If you think Jasper is small, try comparing it to northern Alberta’s tiny hamlet of Warspite: population 75.
That’s the nearest town to where singer-songwriter Jake Ian grew up.
Located about an hour and half northeast of Edmonton, Ian credits his rural upbringing as the catalyst for making him into the musician he is today.
“I grew up on an isolated farm,” said Ian, who now lives in Edmonton. “There was nothing really there except for the bar.”
Knowing this about Ian makes his music all the more telling, as his stripped down style of acoustic folk offers listeners a glimpse into another world—one that’s only four and half hours from Jasper.
“I’ve always liked rural settings and the peacefulness of that type of environment,” said Ian, who will play two shows at the Whistle Stop Pub March 29 and 30.
“I still have days where I wish I lived back in the country.”
With five albums under his belt, he said he draws inspiration from blue-collar folk and has a soft spot for the underdog.
“I’ve always kind of respected people who have to work a little bit harder for what they have,” he said.
“I’m not saying everybody who has money is a bad person, but there’s just something about those people who have that work ethic and have those values. Those types of characters are always a little bit more interesting, especially when you’re writing songs about them.
“Nobody wants to hear a song about somebody who is born into a rich family with a silver spoon in their mouth.”
Musically, Ian said his influences include the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, as well as old country musicians like Townes Van Zandt and Gram Parsons.
Ian’s latest album, It Don’t Really Matter Anymore, was released in April 2014 and was his most successful to date.
“It got a lot of good reviews in Canada and the United States and got a lot of radio play on it as well,” said Ian, adding he’s currently working on his sixth studio album.
“It’s proving to be a bit more of a challenge. I don’t want to do it the same way as my old ones so I’m actually producing this one and recording it myself in my home studio.”
He said he scrapped the first set of songs he recorded and decided to make it a solo album.
“It’s going to actually be a solo-record in the truest sense of the word.”
He described the yet-to-be-named album as “stark” and “acoustic-based.”
To catch some of his new material, as well as some old favourites, head over to the Whistle Stop Pub on March 29 and 30 at 9 p.m. The shows are free of charge.
Paul Clarke [email protected]
