Calgary based Canadiana troubadour Tim Hus had to take the fall off from a relentless tour schedule, but for a very good reason — he fell off a roof and shattered his foot in 19 places.
But he’ll return to Lethbridge, Jan. 14 to play the Lethbridge College Cave with Carter Felker and Skinny Dyck for Lethbridge Folk Club.
“I’ve been laid up for a while. I was doing a lot of touring, but I was helping my steel player put a roof on his house for winter but I fell off the roof and shattered my foot in 19 places, so I used the time to get some new songs together for a new album in 2017,” Hus said, adding he plans to record them in January.
“I don’t like to tour in the winter and the summer is prime time for touring,” he said, promising to play some of the new songs for the Lethbridge Folk Club.
“I have a new song about the Alaska Highway and another new song I’ve been working on for a few years about the shipwreck on the west coast of the Princess Sophia,” he said,” adding the new songs are what his fans expect from him — songs about living in Canada, traveling in Canada and Canadian history.
“I’m a troubadour so what I write comes from traveling and talking to people and hearing stories. I am Canadian and I tour Canada and play for Canadian people so I seem to have found my niche, so it feels fairly natural,” he said.
Hus has a large enough back catalogue dating back to 2002 to tailor shows to audiences across the country.
“I have enough songs I can tailor the shows that way,” he continued, adding the Lethbridge show will include his songs about the Crowsnest Pass and plenty of cowboy songs.
In addition to working on his own songs, he has put together a multi-media tribute to his mentor and tour mate Stompin’ Tom Connors, who passed away in 2013.
“ That’s a show I usually do in theatres. I used to play a tribute to him on his birthday, on Feb. 9 and it sold out three years in a row, then people started asking me to bring it on the road,” Hus said.
“ It isn’t an impersonation show. We set up a big screen and show old pictures of him I play Stompin Tom’s music because the band used to play them when we toured with him. He always told people he’d pass the torch to me, so this is my way of remembering him and his music,” he said, adding he plans to bring the tribute on the road in 2017.
“It’s the 150th anniversary of Confederation, so there will be a lot of opportunities to bring Stompin Tom’s music across Canada,” he continued.
He will be playing the Lethbridge show with long time upright bassist Riley (Tubbs) and pedal steel /lead guitarist Jeff Bradshaw.
Carter Felker and Skinny Dyck open the show at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $25 for members, $30 for invited guests including a membership for the season. and $15 for students.
