Calgary musician brings unique sound back to town

Calgary singer-songwriter Rae Spoon has got a new sound and a new album under his belt and he’s bringing them back to Jasper. “I haven’t played my new style there so we’ll see how it goes,” he said.

Locals may remember the 27-year-old from past appearances. “I’ve played at the Downstream tonnes of times, and the folk festival... it’s a really fun town,” he said.

Spoon’s fourth album, Superioryouareinferior, was released Oct. 7 and showcases what he calls folk music, “but with more experimental indie rock and electronic sound.”

The music isn’t loud like Rock’n’Roll, Spoon said, but it’s not country either. “I think I’m singing differently, not country singing and I’m not playing the banjo,” he said. “I have the electric guitar going on instead… it’s kind of arty I guess.”

The lyrics tend to reflect Spoon’s experiences, especially his travels. “This album I was writing a lot about Canada, I’ve been across 10 or 11 times,” he said. “About the Yukon and Newfoundland and the Great Lakes.”

Though he finds music is an excellent way to get out what he wants to say, Spoon’s greater passion is to use it to help others. “I’ve been working in communities with younger people or at-risk youth, it’s something I used when I was younger to express myself and I want to pass that on,” he said.

“It’s mostly about inspiring and getting them excited.”

Sept. 8 kicks off Spoon’s Western Canada tour, which starts in Calgary and includes stops in galleries, bars, house concerts and cafés to name a few. He said he enjoys them all, regardless of the size of the venue. 

Organizer Scott Crabbe said the old firehall in Jasper is a top notch intimate venue. “The music that we’re featuring at the firehall acts a way to bring people into the gallery, but also puts a different spin on the artwork that’s hung, allows it to stand out a little more,” he said. “It puts a different kind of a life into it.”

The firehall will be the ideal place for Spoon to showcase his voice, which Crabbe calls “haunting.”

“He’s pretty much able to hold the attention of anyone in the audience, at festival appearances, same thing, he’s a very small person that has a huge voice,” he said. “He is able to captivate and hold the audience within his hand.”

Crabbe has had the musician on his radar since 2003, when he saw Spoon perform at a folk festival. Since then, Spoon has progressed, by leaving his band and touring alone and by developing his genre.

“This fourth album is taking a step away and experimenting with sound and electronica,” he said. “In my opinion it leans toward a new wave sound.”

Spoon plans to tour Canada for the rest of 2008 before embarking on community projects and then heading to Europe. He plays at the Old Firehall on Oct. 11 at 7 pm with special guest John Crowley, for a suggested donation of $7.