Tim Hus can come at his audience like a runaway rig, while firing off image bound lyrics with the marksmanship of a western gunslinger.
He makes you sit up and pay attention to his songs – stories that capture the pioneering spirit that motivates and inspires truck drivers, miners, rum runners, trappers, men of the land, men of the sea, and vagabonds.
Locals can hear for themselves when the Vernon Folk-Roots Music Society brings Hus back to perform. The first artist to play for the now one-year-old society last May, Hus and his Travelin’ Band will be back at the Spitfire Lounge in the Army Navy Air Force Club Saturday, June 20.
“Last year’s concert was a boot, scootin’ evening and this year will be the same,” say organizers with the folk society.
An engaging singer-songwriter, and hard working entertainer, Hus, who was born in Nelson and is now based in Calgary, continues to win over new fans with his honest, sincere, and unique brand of musical storytelling.
He takes great care in making sure every word of every song is laid out with a clarity that keeps the listener completely connected with the images and emotions of a story line.
“I think one of my strengths is that I am willing to play everywhere and anywhere. One day we’ll be doing an arena show with Corb Lund and the next day we’re playing in someone’s backyard,” said Hus, who names his fellow Albertans and label-mates Lund and Ian Tyson as influences.
In September, 2013, Hus released his highly anticipated sixth CD, Western Star (his third for Stony Plain Records). The album reached No. 1 on the Roots Music Report chart and No. 3 on iTunes Canada in sales.
Like Lund, Hus is part of a new generation of Alberta-based songwriters who have been nurtured on the tapestry of sounds that country music served up in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Hus also singles out Woody Guthrie and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott as folk icons he admires, not only when it comes to the content of songs, but in the manner in which they are delivered from the stage.
Hus points to many life experiences and the influences of family and specific musicians when it comes to assessing his own make up as an artist.
“I look up to Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, and road dogs like Fred Eaglesmith. Then there’s all the people I meet out on the road and the stories that come with those introductions,” he said.
The summer of 2009 saw the lanky and likeable artist back another one of his influences, the legendary Stompin’ Tom Connors, on a number of dates across the nation.
“It’s not a secret that Tom is one of my heroes and it was quite the time out on the road with him. I could tell you all sorts of stories, but we’ll leave those for another time,” said Hus.
Connors made his appreciation for Hus’ songwriting skills known as the two parties played before large and enthusiastic crowds that were served up a double-barreled blast of true-blue Canadiana.
On many occasions Connors, who died in March, 2013, let it be known to friends and fans that he believed Hus to be the man he was passing his mantle on to.
Doors to Hus’ June 20 performance at the ANAF Club open at 6:45 p.m. with the show starting at 7.30 p.m. (no minors will be permitted). Tickets are $20 ($15 for VFRMS members) available online at www.vernonfolkroots.com, at the Bean Scene or at the door.
