# Captain Tractor

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{{Short description|Canadian folk rock band}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=November 2018}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Captain Tractor
| image             = Captain Tractor at Kaleido Festival 2025 03 (cropped).jpg
| landscape         = yes
| caption           = Captain Tractor in 2025; from left to right: Jason Kodie, Shannon Johnson, Chris Wynters, Jules Mounteer, Scott Peters, Aimee Hill and Jon Nordstrom
| image_size        = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| alias             = 
| origin            = [Edmonton](/source/Edmonton), [Alberta](/source/Alberta), Canada
| instrument        = 
| genre             = [Folk rock](/source/Folk_rock)
| occupation        = 
| years_active      = 1993–present
| label             = 
| associated_acts   = 
| website           = {{URL|www.captaintractor.com}}
| current_members   = Chris Wynters <br /> Scott Peters <br /> Jules Mounteer <br /> Jon Nordstrom <br /> Jason Kodie <br /> Shannon Johnson
| past_members      = Aimee Hill <br /> Jeff Smook <br /> Brock Skywalker
}}
'''Captain Tractor''' is a [Canadian](/source/Canadians) [folk rock](/source/folk_rock) band, based in [Edmonton](/source/Edmonton), [Alberta](/source/Alberta).<ref>Gerry Krochak, "Captain Tractor in high gear". ''[Regina Leader-Post](/source/Regina_Leader-Post)'', April 26, 2001.</ref> They play a [punk](/source/punk_rock)-influenced variant of [Celtic folk](/source/Celtic_folk) music, which has been compared to [Great Big Sea](/source/Great_Big_Sea), [The Pogues](/source/The_Pogues) or [Spirit of the West](/source/Spirit_of_the_West).<ref>Jim Morris, "Captain Tractor has hybrid sound". ''[Ottawa Citizen](/source/Ottawa_Citizen)'', December 1, 1994.</ref> Their songs are often rich in local, cultural, and geographical references.

==History==
The band's most famous songs have been renditions of the [folk music](/source/folk_music) classics "[The Log Driver's Waltz](/source/The_Log_Driver's_Waltz)" and "[Drunken Sailor](/source/Drunken_Sailor)", as well as a cover of the [Arrogant Worms](/source/Arrogant_Worms)' "[The Last Saskatchewan Pirate](/source/The_Last_Saskatchewan_Pirate)". They have also developed a following for their brand of Canadian rock, with singles such as "Up the Hill", "Frozen Puck to the Head", "This Is Not a Sad Song", "Another Drinking Song", and "The Bastard of Strathcona County".

In celebration of the release of the band's sixth album, ''North of the Yellowhead'' (2005 [Six Shooter Records](/source/Six_Shooter_Records)), Edmonton's Alley Kat Brewing Company released Captain Tractor's Yellowhead Wheat Ale.

Their seventh studio album, ''Famous Last Words'', was released on May 3, 2011. A live record, ''Live at the Roxy'', was released in 2015.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2018, the band released ''25 Years On'', a re-mastered retrospective with four new tracks recorded in February 2018 with Nik Kozub at The Audio Department in Edmonton, two unreleased tracks from the vaults, and seventeen previous tracks. In addition, they partnered with Hansen Distillery to create the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Limited Edition Captain Tractor Spiced Rye Whiskey.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theyyscene.com/2018/12/14/edmontons-captain-tractor-toast-25-years-on-with-double-album-new-music-rye-whisky-and-the-promise-of-more-to-come/|title = Edmonton's Captain Tractor toast 25 years on with double album, new music, rye whisky and the promise of more to come – TheYYSCENE}}</ref>

==Band members==
The band consists of five men, one woman, and their mascot, a [deer](/source/deer) named Bucky.  The band members<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.captaintractor.com/the-band|title=The Band {{!}} Captain Tractor|website=www.captaintractor.com|access-date=2017-03-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323053216/http://www.captaintractor.com/the-band|archive-date=2017-03-23|url-status=dead}}</ref> are:
* Chris Wynters - vocals, [guitar](/source/guitar), songwriter
* Scott Peters - vocals, [mandolin](/source/mandolin), guitar, [bodhran](/source/bodhran), songwriter, driver
* Jules Mounteer - [drum](/source/drum)s, percussion, driver
* Jon Nordstrom - [bass](/source/bass_guitar), trumpet, guitar, vocals, songwriter. Joined before ''Hat Trick''.
* Jason Kodie - keyboards, vocals, musical restraint. Joined before ''North of the Yellowhead''.
* Shannon Johnson - fiddle, vocals

Former members include:
* Aimee Hill - [flute](/source/flute), vocals. Left after ''East of Edson''.
* Jeff Smook - bass, vocals, songwriter. Left after ''Bought the Farm''.
* Brock Skywalker - [accordion](/source/accordion), [flute](/source/flute), guitar, [bodhran](/source/bodhran), [penny whistle](/source/penny_whistle), harmonica, [mandolin](/source/mandolin), keyboards, vocals, songwriter. Left just before ''North of the Yellowhead''.

==Discography==
Captain Tractor has released seven albums:
* ''Land'' (1994)
* ''East of Edson'' (1995)
* ''Bought the Farm'' (1997)
* ''Hat Trick'' (1998)
* ''Celebrity Traffic Jam'' (1999)
* ''Hoserista'' (2000)
* ''North of the Yellowhead'' (2005)
* ''Famous Last Words'' (2011)
* ''Live at the Roxy'' (2015)
* ''25 Years On'' (2018)

They have also released a video entitled ''Inconsequential Things'' in 1998, and an interactive CD-ROM, ''Bus Madness'', in 1995.

Members' solo albums:
* Chris Wynters's ''Skywriting'' (Six Shooter Records, 2005) and ''2010-1982'' (Shameless Records, 2010).
* Jon Nordstrom's ''Brick and Stone'' (Independent, 2003) and Waiting for Summer (Independent 2005).
* Former member Brock Skywalker's ''Cerebral Reruns'' (FrozenPuck, 2004).

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.captaintractor.com/ Official site]
* [https://canadianbands.com/captain-tractor/ CanConRox entry] 
* {{discogs artist|Captain Tractor}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1993 establishments in Alberta
Category:Canadian Celtic rock groups
Category:Canadian folk rock groups
Category:Musical groups established in 1993
Category:Musical groups from Edmonton
Category:Six Shooter Records artists

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Captain Tractor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Tractor) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Tractor?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.