“A great singer songwriter. World class.”
– CBC Radio Active

“I’m a big fan of Everett’s work, ever since I first met him way back in the Route 66 days at Spartan’s Men’s Club.
I love that guy’s singing. He’s one of the best in Edmonton.”
– Mike McDonald, Junior Gone Wild (Big E Radio)

EVERETT LAROI – FULL BIO

Since co-founding Idyl Tea in the mid-1980s, Everett LaRoi has been a leading figure in Edmonton, Alberta’s alternative music scene, going on to spearhead other projects such as ManRayGun and Goldtop.

After re-igniting his solo career in 2025 with the album Morning Stars Mournings Hush, LaRoi is back with a five-song collection entitled The Dept. 9 Sessions that captures him in a live off the floor setting, accompanied by his Goldtop partner Alice Kos on vocals and keyboards, drummer Mike Silverman (Deep Dark Woods, Kacy & Clayton), bassist Tom Murray (Old Reliable), and pedal steel guitarist Gavin Dunn (The Hearts).

Recorded—as the title gives away—at Edmonton’s Dept. 9 Studios with producer/engineer Stew Kirkwood, the EP could be considered a companion release to last year’s Morning Stars Mournings Hush. It consists of new versions of two songs from the 2025 album, “On This Night” and “Stuck In Another Time,” two songs from LaRoi’s back catalogue, “Jake’s Big Top Lament” and “Go Out,” and one of LaRoi’s longtime live staples, Richard & Linda Thompson’s “Wall of Death,” sung as a duet with Kos. LaRoi says, “It was refreshing to simply play the songs live rather than use the meticulous overdubbing approach I’d taken on the full-length album. The sessions were both creatively satisfying and a ton of fun.”

LaRoi’s original intention was to make some live-in-studio videos, which ended up tallying some impressive numbers on his YouTube channel, particularly in Sweden and Germany. But the quality of the performances, combined with the stellar sound, led him to expand the project into an official release. It was an easy decision to make, since he admits that he’s felt a resurgence of creative energy over the past two years and wants to take full advantage of it.

“With Morning Stars Mournings Hush and this slightly more raw EP, I feel like I’ve completed one chapter, and I’m excited to see where the next one takes me,” he says. “Part of the fun of being a solo artist is that I get to work with all kinds of different musicians and explore different approaches over time. I’m hell-bent on exploring that while the creative energy is there. I’ve had a long career in music, but I’ve always tried not to lose that sense of ‘beginner’s mind’—that openness to new learning that keeps a musician sharp. I still feel like I’m starting over when I’m writing new songs, which is both unnerving and surprising considering I’ve written literally hundreds of them.”

Expanding on that notion, LaRoi adds that his writing has also come to reflect later-life themes of grief, renewal, and the complicated relationship between looking back and moving forward. In that sense, finally recording “Wall Of Death”—a joyous song rooted in hard-earned experience—is a clear reflection of LaRoi’s current state of mind.

At the same time, he maintains that he’s always looking for musical refreshment from new artists, and that ongoing search is sure to become a part of the next music LaRoi produces. He says, “I just spent a weekend at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and for me, that experience is all about soaking up as many new sounds, ideas, and approaches as I can. I think that tension between looking backward and looking forward is pretty central to where I am as an artist right now.”

EVERETT LAROI – 150 WORD BIO

Since co-founding Edmonton’s Idyl Tea in the mid-1980s, singer-songwriter Everett LaRoi has been a fixture of Alberta’s alternative music scene, later spearheading projects including ManRayGun and Goldtop.

After reigniting his solo career with the 2025 album Morning Stars Mournings Hush, LaRoi returns with The Dept. 9 Sessions, a five-song live-off-the-floor collection recorded at Edmonton’s Dept. 9 Studios with producer/engineer Stew Kirkwood. Featuring Goldtop partner Alice Kos, drummer Mike Silverman, bassist Tom Murray, and pedal steel guitarist Gavin Dunn, the EP revisits two songs from Morning Stars Mournings Hush, two from LaRoi’s back catalogue, and Richard & Linda Thompson’s “Wall of Death,” performed as a duet with Kos.

The EP reflects LaRoi’s renewed creative energy and his ongoing fascination with fresh musical approaches. Its songs explore grief, renewal, and the tension between looking back and moving forward—ideas that continue to shape LaRoi’s evolving songwriting.

EVERETT LAROI – 75 WORD BIO

Everett LaRoi has been a fixture of Edmonton’s alternative music scene since co-founding Idyl Tea in the mid-1980s, later leading projects including ManRayGun and Goldtop. After returning to his solo career with 2025’s Morning Stars Mournings Hush, LaRoi follows with The Dept. 9 Sessions, a five-song live-off-the-floor collection recorded at Edmonton’s Dept. 9 Studios. Featuring longtime collaborators and new musical partners, the EP captures LaRoi’s renewed creative energy and his continuing exploration of songwriting, performance, and fresh musical approaches.

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“Exceptional.”
– Dick Altavista, CKCU-FM (Ottawa)

“Features some great songcraft of Everett’s alongside a cover of “Wall of Death” – one of the great carnival ride songs – what a wonderful rendition from Everett LaRoi and company.”
– Grant Stovel, CKUA Radio Network

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✓ 50,000+ Spotify streams

“A beautiful new record by Everett LaRoi.”
– Amy Van Keekan, CKUA Radio Network

“With his new release, Morning Stars Mournings Hush, LaRoi casts the spotlight solely on his sturdy songwriting chops alongside musical help from friends. …a well-earned reflection on a life well-lived.”
– Chad Huculak, The Edmonton Journal

“The troubadour side of LaRoi is present on several songs, balanced by the tasteful power of his sidemen. The result is a retro Lambchop-Wilco-Son Volt friendly approach to music…
[Stuck in Another Time] is one of the best songs 2025.”
– Donald Teplyske, Fervor Coulee Roots Music

✓ #7 on Canada’s National !earshot Folk/Roots Chart (February 10, 2026)

PHOTOS

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PRESS QUOTES: Everett’s bands over the years:

GOLDTOP (duo with Alice Kos)

“Gorgeous folk-rock starring Alice Kos’ sweet, dreamy voice and Everett LaRoi’s shuddery guitar rumbles.” 
– Sandra Sperounes, Edmonton Journal

“Alice Kos and Everett LaRoi are both steeped in records by ’70s singer-songwriters and early ’80s new wave: LaRoi echoes The Band’s Rick Danko on “Even Tonight,” while Kos taps Debbie Harry on “Rip It Off.” Because most Goldtop material falls somewhere between those two dissimilar camps, they stumble into a sound all their own and an incredibly promising debut. Most important, they’ve got the songwriting chops to distinguish themselves. Expect to be hearing a lot more from them if they venture east of Edmonton.”
– Michael Barclay, The Record

MANRAYGUN

“Composed of five veteran Edmonton-area players, Manraygun is a rootsy rock band whose members have more than paid their dues and who, collectively, could lay out a fairly detailed family tree illustrating a large swath of the last 25 years of our rock ‘n’ roll scene. LaRoi tosses off names of venues like the legendary Spartan’s Mens Club where he first gigged back in the early ’80s, and makes mention of bands like the Malibu Kens and the Draggnetts that his guitar-playing bandmate Dennis Lenarduzzi played in during the same era. It was a time when Moe Berg and Mike McDonald were just able to see formative editions of the Pursuit of Happiness and Jr. Gone Wild (respectively) on the horizon. LaRoi also mentions names like Idyl Tea, which he fronted, and Old Reliable, where bassist Tom Murray saw a few of his years flash before his eyes.”
– Peter North, The Edmonton Journal

IDYL TEA

“This could well be the best new Canadian band.”
 – NOW Magazine (Toronto)

“A bit of acoustic guitar, bit of electric guitar, a bit of a country twang, and fabulous harmonies.” 
– Erica Ehm, MuchMusic Network

“This Edmonton-based trio has a penchant for golden drones & cascading harmonies. The band is as polished as the countertops of the bars where it has undoubtedly honed it’s skills.” 
– Liam Lacy, The Globe & Mail