Saskatchewan born, Orillia, Ontario based folk/ roots musician Zachary Lucky returns to Lethbridge to play the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Monday, Sept. 26.
He has just begun a long tour in support of his new album “Songs For Hard Times”— CD of traditional cowboy songs and a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “ Rex’s Blues.”
“It’s all points west now,” said Lucky from the side of Highway 17 outside of Thunder Bay on the second day of the tour en route to Lethbridge via Winnipeg. He opened the tour in Sault St Marie.
““I’ve been living in Orillia for seven years I guess and left Saskatchewan behind,” he said.
“ It was a collection of solo recordings, so this tour is the album release tour for that set of songs so I thought I’d tour it in the fashion that it was recorded. Just me , myself and my guitar,” he said, adding the tour is going well, though he’s only had one show.
“One show down, it’s hard to say, but pretty good. When I booked this tour, I wasn't doing much touring, It was when things were kind of still in and out of being shut down,” he said.
“I thought after a couple years it felt pretty good to get back on the road and do a real big set of shows. We’ll see how I feel about it at the end of the tour,” he chuckled.
“But so far so good. I’m looking forward to making some miles in the next week.
Lucky wasn’t feeling very inspired during the pandemic, but rediscovered his love for old traditional cowboy songs.
“ I guess I could say the lack of inspiration sort of inspired it. The pandemic was interesting for musicians and artists I think you could say. I saw some friends of mine who were making lots of records and videos and all sorts stuff and writing all these songs and for me, it quite honestly, it just wasn’t a very inspiring time. I was kind of doing the home school parent thing and spending a lot of time taking care of the domestic things. It really it didn’t leave much time or energy or inspiration for the music. But at the end of the day, if I did have energy or did have five minutes to pick up the guitar I found myself singing all these old traditional songs and cover songs that eventually ended up being this record. And as I was playing them I thought this would be kind of a nice record. So we put it together. And I think it turned out to be a nice recording. And it’s a little different from my other recordings. And I’ve heard nothing but good things from folks. I like it quite a bit because I’ve always been a fan of raw solo recordings and so far I think people are enjoying it as well,” he said.
He covered some old traditional cowboy songs like “Hang Me an Oh Hang me” and “Leavin’ Cheyanne” and Townes Van Zandt’s “ Rex’s Blues.
“ These are songs I’ve been singing for years and years. Not necessarily on stage but just songs that have been in my backstage repertoire— songs that you’d sing before the show or after a show sitting around a kitchen table,” he said, adding he never had time to record them until now.
He had studio time booked, but plans kept changing so he ended up recording them in his family’s cabin up north.
“ I had multiple plans to record them. I had studio time booked in Toronto, but at the time it was peak Delta or whatever it was at the time. And sessions kept on getting cancelled. So eventually I got sick of waiting around to do it. I went up to a little cottage my family has a few hours north of Toronto and in May 2021 and just one microphone and did it all myself,” he said.
Lucky said recording the new album was a freeing experience.
“It was kind of a freeing experience after doing the past couple records in a studio setting. You’re working on a a clock and working with a budget and all these things,” he sad, noting he could set hos own schedule in the cabin.
“ I’d be up there and recording whenever you feel like it recording it, you recorded it and played around with the best place to record it where-ever it sounded best. It was a real interesting experience. it was freeing in a way as well,” he said.
Lucky is excited to be back on the road.
“ This is the first real big tour. I did a couple weeks tour in Europe this summer which was my first foray back into it and that was good. It was fun to get to travel out of the country and play for some folks. And we’ll see. It’s early days this run. It’s about a three week tour and so far it feels real good. I spent a lot of time in my early days driving back and forth and back and forth in this country and it’s about time I do that again. We’ll see if I’m still up to the task,” he chuckled.
He has a lot of memories of Lethbridge shows.
“I love southern Alberta and Lethbridge in particular has always been good to be. I’ve had a lot of great shows at the Slice and the Owl there. But one of my favourite shows ever there was put on by Skinny Dyck. I think it was called the ranch. It was like a recording studio place they had just outside of town. That was probably one of my favourite memories of being in town. Everybody who was anybody was there. Shaela (Miller) was there all the Lethbridge characters were there and I think I was touring with the band at that point too. Just a real good time Almost every show I playing Lethbridge is special in it’s own way. And audiences there are some of the best around Alberta and across Canada,” he said.
This tour ends just after Thanksgiving, after which he will take a couple weeks off to play around his home town then head east to Halifax for a couple of shows, and take some time off in the winter.
“I’ve kind of lost the grit. I don’t like touring in the winter. I’ve been on too many snowy, sketchy roads and I think in a year , I’ll go back to Europe, then down to the States. We’ll see how it goes,” he said.
His music and merch is available through Bandcamp. His music is also available on Spotify or Apple Music.
“ Definitely check it out. If you like singer songwriter folk roots music, then I reckon this CD is for you ,” he said.
Zachary Lucky Plays the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Monday, Sept. 26. Doors open at 7:30, the show begins at 8 p.m.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
