It might be Adrian Nation’s first foray into the Canadian music scene, but for decades the U.K. musician has been listening to the likes of Michael Bennett, Bruce Cockburn, and Leonard Cohen—some of Canada’s most acclaimed musicians.
“It just seemed to be something in the way they thought and put things together lyrically that made me sit up and listen in my late teens and aspire to what they were doing,” said Nation, who is on a 17-stop tour through Alberta.
“Their music, specifically Bruce Cockburn, more than any other, just made me think differently, made me look at the world differently.”
Nation credits Cockburn for changing his perspective of the world when he was a budding musician growing up in the small seaside town of Holland-On-Sea, in east Essex, U.K.
“He painted a different picture to what I was seeing on the news,” said Nation, who recalled listening to Cockburn’s protest songs, “Call It Democracy” and “If I had a Rocket Launcher”.
“He was in refugee camps in Central America and effectively through music he was writing a report in the same way a journalist would, except he was actually there on the ground amongst the people who were affected by it.”
Nation has channeled those influences to help him produce three albums, including his most recent album Live at Crossroads, which includes three previously unreleased songs and has become his most successful album to date.
Although the album touches on politics with songs such as “The Dying Of Democracy,” the album is also heavily influenced by other themes such as love, with tracks like “Brightest Star” and “The Heart Beats On”.
Beyond his lyrics, critics have described the 45-year-old solo-guitarist as “an acoustic guitar master” and if you listen to his music you can see why.
Blending folk, rock, blues and even a little bit of country, Nation has found a unique sound that holds people’s attention, not an easy feat in the 21st century of smartphones and other electronic gadgets.
Perhaps the best example is his solo-guitar instrumental “Five Finger Rapids,” which showcases how good he really is.
Despite his recent success, his latest album came about more or less by accident.
“Dylan Thomas used to refer to something called accidental magic and that’s kind of what this album was because it wasn’t planned,” said Nation, referencing the famous Welsh poet and writer.
While touring the Netherlands in 2013, Nation played a live show for a Dutch radio station called Crossroads.
Several weeks later, after returning home to the U.K. he was sent a recording of the show.
“As soon as the first track came on I was blown away by the quality of the recording and I thought, ‘I wonder if there’s enough from this concert for me to make a demo or an EP,’” said Nation.
As it turned out, he played an almost flawless performance that night and decided it deserved to be on an album, which was released in March 2013.
“It’s got me the best reviews in my career and without that album I wouldn’t be here today,” he said.
How he got to Alberta is another story altogether.
Acting on the advice of Stephen Fearing, a Canadian folk singer who Nation played with in the past, Nation sent a copy of his album to CKUA Radio Network, a community radio station in Alberta.
Within a week it was being featured on Andy Donnelly’s Celtic Show and before long Donnelly was helping Nation put his first North American tour together, including a stop at the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion on Nov. 24.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $10 at the door. The show is being hosted by Jasper Habitat for the Arts.
Paul Clarke [email protected]
