Ten Songs in Drop C, the Tuning This Ottawa Band Has Used Since 2002
Clutter opens Husk with a guitar riff played in octaves, one line high and one low, in the Drop C tuning the Ottawa band Scarecrowz have used since 2002. The hard rock four-piece formed in 2000, released the ten-track album on 6 June 2025, and celebrated 25 years together at the Rainbow Bistro on 24 July 2026.
Scarecrowz’s Clutter sits in the playlist below with our other hard rock and heavy rock picks, and the Scarecrowz artist profile holds their wider coverage. Husk reached this desk through PopHits.Co Music Charts, which verifies independent artists and places their releases across its network of music news desks. Hit play on that octave riff first, then keep reading for the tuning history behind it.
Canadian Hard Rock Rewards the Bands That Stay, and Scarecrowz Have Played Ottawa Clubs Since 2000
Canadian hard rock has a long memory for bands that do not stop. For example, Anvil formed in Toronto in 1978 and have released twenty studio albums. Then the 2008 documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil sent a new audience back to that catalogue. Killer Dwarfs started in Oshawa in late 1981 and earned two Juno nominations. Neither band waited for a trend to justify the next gig.
Scarecrowz come from the same working tradition. Ger Madden founded the band in Ottawa in 2000, and they have been releasing records since 2001. Since then, they have shared bills with Anvil, Killer Dwarfs and Warrior Soul, the New York band Kory Clarke formed in 1987. They have also played the Rail and Chocolate Festival in Smiths Falls to about a thousand people. In addition, they have toured southern Ontario and western Quebec and had airplay in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany. Through all of it, the mission has not moved: modern rock with a classic rock feel.
The 2026 calendar shows what that means in practice. First, Sonny’s Bar & Grill in Ottawa hosted them in February and again in April. The Atria in Oshawa followed on 16 May, then a private party in Middleville on 11 July. On 24 July, former members joined them on stage at the Rainbow Bistro for a few songs to mark 25 years. After that came Buster’s Bar & Grill in Kanata, on 4 September. In other words, it is a club band’s year in and around Ottawa, and Husk is the record Scarecrowz carry into those rooms.
Husk Puts the Drop C Tuning Scarecrowz Have Used Since 2002 Into Ten Ottawa Hard Rock Songs
The tuning came first. In an interview with Buzz Music, the band traced the route: standard tuning, then a half step down to E flat, then D for their first record, and finally Drop C in 2002. In that key, the band’s singer found the heavier voice the songs needed. As a result, every riff on Husk sits in that register.
The album runs ten tracks and just over 45 minutes, and the band produced it themselves. Reno D’Santie played lead and rhythm guitars, electric and acoustic. Meanwhile, Trevor St. Peter played bass, Aansen Harrison played drums and percussion, and Madden sang lead and played rhythm guitar. Zac Bryan also added bass on Degeneration. D’Santie, St. Peter and Bryan engineered the sessions, and Rohan Despande mixed and mastered the record. Finally, the artwork is credited to Rachael Chandler of Artistik Vibe, and the photograph to Madden.
A Harvest Theme That Grew From the Band’s Own Name
The harvest imagery is deliberate. After all, a band named after the figure that guards a field made an album called Husk, with The Scythe and Khildren of the Corn on the track list. The band told Buzz Music the idea was loosely based on their name. It may also continue the theme of the previous album, Dusk Of Another Dawn, released in March 2021.
The reviews picked up the range. For instance, BuzzSlayers heard On & On slow down into deep, sludgy riffs that recalled doom and stoner rock. The same review heard classic hard rock writing with extra weight on Mega-Bitch (MB), and it singled out Degeneration as a story song with detailed lyrics. On & On came out as a single in May 2025, and Degeneration followed as the second single from the album with an official lyric video. Since then, Scream Cycle has been released as a single too.
Fans of Anvil, Warrior Soul and Killer Dwarfs Will Find a Familiar Riff Logic on Husk
Start with Anvil. Metal on Metal in 1982 showed how far a riff can carry a heavy metal song. Similarly, Clutter puts the octave figure first, and the band build the track on top of it. So listeners who know that Toronto band’s catalogue will recognise the priorities.
Warrior Soul are a different kind of reference. Lead singer Kory Clarke formed that band, and Husk also starts from its singer, because the whole tuning history comes back to Madden finding a heavier register. The hard rock is loud, but the vocal leads.
Killer Dwarfs, on the other hand, bring the humour. The Oshawa band were known for an offbeat sense of humour and were sometimes compared to Iron Maiden and Saxon. Scarecrowz share both sides: a classic metal backbone, and titles like Mega-Bitch (MB) and Khildren of the Corn from a band whose website lists its SHOWZ and its NEWZ.
A New Line-Up, a 25-Year Show and Dates Into November
The Ottawa line-up that plays Husk live has changed since Scarecrowz recorded it. Trevor St. Peter, who joined in April 2024 and played bass on the album, now plays lead and rhythm guitar. Kevin Tysick then joined on bass and vocals in July 2025, and Todd Campbell joined on drums in September. Early in 2026 they moved rehearsals from the Jam Barn in East Ottawa to Vibration Studios in Osgoode. They have also been writing new songs to rehearse and record later in the autumn.
Three dates remain in 2026, all listed on the band’s official site: Finnigan’s Road House in Pembroke on 16 October, the Overtime Sports Bar in Kingston on 30 October, and the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans on 20 November.
From the RockRevival.News Curator Team: “Husk has the patience of a band that has rehearsed for 25 years. You’re Not Leaving Alive takes almost six minutes to make its case, Mega-Bitch (MB) is done in three and a half, and the record makes room for both.”
Where to Hear Scarecrowz and Husk, From Ottawa Stages to Streaming
Stream the band’s catalogue on Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud. The previous album, Dusk Of Another Dawn, has its own page on Spotify and is for sale on Bandcamp. Watch the band’s videos on their YouTube channel, find every link in one place on Linktree, and track upcoming shows on Bandsintown. Follow Scarecrowz on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X.
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