It’s scary to think about, but we’ll eventually lose someone important to us, but it’s not always such doom and gloom because new life follows after death. Shred Kelly’s band members, Sage McBride and Tim Newton, created an album in 2019 to honour the passing of Tim’s father while celebrating the birth of their first child. The album, “Like A Rising Sun”, is a reflection of how Tim and Sage worked through the responsibility of parenthood while coping with a significant loss. It gives an optimistic view on the meaning of life and death.
When they were writing the album, Tim would normally compose the music first, then follow with the lyrics. Writing this album was a bit of a challenge for him since there was so much to process about his daughter and his dad. When Sage brought her daughter to stay with her parents for the weekend, Tim took the opportunity to finish writing the lyrics. Tim’s dad is someone who wouldn’t enjoy a song about him that’s written in a sad way, so whenever Tim wrote about his dad, Tim honoured him by keeping an upbeat energy. The song, “Take Me Home”, was about how Tim’s parents first met and how in his dad’s final days, he spent it out of the hospital and back home with his wife until his peaceful passing.
Whenever Tim hurt himself as a child, his dad would always tell him, “It’s a long way to your heart.” This is the phrase that stuck with him the moment he was informed through the phone that his dad is gone. In that moment, the pain was right in his heart. Tim faced sleepless nights with thoughts of his dad’s passing and the worries of navigating parenthood in our current world. Their song, “Underground” focuses on the anxieties that keep people up at night.
Their final song, “Rising Sun” explores the conflict between an event that’s heartbreaking and an event that’s heartwarming. While experiencing grief, they can also celebrate the gift of something positive and welcome their daughter into the world.
Their whole album is such a beautiful and personal story that captures the experience of a loss and a gift at the same time. It might resonate well if you’ve lost someone, but you’re moving forward with a new gift or a positive opportunity.