Mallory Chipman and Freddi MacDougall met through music. The two singers were performing in a cover band at the Blue Chair Cafe when they had the idea to start their own band, where they could sing their own music. Six years later, the COVID-19 pandemic happened.
“We decided, especially with the pandemic opening up a little bit more time in our schedules, that maybe now’s the moment where we actually mobilize this dream into a plan,” says Chipman. “We started cowriting and getting our repertoire together and then we went into the studio in the summer of 2021 and did some recording. It’s all been over the past year and a half, but it’s wild because it feels like a long time coming.”
The Goddamsels — including guitarists Brett Hansen and Kyle Shabada on guitars, bassist Murray Wood and drummer Shea Connor — are heading on tour this month. The tour kicks off in Edmonton with a street concert on August 16 at 7 p.m. at 71 Avenue and 112 Street. Tickets are by donation.
Wayward Daughter, Chipman and MacDougall’s debut album, came out in June and featured six tracks. The pair notes that cowriting can be difficult when you’re still getting to know the other writer, but their longtime friendship made it easy to be vulnerable and honest during the writing process. The alt-country album speaks to solidarity, friendship and heartache.
“It’s very human,” says Chipman. “When we say ‘by the people, for the people,’ we’re really trying to write songs about the human experience. We intend to tell our authentic story through our music in a way that reflects our values as people.”
“Wayward Daughter,” the album’s title track, is about Chipman and MacDougall’s friendship. It is a “love song for friends,” says MacDougall. The album was released on Canada’s oldest country music label, Royalty Records, which includes artists like Canadian country singers Aaron Pritchett and Tenille Towns in its roster.
Listen to Wayward Daughter and find more tour dates at thegoddamsels.com
