Crop Circles

When I was going to high school in Red Deer, crop circles appeared in fields across Central Alberta. It made the papers, and local radio was abuzz with talk of UFOs, possible alien abductions, and maybe even Steven Spielberg making a sequel to E.T set in Red Deer.

Being a sci-fi nerd, I was into it. Like not Tom Delonge into it, but it was fun to imagine aliens wanting to see Nickelback play before they got big, or a truck burning more fuel to drive across town than a flying saucer needs to get through the solar system.

My favourite part, though, was that the truth was out there, and I knew it: aliens didn’t make the crop circles. It was a group of my smart and talented friends, who used their powers for good, complicated pranks.

Today, I feel like participating in the Edmonton music community is similar. Not the pranks, but that I get to be in on a big secret with talented people. And if aliens do exist, I have no doubt they’re moshing among us at local shows. Cause where else would they hang out? Area 51? In Edmonton’s music community, unlike my prankster friends, what they do isn’t secret. We all get to be in on it. And that’s why I was pumped when Jeremy Witten gave me the new Baby Jey record to write this review. My first review, funny enough, since the release of Baby Jey’s Someday Cowboy in 2018.

Baby Jey in the field. Jeremy Witten (left) and Dean Kheroufi (right). Photo by Salty.

I won’t ruin the surprise, but Crop Circles isn’t just sonically dynamic, but it draws you in visually with support from Zanzibar G. Abonado Jr., Travis Salty, and Brandi Strauss. I expected that my familiarity with Baby Jey, and Jeremy and Dean Kheroufi’s songwriting, listening to Crop Circles would feel like phoning home. Instead, it was like visiting a real extraterrestrial landscape…and not just one of those sets from Star Trek: The Original Series. Baby Jey explicitly situates the album in one of my favourite genres, heartbreak on the prairies, but in a unique new way: with old radio interludes. And synth!

The dichotomy in this record reminds me of Scully telling Mulder, “the truth is out there, but so are lies”. Everyone can get caught up in that mix. Pretending, or performing, based on others’ expectations or direction. We might not even realize we’re doing it. And when we do look a little deeper, everything can get blurry. But by the time you spin through Crop Circles, it will be clear: if you’re going to be a prankster, do it in a farmer’s field, not someone’s heart.

Tonight, Friday October 27, is your chance to hear, see, and feel Baby Jey’s new record! Crop Circles’ vinyl release party is at The Aviary. Joining Jeremy and Dean will be Cameron O’Neill on drums, Maria Martire on synth, bass, and vocals, and Phil Holtby on guitar. It’ll be Baby Jey, plus Zephyr Twins and Caity Fisher. Costumes are encouraged, so maybe dress up like your favourite alien, or Edmonton musician!

Show poster on the wall at CJSR. Poster by Salty.

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Tags: Baby Jey, Crop Circles, heartbreak on the prairies

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