PLAIN FOLK by Les Pearson Rae Spoon is relatively new on the folk roots scene. The Calgary-born, Vancouver-based, twenty-something, singer-songwriter made his debut in 2001. During this past year, critical acclaim has ballooned like nimbus clouds over harrowed black fields. Rae has been featured in recent CBC and CKUA radio interviews and play dates have signed up like Pamela Anderson’s television contracts for Sweeps Week. Not bad for an artist who truly defies the usual pigeonhole labels! Rae belongs to the next generation of folk musicians. Others in this line include the likes of Nathan’s Tanya Elizabeth, The Be Good Tanyas, Nathan Rogers, the ladies of Po’ Girl, and Geoff Berner. Their piercings are punk and there are a parcel of Tanya and Nathan names. But their music is lively and amazing. It is “new old-timey,” says Rae. Simply stated, “new skool” musical tastes tend to traditional basics. Their musicianship is always phenomenal. (Rae plays a mean banjo and guitar.) Many of these youngsters were child prodigies and their genius has not diminished with deepening voices or newly acquired tastes for olives and vintage wine. It’s not surprising, then, that some notable folk punksters provide musical back-up for Rae’s two CD’s, “Throw Some Dirt on Me” (2003) and “Your Trailer Door” (2005). Don’t think for a minute that the sound is metal or grunge. In Rae’s case, it is as country as Wilf Carter. His spare, sinewy, lyrics carry the bite of punk. And, like punk, his original songs are minimalist. Listen to the stark reality of “…no rest, no rest, no rest” for a rig pig in Spoon’s song, Oil Rigs. When the song’s hero leaves the frenetic pace incurred by three months of drilling on the “dry” prairie, he laments, “I did my best” but “I failed the Alberta test.” This is gut-level, gritty, and real. Wilf would be proud. And, of course, there are the usual cryin’, hurtin’, themes that pop up in Rae’s other songs. The narrator of Your Trailer Door moans, “I’m playing in an empty room. Every room is empty without you.” The feeling is simply country. Spoon’s cowboy hat is more than costume or persona. But there are mysteries too. Rae appears to be a young, angular, male. But the voice is torchy, sultry, and alto. Or is that tenor? Both ways, it’s good. If you want to learn more, class is in session! See this rising singer-songwriter at a Folk Music Club house party on June 10. Only 40 tickets will be sold for reasons of space and comfort. They are $10 each at all our vendors: Customer Service at the Mall, Mike’s Meats, the Zucchini Blossom Café, and Bruce or Jan Dynes at the Framing and Art Centre. Like all house events, you bring the munchies and refreshments. And Rae? Rae provides a full evening’s “new skool” education. There’s no diploma. But you will leave this performer’s “class act” happier and world wiser! |