Brockville, Ontario LGBTQIA+ roots rocker Sue Prosser has released her new single “Mistaken Identity,” a song that has spent decades taking shape before finally arriving in its finished form. Recorded in June at Powder Room Studios with producer Randal Orr, the track pairs Sue’s driving guitar work and unmistakable stage honed voice with a story that stretches back to a single night in Montreal.
The song began as a phrase scrawled on a napkin in a Montreal brasserie after a softball game, when a friend became convinced she had spotted an old flame across the room, only to realize on a second look that the stranger was someone else entirely. She shrugged it off as a simple case of mistaken identity, and the phrase stuck instantly. The chorus came together on the spot, and by the following afternoon the song was captured in a single take on a Tascam four track recorder, no digital edits, no shortcuts, just a songwriter, a microphone, and the will to get it right.
What started as a lighthearted bar story grew over the years into something considerably deeper, evolving into a reflection on lost love, self reflection, and the difficult work of letting go. The song has travelled from stage to stage ever since, taking on new shapes through the musicians who played it, its lead line voiced at various points by accordion, harmonica, violin, and electric guitar, and even a Hendrix inspired reading from a guitarist named Vince.
The lyrics trace that emotional evolution with vivid snapshots of memory and longing. What begins as a fleeting moment of mistaken recognition gradually unfolds into a story about old feelings refusing to disappear, the lingering pull of someone who once mattered, and the quiet realization that some memories become easier to carry only after time has done its work. It’s a timeless roots rock story delivered with warmth, heart, and the lived-in honesty that has become Sue’s trademark.
The finished recording features Sue on lead vocals and 12 and six string acoustic guitars, with Leigh Turcotte on background vocals, Gary Lalonde on bass, Bradley Scott on electric guitars, and producer Randal Orr rounding out the rhythm section on drums and percussion.
Sue as built her reputation the old-fashioned way, through relentless live performance across coffeehouses, festivals and the bar circuit surrounding her hometown. Gary Lalonde of Honeymoon Suite has called her live show honest music delivered with passion and love, while Murray Foster of Great Big Sea describes her sound as classic, rootsy rock paired with great vocals and a sly sense of humour.
Raised in the Brockville area before spending years in Montreal and eventually returning to her roots, Sue continues to perform both as a solo artist and as one half of the duo Bad Hattitude alongside Leigh Turcotte, with more new music currently in the works.
See Sue Prosser live:
July 30 – FAT LES on KING, Brockville, ON
July 31 – Portside Pub, Portland, ON (Bad Hattitude)
Aug. 7 – Brockville Ribfest, Brockville, ON
Aug. 15 – Athens Cornfest, Athens, ON (Bad Hattitude)
Aug. 23 – Portside Pub, Portland, ON
Aug. 28 – Keystorm Pub, Brockville, ON
Aug. 29 – Lockmaster’s Taphouse, Smiths Falls, ON
Sept. 5 – SpencerCity Bar & Grill, Spencerville, ON
Sept. 11 – Char & Chowder, St. Andrews By The Sea, NB
Sept. – 12-24, Rocking the East Coast, venues and times TBA
Oct. 16 – Renegadz Restaurant Bar, Prescott, ON (Bad Hattitude)
