The Art We Are presents Steven Palmer at 8 -10pm this evening. Tickets can be purchased at the door. STEVEN PALMER, a folk-singing road-survivor, raised on gospel, country and the blues, and old time influences on a young prairie picker with a love of Doc Watson made him a good fit for psychedelic folk-rock bands touring and playing support for most of the big name suspects during the ‘60s UK invasion. Then more steady dues paid the guitarist-for-hire in country bands working the rural Alberta bar scene. He started using his voice only in the ‘80s, when he picked some west-coast time to study music a bit more formally. But it was not until he returned home to care for his mother that he found personal respite and freedom in becoming a solo performer. Now based in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, he travels a troubadour circuit around Western Canada and the Northwestern US. Forty years as a traveling musician is a lot of road, and Steve Palmer is still playing and still touring. Grown enough to sing about life and simple pleasures with all the unhurried authority of a quiet and simple folk-singing road-survivor. Sometimes compared to Hoyt Axton, Leonard Cohen, or John Prine, the echoes of Doc Watson remain clear on his albums,’Prairie Airs’, ‘Roots and Strings’ and ‘Morning Road’. Colin Lazzerini- ‘Root Cellar’. DAVID WARD Taking his cues from the past and with a vision towards the future, David Ward has created a portal to the spiritual, the dirty, the beautiful and the raw on his second solo album, Golden Future Time. Fresh off an acclaimed performance at the 2013 Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Ward’s star is in the ascendant. Following up on 2012’s celebrated EP trilogy, The Arrival, he has readied a textured brew of the cosmic and earthy; a sonic exploration of the muse combining electronica, R&B, funk, art-rock, disco and cabaret. Cinematic in scope both musically and lyrically, Golden Future Time is a two part saga created for the artistic opportunity of vinyl. Each side takes the listener through different worlds and genres without compromising quality or cohesion. Side A (Lost) was produced, engineered & mixed by Tom Dobrzanski (of The Zolas); Side B (Golden Future Time) was co-produced by David Ward and Andrew Peebles, and mixed by Anthony Dolhai (DiRTY RADiO). The album is set for release in Canada on January 28th, 2014. “Imagine Jeff Buckley’s untethered falsetto with Stevie Wonder’s warm, grainy tenor…David Ward has mastered both, plus all points between. Ward is clearly a versatile and ambitious talent.” UNCUT The opening ambiance of Side A is quickly anchored with the dark and heavy pulse of the kick drum that ignites the 7/4 jam “slowly through the night.” It’s a threatening storm of angsty guitars and distorted bass. This passes into the meditative synths and off-kilter beat of the title track “Lost”, which climaxes in a prog-rock jam evoking the psychedelic leanings of Pink Floyd. The remainder of Side A travels from the cabaret lullaby of “Ghost in the Woods” to the quiet yearning of “Be Here”. Side B picks up on the astral-soul tangent, taking us into a new dimension of Michael Jackson- esque harmonies, 70’s disco guitar spank, and vintage synthesizers. A new galaxy of funk and R&B that slides between the dance floor groove of title track Golden Future Time to the impressionistic ballad, Bird in the Hand, to the synth-heavy, thundering bass hook of Fly. Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as George Orwell and Quentin Tarantino, Ward has crafted an album about the fear of loss and the need for ideas that are bigger than us to preserve our hope and innocence. Rooted in a respect and knowledge of what has come before, Ward looks to the future with artistry and daring. Starting November 14, Ward begins his second UK tour and will soon be announcing Canadian dates early 2014. “…I’ll dream of the day you keep saying awaits me, in our Golden Future Time.” GOLDEN FUTURE TIME
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 18:00:01 +0000
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