The Prairie Joggers are a gritty folk-rock band out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Blending warm electric guitar, raw vocals and dampened drums, the Joggers form a thick vintage sound that cushions their bleak but not entirely hopeless lyrical themes. What the band lacks in bells and whistles they make up for with a sincere sense of nostalgia that agrees with their charismatic live performances and minimalistic approach to instrumentals.

Like any old pair of boots, Cody Goertzen (guitar/vocals) and Adam Hill (drums), work better together. Stepping away from the good old days with Odder than the Otters right into and out the other side of a global pandemic has seemed to only enliven their deeply rooted writing partnership. Tying together dry retrospective lyrics with simple steady grooves, the Joggers build a stable foundation out of what feels right in the moment. This tends to be unpolished but comfortable, with enough room for the rest of the band to wiggle their toes from time to time.

A raw and energetic live performance, typically with bass and lead guitar accompaniment, has taken the stage at several festivals across Manitoba since spring 2021 including Whoop & Hollar, I am Festival, Tiny Fest, Winterruption, Gentle Fest and Festival Du Voyageur. The Joggers have also taken part in the RBC’s Emerging Artist Mentorship, been added to the Curbside Concerts roster and most recently started playing acoustic sets at care homes. A western tour in spring 2022 spanned thirty days with a total of eighteen shows from Winnipeg to Vancouver.

After returning from tour in spring ‘22 Goertzen and Hill went into No Fun Club Recording Studio for a two day live off the floor session with recording engineer Rob Hill. They finished the session with drums, rhythm guitar and vocal parts for three songs. Lead guitar and bass parts, performed by Bo Neufeld (Sam Gardner/The Coveralls) and Alex Mackinnon (Sports Club), were later recorded in the Joggers basement studio. Additional keys were recorded and performed by Keiran Placatka (Francis Rae/The Funky Miracles) at his home studio. The Prairie Joggers three track EP, titled Going Nowhere, was mixed by Riley Hill at No Fun Club and mastered by Philip Shaw Bova. The EP is now available on all streaming services.

While writing new music, gigging locally and experimenting with in-house recording and production, The Prairie Joggers also have a mind to put nowhere back in the rear-view mirror. They’ve missed the long drive, the neon glare of a cheap motel, strange faces in a barroom and the feeling of waking up in the mountains or near an open body of water.