you’ve scored at least 7.9 percent or higher on Pitchfork before hitting the road. Reignwolf’s leader is instead happy building a fan base while he looks to fully capture Reignwolf’s live sound in the studio, something that’s been elusive to date.

      “We’re excited about getting out some new music, and that’s my ultimate goal,” Cook says. “But what I’m also excited about is doing all of this our own way. I’m excited about some of the stuff that we’ve already got, but I know that there are more things cooking. There’s definitely a need for more than a song or two, but I can’t say right now exactly what we’ll be doing.”

      Reignwolf plays Venue on Monday (December 29).

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