Week of November 26, 2009, Issue #736
MUSIC
Jake Ian: A prairie home companion (WITH VIDEO)
Punk-rock singer let his roots show on sophomore solo album
Eden Munro / eden@vueweekly.com
After eight years of playing in a pop-punk band, Jake Ian is carving out a new career for himself as a folk/country singer-songwriter, and he'll soon be celebrating the release of his second solo CD, An Awful Sky.
"I started doing [folk] more, and focusing on that. I always enjoyed folk and country, so I wanted to take my songwriting to a different place," he admits, adding with a grin, "the fact that I'm doing a lot myself appeals to me, too."
An Awful Sky is a confident collection of rootsy two-steps and prairie-tavern anthems that serve as a nod to Ian's small-town origins. The fuller arrangements are thanks to the new band he's assembled this time around, in contrast to the scaled-down simplicity of his solo debut, Sunset Estates.
"The new musicians are all friends of mine," Ian explains of organizing the ensemble for An Awful Sky's recording process. "We didn't really rehearse before going in—we built the songs in the studio, which was fun. We had arranged drum and bass parts, and told the other guys to write what they wanted."
The "other guys" include violinist Nadir Belhamer, female vocalist Taryn Kroll, Nathan Burge on accordian and David Shepherd on keys. And while the bigger sound shows a departure from Sunset Estates, fans of Ian will recognize the same themes.
"A lot of these songs are more about loss, songs for the downtrodden," he smiles. "I find those songs easy to write and relate to."
Of course, being a solo artist comes with its own challenges, but the experience brings its own rewards. "The writing has to be stronger lyrically, but it is similar to what I've done before," Ian explains, confident about being the centre of attention now. "Everything kind of overlaps." V
Sat, Nov 28 (8 pm)
Jake Ian
With Beth Holtby
Axis Café, $10
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