Time: 9 p.m.
Cover: $10
'To
Build a Fire' is an album of leaving and new beginnings- not because
anything is so bad perhaps but because things can always be better. If
there is a chance, you have to look. Cam had recently escaped the city
to live in his new dwelling in the mountains with his sweetheart and new
daughter- new start, new challenges. Ideas were trusted and built upon
quickly, the unfamiliar was used as confidently as the familiar, pushing
the conventions of what can still be called folk music back to where it
should be- immediate and honest.
With verses still to be written
and arrangements still unknown one mic was placed in the room then the
stomping on floorboards. The opening words spilled into the microphone,
"I've got to know that you'll make it through the night, make it through
the day, that you'll make it out alive, that you'll always have water
running down the mountain side, always have shelter, know to build a
fire." Eight days in a cabin in the woods.
Cam Penner finds new
textures and bolder sounds on his fifth release. The fractured rootsy
persona still creeps in but this is not a depressing album. ‘To Build a
Fire’ is full of hope. It's full of love. It's electrifying and
provoking. It is a rallying call that reaches out, boldly and
courageously into present-day existence. It's full of everything we
should be looking for, not only musically, but in life.
The lush
beauty of the opening brass track lures you in but leaves you wondering
what is to come...then it begins. Ukuleles, guitars, banjos strummed.
Floorboards stomped. Kick drums kicked. Feet stumbled. Thighs, knees,
hands slapped and clapped. Voices strained and bent. Fingers gripped,
grabbed and picked. Arms and hands flung. Body and sound thrown against
wood and metal.
There are moments that will surprise and amaze
even the most devoted Cam Penner fan. The symphony of sound and lyricism
showcase the inevitable evolution of a growing artist; this album is a
new start. ‘To Build a Fire’ speaks to the world. It’s folk. It’s rock
n’ roll. It’s Cam Penner. Breathing fire into every note and lyric.
At
eighteen Penner left small town life to wander the highways and back
roads of North America. A year later he found himself in Chicago serving
mystery soup and stale bread to two hundred and fifty homeless men a
day. Next, a women & children's shelter, then youth shelters and
detox centers.
For thirteen years he immersed himself in this
subculture absorbing as much raw humanity as he could. When the shift
was over he would spend endless cathartic hours writing and playing his
guitar, exorcising his emotions through music. After becoming a
self-taught expert on homelessness, he decided to become a full time
touring artist, meanwhile becoming homeless himself.
Cam Penner has carved his own path. Music born from the soil and sin of this world.
Cam
Penner's last album, WCMA Nominated "Gypsy Summer" debuted at number 16
on the FOLK BILLBOARD Charts. It was featured along with a full
interview on NPR's 'All Music Considered' and toured the album through
both Eastern & Western Canada, UK, Scotland, the Netherlands,
Belgium, Germany and France.
Treeline and Shaela Miller http://www.prairiesentimentalist.com/
Despite its origin far south of the tundra Treeline (Lethbridge) is a testament to a common yet atypical prairie landform; marking property lines, breaking wind and providing shade over the horseshoe pit. For the past five years the Southern Albertan quartet has been marinating in the underbelly of the Western Canadian Music Scene. Drawing comparisons to successful prairie artists to come before them like the Corb Lund and Old Reliable, it's no surprise that Treeline cites the pioneers of the country-roots tradition like Merle Haggard and Gram Parsons as primary influences.
Joining Treeline on "Curtains," (a follow up to 2011’s “Prairie Sentimentalist” with Sean Brewer) is fellow Lethbridge artist Shaela Miller. With nearly ten years of honing her craft behind her, Miller’s live show is a captivating experience reminiscent of country greats like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. In the vein of her primary influences, Miller employs lyrical themes ranging from subtle overtones of heartbreak to candid observations of reality. But when asked to describe her music Miller simply replies "Honky Tonk.” Catch this collaborative quintet playing down home tunes and singing duets before you get to hear the album.
403-320-0117
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We are the only bar in town featuring live music every day of the week. Canadian touring artists, local legends and new emerging artists, everyone stops here.