Joe Pernice of The Pernice Brothers and Scud Mountain Boys releases Sunny, I Was Wrong, his fourth solo album, this week. The album was recorded live in the studio with a backing band of Jim Creeggan (Barenaked Ladies), Mike Belitsky (The Sadies), Mike Evin, and Mike McKenzie. It also features contributions from Aimee Mann, Teenage Fanclub‘s Norman Blake, Jimmy Webb, and Rodney Crowell.
You can listen to the full album early, and read Joe’s track-by-track breakdown, below.
Joe is also playing a few shows in support of Sunny, I Was Wrong, including two in NYC: a free in-store at Rough Trade Below on Saturday, April 4, and Public Records on May 7 with Pete Mancini opening. All dates are listed below.
Peace in Our Home
This was a longer song that was not feeling right to me at all. I should have known the problem was the program length, but sometimes what becomes the obvious thing can stay pretty well hidden. We recorded the longer version during these same sessions. I got home and listened to the roughs mixes. I decided to scrap the song. The next day before the session I just started editing. Trimmed the song to the essentials. The band nailed it in a take.
Deep into the Dawn
Of all of the recordings I have ever made, this is my favorite. Obviously, I can’t speak for potential listeners, but for me this recording has it all. I think the song itself is pretty good. The musicians played beautifully. The song was recorded, mixed and mastered exactly how I’d hoped. And what can I say about Aimee Mann’s singing? As I was writing the song I had her voice in mind. I’ve said a lot already about her greatness as a songwriter, musician and performer. She’s a legit hero of mine. Obviously, I was pretty stoked when she agreed to sing with me. And she sang perfectly. I’m so pleased with how the song turned out. I’m almost able to listen to it as if it were not mine. Almost.
If You Go Back to California
This song repeats the same verse three times. Verses two and three had different lyrics, but I found I was just trying to say in different words what I’d said with the first verse. I thought, Hell, why not just repeat the same lyrics? Turned out it works pretty good.
I went to Mike McKenzie’s studio to play the song for him. I think we tracked it on the spot. My old friend and collaborator Patrick Berkery played the spot-on drums on this one. Mike plays all other instruments besides the acoustic guitars. It was quicker that way. I’m an okay rhythm player, and we were trying to finish before the lunch special time window closed at our favorite sushi joint. A guy’s got to eat.
Force Feed the Fire
I don’t remember writing this one. That’s probably because I am not a confident finger picker, so I test-drove this song for a long time before deciding to record it. The song didn’t happen in a day. The recording did, however. The guys really nailed this one. And Andrew Joslyn’s string arrangement through the lead break only is lovely. I tend to show less restraint, but I’m glad I had the good sense to see that less is more. Also, I’ve been meaning to get the word “copse” into a song for a while now.
The Black and the Blue
This is one of those songs that came to me so completely and quickly that it was almost like I was watching someone else write it. At first I thought the chorus chord change was too simple. Then I said aloud, “Don’t be a dope. Have you heard Roadrunner?”
So I let the songwriting run its course. When it was done I thought there was a pretty catchy song there.
The band successfully nodded to that Warren Zevon Excitable Boy vibe. Mike Evin’s Boogie piano lead is pretty wicked. Bit of a nod to Leon Russell, which is never a bad thing. And Jame’s Walbourne’s understated electric guitar part does some heavy lifting. Hell, everyone’s playing does a lot of work in this one. Really pleased with this recording.
It Won’t Be Me
On literally every record I have made, there’s a song that was written at the eleventh hour the MUST be recorded for the record.
I wrote “It Won’t Be Me” one night after finishing a session for this record. I started singing the chorus on the snowy walk home from Jim Creeggan’s studio. By breakfast the next morning I had the song mapped, and we cut it that day. I got James Walbourne to play the classier of the acoustic guitar tracks. Engineer Kenny Luong played the synth bass. My only direction to him: Vangelis.
Rodney Crowell. Wow! What can I say other than it’s an honour to have a bona fide legend sing on one of my songs. A guy (me) can get real insecure real fast about a lot of things when the idea of singing with Rodney Crowell. In the end, I love how this one turned out. And it’ll always be an honour to see my name and Rodney Crowell’s credited next to each other.
I’d Rather Look Away
This song was not on my list to make the record. It was among the 20 or 30 songs I sent my old friend Warren Zanes. He was “helping” me pick the songs for the record. (With the exception of one song that insisted must be on the record, the sequence of the album is Warren’s.) When I told Warren “I’d Rather Look Away” was not on my list, he said, and I quote, “Joey, Joey, Joey, are you nuts?” Okay, okay. To quote Robert Evans, “The kid stays in the picture.”
Pete Mancini plays all of the beautiful electric guitar tracks on the song. His parts and cues are spot on.
And I knew I had to have my old bud Norman Blake add a vocal harmony arrangement, and he generously obliged. Norman is, among other notable things, the best harmony vocal arranger/singer I’ve ever known. It’s part of his natural way.
Sunny, I Was Wrong
This is another song that I truncated to the bare essentials. When I pared the song down, I was left with a narrative that to me played like a movie. I was into it, and committed to the song.
I really pleased with the arrangement and recording of this one. It does a decent job of growing instrumentally as the brief song unfolds. Mike Evin and I tracking the “King of The Road” style finger snaps on the outro is a fond memory. He and I were kind of laughing because we knew the snaps (and not hand claps) was the right call. The stuff you remember!
Is It Serious
This is also right up there as one of my favorite recordings I’ve made. There’s not a ton going on in this song, but it sounds like there is. If you’re so inclined, listen down and focus on a different element each time. Mike Belitsky, Mike Evin, Jim Creeggan, these are serious players. And though Laura Stein (who is also my wife) said she’s not a singer, I had to tell her she was wrong…which is not something I can honestly do very often. I absolutely love her voice. I wrote this song to be sung by a woman. Maybe in a few more years of marriage I’ll convince Laura to sing the rest of it. Three truths I know: Always marry for love. Always play with musicians better than you. Always buy the bicycle.
Twenty-Thousand Times
I wrote this song with my friend and collaborator Josh Karp. We released an LP under the name Roger Lion somewhere around 2015. This song was on that album. And while I love the version we did back then, I wanted to take a crack at producing down a path I feel the song wants to travel. I always wanted to hear the song with a Memphis soul vibe. One of the great things about having written a song: You can do whatever the hell you want. So we took another crack at.
I think Jim Creeggan’s rolling bass is the workhorse of this recording. Josh plays the trumpet. He and Greg Kramer (trombone) in my opinion play so beautifully and sparely. I want more, but I don’t get more…not in a song with those lyrics.
It Got Away from Me
I’ve known heartbreak, grief, loss, sorrow, fear…all of the bummers. And I’m sure to know more. But I wrote a song that lyrically nods to “MacArthur Park” and Jimmy Webb himself plays piano on that song. And there’s not a single fucking thing anyone can do to take that away from me. Game over. I win. Pernice- 1, The World- nil.
This little glimpse into the song’s origin—when viewed alongside the fact that all-time great/genius Jimmy Webb appears on the song—illustrates an amusing (at least to me) collision of worlds. I was coaching upper level youth baseball. Our 13 year old shortstop dropped a catchable infield pop up. When the inning changed over, in a teaching moment I asked him what happened on the play. He said, “It got away from me.” I knew right then I’d use that for a song.
JOE PERNICE – 2026 TOUR DATES
April 3 – Philadelphia, PA – WXPN Free at Noon
April 4 – New York, NY – Rough Trade Below (In-Store & Autograph Signing)
May 5 – Cambridge, MA – Club Passim
May 6 – Cambridge, MA – Club Passim
May 7 – Brooklyn, NY – Public Records
May 9 – Hudson, NY – Hangar on the Hudson
May 10 – Philadelphia/Wayne, PA – 118 North
May 12 – South Bend, IN – Stockroom East
May 13 – Chicago, IL – Szold Hall / Old Town School of Folk Music
May 14 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark