Folk-roots singer-songwriter from Saskatchewan, Jeffery Straker comes to the Osoyoos Elks Hall on March 11. Submitted photo

 

Dale Boyd

Osoyoos Times

Whether playing to a large theatre, or a remote northern school a skip and jump away from the North Pole, Jeffery Straker’s small-town Saskatchewan charm always shines through.

Straker recently returned to his home province of Saskatchewan after a trip to Resolute Bay, an Inuit hamlet on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, where he ran a workshop and performed with students from the local school.

“There’s only like 40 students in the whole school and 11 of them worked with me. They wrote a song and I kind of coached them and then played a concert at the end of the week for the whole community. The students sang the song and it was really cool. It was really, really rewarding and kind of emotional,” Straker said over the phone from Regina.

Performing in the remote community, multiple plane rides away from the prairies, is not exactly out of the ordinary for Straker. He brings his Canadian folk-pop, singer-songwriter style to almost any venue big or small — whether that’s the Osoyoos Elks Hall or in somebody’s living room.

It was not by design, but by necessity that his career branched into so many various outlets.

“The record, or recorded music, really the value of it has gone away in terms of people aren’t really willing to pay for it anymore. Doing live shows, it’s kind of what keeps you paying your bills,” Straker said.

Whether he is backed by a full symphony orchestra or performing at local shows put on by a small-town arts council, Straker enjoys getting to know the audience.

“I also find that if I’m doing some of my bigger shows on the prairies where my biggest audiences are, I can look out in those audiences and see people who first heard me at a house concert. So,  it’s really interesting work because it’s fascinating to see where people kind of find you, and then if and how they follow along like that,” Straker said.

No matter the venue, Straker’s vibrance and natural charm shines through.

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“The one thing I do pretty consistently is I do engage with the audience between songs. I talk to the audience, I tell stories and give background on where the songs come from and all that sort of stuff. I do have people say they’re pleasantly surprised that they can be in a theatre, but it feels like a living room. I think it’s because of the engagement with the audience,” he said.

Good humoured, and seemingly ever-upbeat, Straker is able to find a lot of fun in an eclectic touring schedule.

“It’s not something I was like trying to do, it’s just for better or for worse, it’s what I do,” Straker laughed.

He will be bringing some new tunes along with him during his return trip to Osoyoos, as he was just listening to the master recordings for his latest album Just Before Sunrise. The 10-track album has his trademark piano and vocals at the centre, surrounded by fiddles, banjo and electric and steel guitars to give it a roots-folk sound.

While making the album last year, Straker’s mother died suddenly and unexpectedly.

“It really … it sort of shook my foundation. I’ve come out of it a better person. She gave me a gift of really appreciating moments. And so, while the record doesn’t really have an urgency to it at all, it’s quite contemplative in just having the listener ask themselves: what are you doing with your time here? We should all be asking ourselves this question. And we never pause to do it, we’re so busy with our face shoved in our phone. So I think it serves a good purpose,” Straker said. 

He remembers his last trip to Osoyoos well and is hoping for a repeat of the enthusiasm he saw on his last visit.

“It was a really memorable and fun night and and I’m always kind of flabbergasted when I can go perform in a community where I’ve never been, and first of all people come,” Straker laughed. “Second of all, when they respond so well as they did. So, I’m actually really looking forward to coming back to doing this one with the Blues Society. I think it will be really fun.

Jeffery Straker comes to the Osoyoos Elks Hall, 8506 92 Ave., on March 11. Tickets are $20 each and Osoyoos Blues Society members get $5 cash back at the show. On sale by e-transfer at [email protected], at Coyote Sports Simulation and Elvis Fine Jewellery.