Leeroy Stagger
David Guenther
Welcome to #TBT Mixtape, Billboard‘s series that showcases artists’ very own throwback-themed playlists exclusive to Billboard‘s Spotify account. The curated set features the artists’ favorite tracks from their youth and childhood.
This week’s spin comes from Leeroy Stagger. Throughout 17 years as a singer-songwriter, the Canadian musician/producer has released 11 albums to date, with highlights including 2017’s standout Love Versus, which earned a hit in his home country with “I Want It All,” which peaked at No. 39 on Billboard’s Canada Rock chart. Last week (Fri. Sept. 13), Stagger returned with his follow-up record Strange Path, released via True North Records (Bruce Cockburn, Jimmy Rankin).
A frequent producer, Stagger has worked with acts including Hot Hot Heat and Carolyn Mark. But for Strange Path, the veteran opted to mostly self-produce the set alongside The Barr Brothers’ Brad Barr, who tackled four of the eleven tracks, and Grammy-winning mixing engineer Ryan Freeland (Ray Lamontagne, Bonnie Raitt). The musician also enlisted some of his frequent collaborators to play on the record, including guitarist Paul Rigby (Neko Case, Jakob Dylan) and drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Elliot Smith, Los Lobos).
Alongside the album, Stagger also released Strange Path: The Book, a written take on the record’s main themes packaged alongside behind-the-scenes details from the studio, anecdotes about his family and healing from trauma. Stagger is 10 years sober, after struggling with substance abuse, depression and anxiety during his early years in music. The story includes reflections on “loss, forgiveness, pain, faith, The Clash, God Downie, love, death, fear, letting go, higher powers, Mother Earth, obsession, redemption, and the path we all walk through life.”
To help celebrate his new release, Stagger curated this week’s #TBT Mixtape as a soundtrack to his youth, “whittled down to 20 songs,” and including tracks by Super Suckers, Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols, Billy Joel and more.
“It starts with “Born in the USA,” a song I was completely obsessed with as a child and continues on into some introspective Canadian rock,” he explains. “There’s a healthy representation of me turning to punk rock and eventually into singer songwriters here as well. I love it all.”
The playlist also includes tracks that shook him, literally. “I would spend hours in my room with headphones on listening to these records, just digging on the feeling they gave me,” he says. “It gets a little dark with the Soul Asylum (“Runaway Train”) and Pearl Jam (“Jeremy”), I was terrified of these songs but couldn’t turn away. The ’90s were a weird time.”
Give the playlist a spin and check out some throwback shots of Stagger below. Catch him on tour dates through North America and Europe here this fall.