Wide Mouth Mason

Wide Mouth Mason
Verreault of Wide Mouth Mason in 2010
Background information
Origin	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Genres	Hard rock, blues rock, jam band
Years active	1995 (1995)–present
Labels	Warner Music Canada, Curve Music, Universal Music Group
Website	widemouthmason.com
Members	Shaun Verreault Safwan Javed Gordie Johnson
Past members	Earl Pereira

Wide Mouth Mason is a Canadian blues-based rock band, consisting of Shaun Verreault (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Safwan Javed (Percussion, Backing Vocals), and Gordie Johnson (Bass, Backing Vocals). Former bassist Earl Pereira was also co-founder of Wide Mouth Mason. The band hails from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and has been active since 1995.

Wide Mouth Mason took its name from the jar of the same name, and independently released its first album, The Nazarene in 1996. Although only 2,500 copies were pressed, it still drew interest from the major labels. The band would re-record much of The Nazarene at Greenhouse Studios. The re-recorded tracks and new material attracted the attention of Warner Music Canada, who signed the band to a record deal. The new album would be the band's eponymous major-label debut; it was released in 1997 in Canada and the U.S., and a year later in Japan. It established the group's fusion of pop/rock/blues, and yielded the hit singles "Midnight Rain", "My Old Self", and "This Mourning". The album went Gold in Canada, and the band was nominated for Best New Group at the 1998 Juno Awards.

Wide Mouth Mason released a new album in 1999 with Where I Started, a continuance of its prior sound, but adding elements of jazz and world music. The band returned to Greenhouse Studios to record and mix the album. Its lead single, "Why", backed with scratches and cuts from childhood friend and DJ Muchi Mambo, was a major hit in Canada, and was followed by two other hits, "Companion (Lay Me Down)" and "Sugarcane". The album, like its predecessor, attained Gold status in Canada.

In 2000, the band quickly followed up with the album Stew. It was more pop-oriented than the band's previous efforts, but also eclectic, hence the title of the album. The single "Smile" charted well in Canada, the follow-up "Change" was popular on MuchMusic, and the album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2001 Junos.