Some albums are born in studios. Legacy was born at a kitchen table—where coffee steamed, smoke curled, and a father’s dreams spilled onto scraps of paper. For Trent Agecoutay, this new album isn’t just a collection of songs—it’s a living tribute to his father Jim, an Indigenous singer-songwriter who wrote music in the bars of Western Canada just years after Canada’s Indigenous peoples were legally allowed through their doors.
Following the success of his Number 1 Indigenous Music Countdown single Burn a Smudge, Trent—alongside his brother Bryce—dug through decades of their father’s half-finished lyrics and dusty demo tapes. The result is Legacy: a raw, live-off-the-floor album that doesn’t just honor Jim’s voice but finishes the conversations he never got to complete. “He left us blueprints,” Trent reflects. “We just had to build the rest.”
The album is a time capsule of honky-tonk grit—twangy Telecasters, pedal steel wails, and barroom swing—but it’s also a vehicle for healing. Jim, a residential school survivor, spent 40 years performing across the prairies, finding refuge in rhythm. His sons have preserved that unfiltered spirit by rejecting studio polish and embracing real-time performances. Every note carries the weight of an unfinished legacy, and every song sounds like it was made for a Saturday night crowd two-stepping their troubles away.
But Legacy isn’t stuck in the past. Trent, who joined his dad’s band at 19, carries the torch with purpose. Even the album’s funding—secured through grassroots arts grants—is an echo of Jim’s working-class ethos: hustle, heart, and a homemade sound.
A live album is already in the works, scheduled for recording this September, continuing the Agecoutay family’s mission to bridge eras and amplify stories too often left untold. But for now, Legacy plays like a cross-country drive with ghosts riding shotgun—warm, weathered, and full of truth.
Press play and feel the smoke, the sorrow, and the strength. Some songs don’t fade with time—they just wait for the right hands to finish the chorus.
Stream Legacy now and follow @UncleTrentMusic for live album updates.
Trent
