Simply put, Andy Swan is one of the most gifted songwriters we know. Early as the Fling, Swan recorded in his parents’ home onto four track, blending an organ’s cha-cha percussion with his Yamaha acoustic. Detective Kalita was born shortly thereafter, as Swan formed a musical partnership with the wayward Saskatchewanian drummer Shayne Cox (Sports: the Band, Music for Mapmakers).

From the depths of a dingy Toronto basement apartment, the two worked out the demos for the classic 2003 outing The Night We Ate the Cake. Greg Smith (Weakerthans) joined on bass, as well as Sandro Perri (Polmo Polpo) on lap steel and guitar, and the foursome gelled over the next few years, producing their masterpiece The Michael Parks in 2006.

Working again with Andy Magoffin at London’s House of Miracles, The Michael Parks (who at this time left their former moniker behind) created a pop masterpiece that has continued to warm the hearts of its listeners years later.

The band now is semi-retired, but there’s no telling what could happen down the road. G Smith continues to be busy with the Weakerthans; Perri with his own Polmo Polpo; Cox drums with Sports: The Band and Andy Swan has taken up residence in Breadalbane, PEI, where he continues to churn out melodies like the song factory he is. The Rejected Michael Parks, a collection of songs recorded, as its title suggests, during The Michael Parks sessions, is now available as a digital-only release from Kelp.