My introduction to David Francey came though the Calgary Folk Festival, well sort of. I learned about Francey and his music in a review in the folk roots magazine Penguin Eggs.
It was one of those glowing reviews and I remember thinking "Nobody is that good." Then I noticed the byline. I was written by Les Semeniuk the general manager of the Calgary Folk Festival. I know crusty, opinionated Les well enough that if he says it's that good, it's that good.
I ran out and bought the record.
Les' review was spot on and the next week I called up David's agency and arranged to have David Francey become one of our featured performer at at the folk club where I was artistic director, Windsor Folk in Windsor Ontario.
The Saturday night he played our folk club, this song premiered on Hockey Night in Canada and remains an official song for CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada.
David Francey is performing at the Calgary Folk Music Festival this summer. He’s also part of the festival song writing boot camp.
David moved to Canada from his native Scotland when he was 12. He grew to love his adopted country during summer drives with his parents. He was a voracious reader as a boy. As an adult he made his living in the blue collar world, working construction jobs and such. You find this is reflected in his songs.
David is an extraordinary story teller His songs tell stories about Canadian working people, nature and are reflections of his life, his relationships and his view of the world. David didn't release his first recording until he was in his 40s but it was definitely worth the wait. He has won three Junos since his first record came out in 1999.
A few years ago David hitched a ride on a Great Lakes freighter and recorded a number of songs about his experiences and the people he met.. Here's a sample story and song.
David's newest recording is called “Late Edition” and apparently Les Semeniuk likes this one too. In his review Les says, "listening 'Late Edition' is like spending a perfect evening passing the time with a good friend and a few glasses of single malt, discussing love, the latest news and life in general."
You can hear David and other Calgary Folk Festival performers on Calgary Folk Music Festival podcasts available at the Folk Fest podcast page or through iTunes.
You can follow me on twitter: @musicbaum .
No comments:
Post a Comment