TISDALE — Singer and songwriter Jeffery Straker is returning to East Central communities as part of the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC).
He is coming to perform in Tisdale, hosted by the Tisdale Arts Council on Oct. 12.
Straker was originally from Punnichy, near Wynyard.
“Some of my earliest memories of experiencing live music was at my school, when the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils brought in performers to do daytime school shows,” Straker said. “Over the years it has really been an assortment of people.”
He has recorded for CBC Radio’s ‘Canada Live’, had a music video chart in the Top 10 nationally and has toured internationally in Peru, Chile and Mexico.
Straker would describe his music as “folk roots”.
“I generally perform songs I have written and a lot of reviewers who had reviewed my music described that it would fall into a storytelling style of music,” he said. “I do like to tell stories through songs and it seems like more and more over time they’re about people in places of Saskatchewan.”
As Straker played rural communities, like the one he grew up in, he noticed many performers only playing in major cities.
“They stop in Regina or Saskatoon mostly, but that’s not to say in these smaller centres there aren’t audiences that are really appreciative and really looking for a concert,” She said. “I found when I go there the concerts are great experiences, you meet some wonderful people. So that’s kind of where this tour came about.”
During this tour, he will be performing his new single, One Foot on Main Street.
“It’s actually a song about a fictitious small-town person who moved out to the big city, but realizes how much the small town has been a part of them. This may or may not be me,” Straker said, before laughing.
He said while it wasn’t planned to be released during his visit across rural Saskatchewan, he feels it’s a fitting first place to perform it.
“Being from a small town I’ll be performing it for the first time in a small town.”
During Straker’s tour will be performing with Jack Semple and Annette Campagne.
“Think of them as like guest soloists who sing some songs within the show and then we’ll also do some performing together. I really enjoy their musicianship so I’m really looking forward to working with them a ton during the door.”
Straker said he wants the audience to take away “hope” from the performance.
“When people go home and think about it a week later, I think the message that gets taken away is a message of hope, I think,” he said.
“We can all have a positive impact on what’s going on. As individuals we can all have an impact on what’s going on around us, therefore there is hope.”
Straker will perform at the Maurice Taylor Performing Arts Centre in the Tisdale RECplex on Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m.
