Wil Mimnaugh is bringing his tour to Fernie, and is set to play at the Arts Station on Sept. 13 as part of its concert fall series.
Mimnaugh describes his music as “roots-rock Americana” and says his shows are very active.
“It can be pretty intense and pretty soft – a huge dynamic range. We leave everything on the stage and just throw it out there for sure,” he said.
Although Mimnaugh is a solo artist, he usually performs with a drummer. On this tour, he has a keyboardist and vocalist joining him, making it a trio.
“I’m a big fan of playing as a duo. I have been playing with a drummer now for 15 plus years, specifically just with a drummer, and I dig it. But I also play solo and with a three-piece. We’ve done everything from horns and pedal steel and electrics and all kinds of different stuff,” Mimnaugh said.
Mimnaugh released El Paseo, his sixth studio album, last September and while the tour is in honour of the new release, he will also be playing songs from his other albums.
“We play for two and a half hours – it’s a standard set time for us when we are doing our own show. I have five albums, a live album, and a bunch of singles. I draw from a lot of original music,” said Mimnaugh.
While Mimnaugh’s work has country roots, it hard for him to relate to different genres of music that change so often.
“Country music is kind of a crazy term for me personally because I was brought up on it, and I think country music now is pop, and I think alt-country is more traditional country,” he said. “It’s so bizarre how much everything changes and bleeds into each other.”
Regardless of what genre or style, Mimnaugh has a reputation for authentic and fun performances.
