Scott's Spotlight #34-- Crown Lands
Originally posted to Facebook on May 22, 2025
Link to post:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/158nW6mFoK/
Welcome to Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight) issue #34. For more information about this series, please click here:
Hey, let’s go to Canada, eh? (Sorry Canadians, I couldn't help myself.) Today’s spotlight is on 2 young, talented people with some of the best hair in the business: Crown Lands. This duo was founded in 2015 in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada when the two met at a band audition. What two you ask? Well, they are lead vocalist & drummer Cody Bowles and guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Kevin Comeau. Both are trained musicians, each studying music (and in Bowles case, also psychology) at different colleges in the area. They connected quickly over their shared love of Rush and other common interests such as Tolkein. The two have interesting family backgrounds. Comeau is of Jewish ancestry, with ancestors who survived the Holocaust. Bowles was raised by his father who identified as Mi’kmaq (an indigenous tribe in Northeastern Canada), and was raised as part of that community (more on this later). Bowles also identifies as a “two-spirit” – a gender identity that is not wholly male or female; a non-binary gender identity. Due to Bowles background, the subject of many Crown Lands songs, and even the bands’ name in itself, refer to injustices perpetrated by the Canadian government towards the indigenous (aka First Nations) tribes of Canada. The name Crown Lands is meant to “disrupt the concept of Canadian ‘crown land’, or government-held lands stolen from First Nations.” Comeau also can relate, as his Jewish ancestry has often been marginalized and persecuted. Additionally, Bowles' two-spirit identity also inspires song lyrics related to LGBTQ+ issues.
By 2016, the duo had released their first EP “Mantra” which has only 5 very short songs, all under 3:30 in length. So while they were not yet fully embracing their prog tendencies on recordings, they made up for it with pure power and intensity. The closing cut “Scott Fitzgerald” is a standout. In 2017, they put out their second EP called “Rise Over Run”, this time with 6 tracks which are still on the short side, but up to 4:07 this time around. Some of these early tracks remind me of Wolfmother from the early 2000s. A single from this EP titled “Mountain” began to get them some broader notice, as it was about the legacy of colonialism and “residential schools” in Canada, where indigenous kids were essentially kidnapped from their families and forced to attend, and were often abused or killed when they would not comply with attempts to abandon their culture for Euro-Canadian culture. If you have seen “Anne With an E” on Netflix, there is a heartbreaking account of a character’s experience in one. By 2018, they were opening for Jack White, Primus and Rival Sons. They perform as a 2-piece live with no supplemental musicians or pre-recorded parts, with Comeau often using a double-neck guitar/bass, bass pedals and synths. Bowles sings and plays drums simultaneously.
In 2020, they released the acoustically based EP called “Wayward Flyers Vol.1”, on which Comeau also plays a mellotron. This EP includes a cover of the Neil Young song “Birds”. Also included is “The Witching Hour”, which at close to 5 minutes was their longest song to date. This is also the first Crown Lands release that wasn’t self-released, but on the massive Universal Music label. Later that year, Universal released their first full-length self-titled album. The album contained the single “End of the Road”, which is a protest song about Highway 16 –AKA The Highway of Tears–in British Columbia, where many indigenous women have gone missing and/or murdered since the 1970s up to as recently as 2023. On this album, their Rush musical influences are beginning to come-out more. Song lengths are also beginning to increase as the closing track called “Sun Dance” clocks-in at 5:27.
That would be shattered in 2021, however, as Crown Lands finally let their prog tendencies flourish. First, a single called “Context: Fearless, Pt. 1” was released. It is a 10-part tribute to Rush at nearly 8 minutes in length. A shorter track called “Right Way Back” also is included on the single, which had both studio and live versions of both songs. Later that year, the EP “White Buffalo” included their first big epic, the 13:15 suite titled “The Oracle” which has 5 sub-sections. Now we’re proggin! Additionally, “White Buffalo” includes the electric version of “The Witching Hour (Electric Witch)”. Also in 2021, a live album called “Odyssey Vol. 1” was released. By 2022, Crown Lands were opening for Greta Van Fleet (another band bringing back classic 70s style rock). They also released a cover of The Beatles’ classic “Come Together”
The second full-length Crown Lands album came out in 2023, and they continued to embrace their prog spirits. The album, called “Fearless” kicks off with an 18+ minute epic called “Starlifter: Fearless Pt. 2” which is often compared to Rush’s classic “2112”. Interestingly “Context: Fearless Pt. 1 “ is also included as track number 5, and “Right Way Back” is also on the album. Another notable song is the amazing “Lady of the Lake” . The album is available in both Standard form as well as a Deluxe Edition which also has live renditions of all of the album’s tracks performed at a venue called “80A The Academy”, and instrumental versions of every track. In fall of 2023, Crown Lands opened for KISS on their final tour. As of the time of this writing (May 2025), this is the latest Crown Lands release.
However, near the beginning of this article, I said I would discuss Cody Bowles’ cultural identity further. In December of 2023, Bowles issued a statement that recent genealogical research found that he and his father were in fact NOT of Mi’kmaq heritage at all, but rather of “Black Nova Scotian” ancestry. He and his father had both been raised as part Mi’kmaq and Bowles had embraced that culture. According to an article published on December 4 2023 (https://exclaim.ca/.../cody_bowles_of_crown_lands... ):
(Begin quote)
The musician explained that their father raised them as part Mi'kmaq, which is also how their father was raised. Bowles described their hesitancy to probe their father about their familial roots, as he was abandoned by his father (Bowles's grandfather) at a young age, and the musician was ultimately encouraged to work with a genealogist to find out for themself.
They received the report, which apparently showed that their ancestors were almost entirely of African descent, tracing their lineage back to Black loyalists who escaped plantations and fled to Nova Scotia in the 1700s. "The reports showed that my ancestors lived amongst the Mi'kmaq peoples for hundreds of years and there may have been intermarrying, but the census reports still indicated African," Bowles wrote.
They continued, "This news shook me to the core to find no obvious Indigenous connection, because I was raised my whole life to celebrate that side of our ancestry. I experienced my entire life up to this through this lens of being."
Bowles added that their family was spiritually connected to the culture, and that they spent many formative years around Alderville First Nation. "Though it has not changed my upbringing or the values that have been instilled in me by my upbringing, these findings (or lack thereof) have changed the way I view myself," they wrote. "I should have done this work before."
The musician continued:
I want to apologize for claiming Mi'kmaq identity without first being claimed by the community, and not being sure where my family was from while believing Millbrook First Nation was a potential connection.
I understand that by not vetting my lineage, I may have caused harm to people and the community, and that was never my intention. I want you all to know that these messages in my songs and my views are genuine and it has always come from a place of love, empathy, and a strong will to support Indigenous people and elevate their voices.
This new knowledge changes nothing about my respect for the Indigenous community, their struggles, my wanting to elevate their voices, or what I believe in, but I want you all to know that from the depths of my heart, I am sorry.
Bowles also noted that the genealogist's findings weren't entirely conclusive, and that it's possible that the ancestors may have lied to the census enumerators to avoid being discriminated against.
(End Quote)
Let’s hope that any controversy resulting from this revelation does not prevent Crown Lands from continuing to make excellent Heavy Prog! On the good news side of things, Crown Lands are booked already to play Cruise to the Edge in 2026! So it appears that they are still together and performing. Hopefully a new album is on the horizon between now and then.
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Prog On!
LINKS FOR LISTENING:
From Mantra:
“Scott Fitzgerald”
From Rise over Run:
“Mountain” (Official Video)
From “Wayward Fliers, Pt. 1”
“The Witching Hour” (Video)
From Crown Lands (s/t):
“End of the Road” (Official video narrated by Tanya Tagaq)
“Sun Dance” (Official Video)
From Context: Fearless Pt.1
(Title track)
From White Buffalo:
“The Witching Hour (Electric Witch)”
“The Oracle”
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