Edmonton folk singer songwriter Ken Stead is pleased with his new CD “ No Fear Here.”
He returns to Lethbridge to play the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Nov. 26.
He just finished a three week tour of B.C. and Alberta, had a breather and hits the road again, joining Australian songwriter Daniel Champagne for a few tour dates beginning in High River before coming back to Lethbridge. He played a sold out show at the Lethbridge Folk Club Wolf’s Den, Jan. 30.
Since then he has been touring a lot.
“I’ve been playing a lot. The last tour was fantastic. I played a lot of house concerts, which meant I didn’t have to pay for a hotel room. And they’re more intimate,” he said.
He is pleased with his new CD, which he recorded with Winston Hauschild in Bowen Island.
“There’s a 11 tracks on it which are thematic. The whole concept is based on the title track ‘No Fear Here,’” he said.
“It’s about fear and how we get over fear. But there are love songs on it. But love scares the shit out of me,” he chuckled.
He has been working with a band in his home town of Edmonton, but he noted they aren’t ready to tour together yet.
“There’s a lot of excellent musicians in Edmonton. They support each other and push each other and really pull together. It’s a great place to be,” he said .
“Right now I find it more fun playing by myself,” he said.
Stead, who was originally interesting in rap music, was influenced to become a solo folk musician after his mother “punished him” for a transgression by bringing him along with her to the Edmonton Folk Festival.
“I saw Eric Bibb play. He was playing for 30,000 people on a hill and it was just him and his guitar and they were all listening. It was really special,” he said.
“Playing solo really hones your skills. I can’t do any really cool guitar solos though,” he said, adding he will likely bring his band on the road in six or seven months.
Ken Stead plays Nov. 26 at the the Owl Acoustic Lounge beginning at approximately 9 p.m. There is no cover for the show.
