Glen Erickson talks with Winnipeg musician, radio host and country historian Sean Burns. Sean is the frontman of Lost Country and the bassist for Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans. They talk about a career built on work ethic, from Ontario bar gigs at 17 to a sold-out Winnipeg release show. Sean also explains his shift from lost Canadian honky-tonk to Texas dance hall country on his new record, Better Off in Time and Other Songs for the Dance Floor. Key Topics Blue-collar musicianship: Sean never had a plan B. He has gigged for a living since 2001 and describes himself as a working musician, whether solo, with Lost Country or with Corb Lund.Country music as an inheritance: He avoided his father's music as a kid, then dug into his dad's record collection. The conversation covers their complicated relationship and his dad's passing nine years ago.Preservation of lost Canadian country: Sean shines a light on regional labels and barroom singers from the 60s to the 80s, and on the Texas dance hall tradition behind his new record.Earning the Corb Lund gig: Sean was not the best bassist at the audition. He bet on himself, learned 40 songs when he was given 15, and got the job through preparation and getting along with the band.Keywords, names and places People: Corb Lund, Grant Siemens, Lyle Molzan, Joanna Miller, Skinny Dyck (Ryan), Scott Franchuk, Roy Payne, Ian Tyson, Gordon Lightfoot, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Steve Earl, Johnny Bush, Ray Price, Faron Young, Jake Vaadeland, Danny MichelBands, labels and projects: Lost Country, Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans, Leaf Rapids, The Wheat Pool, Department Store Records, Boots and Saddle Show, ARC, Paragon, Marathon, Banff Records, Rodeo RecordsPlaces: Winnipeg, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Medicine Hat, Southern Ontario, Toronto, Texas, Crown and Anchor (Edmonton), The Aviary, Folk FestPost-fame music recs: Kiwi Jr., Midnight Faces, Slow Pulp, The Haunted Youth, Allegra Kriegerep54 Sean Burns is very comfortable released November 5, 2026 1:25:49 https://seanburns.ca https://www.instagram.com/seanburnsmusic https://www.youtube.com/@seanburnsmusic hosts: Glen Erickson, Alexi Erickson AFE: https://www.almostfamousenough.com AFE instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almostfamousenough AFE Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1o1PRD2X0i3Otmpn8vi2zP?si=1ece497360564480 Almost Famous Enough is a series of conversations centered around the music industry, pulling back the veil on what it really means to “make it”. Our podcast features guests who know the grind, who have lived the dream, or at the very least, chased the dream. Through these conversational biographies, truth and vulnerability provide more than a topical roadmap or compile some career advice; they can appeal to the dreamer in us all, with stories that can teach us, inspire us, and even reconcile us, and make us feel like we made a new friend along the way. Chapters 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:03:23 - Fresh off the road: a Western Canada run and the exhaustion of coming home 00:06:26 - Touring with a four-year-old at home and feeling the road differently in your forties 00:08:28 - How Glen and Sean first crossed paths at a birthday show in Edmonton 00:10:25 - Gigging for a living since 2001: Ontario bars, cruise ships and early touring 00:14:00 - Better Off in Time and a run of themed albums 00:15:47 - Rejecting his dad's music, a punk-rock adolescence and a country bar job 00:20:24 - A complicated father-son relationship and what music resolved 00:27:35 - Lost Canadian country: Roy Payne and regional labels 00:31:57 - Texas dance halls and the sound of the new record 00:34:12 - Stage patter, throwback delivery and what radio taught him about confidence 00:38:54 - A tight band: three lead players and knowing when not to play 00:42:23 - Drummer Joanna Miller and a nine-year musical partnership 00:47:37 - Juggling Corb Lund's touring schedule with his own band 00:50:34 - Adjusting from loud bars to polished theaters and in-ear monitors 00:54:32 - Winning the Corb Lund bass audition through preparation and betting on himself 01:00:00 - Skinny Dyck as producer and the friendship behind the record 01:03:54 - What's next: a short-term view and no big trajectory 01:07:30 - The Boots and Saddle Show and curating traditional country on the radio 01:13:19 - Post-fame with Alexi Alexi pitches her dad's upcoming show with this old band, The Wheat Pool, Nov.21/2026 at The Aviary in Edmonton.
