Kootenay musician Tim Hus is profiled in the 2016 Harrowsmith’s Almanac, in a special section dedicated to those who “live, or have lived, far from the limelight”.
The write-up includes a short interview in which he talks about working as a carpenter’s helper in Procter, tree-planting, and moving to Alberta to start a “boot stompin’, honky tonkin’, travellin’ band.”
“Tim comes at
his audience like a runaway rig while firing off image-laden lyrics with the intensity of a western gunslinger,” writes the Almanac. “His distinctive songwriting and spirited performances by the members of his dynamic band stand as a cornerstone of authentic Canadiana.”
Though Hus now lives in the small community of Sundre, Alberta, where his wife grew up, the 1996 L.V. Rogers graduate had plenty to say about Nelson.
“There is a place called Pulpit Rock, up the mountain from our family’s home. It is quite a steep hike, but you get a bird’s eye view of the whole town—like looking at a miniature model in the distance. I often hike up there and talk a look to see how the town is changing.”
He gives shout-outs to the Nelson Electric Tramway Society and the Capitol Theatre, mentions the 1980s movie Roxanne, and a song he wrote called “Slocan Slim & The Kootenay Kid”.
“The local music scene is very good,” Hus says in the interview. “There is even a local co-op radio station—the only place I have had a No. 1 song!”
Hus clearly hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
“There aren’t too many places where you can paddle your canoe to class when you miss the schools, but that’s exactly what I did most of the time in high school.”
For more information about Harrowsmith’s Almanac visit harrowsmithalmanac.com.
This story will appear in the West Kootenay Advertiser.
