Born to the dusty beat of Manitoban prairie rhythms and church choir harmonies, and raised in B.C.’s fertile festival culture, Vernon singer-songwriter Lowell Friesen has been immersed in his love for music since day one.
That love has just been translated into his debut solo album, Home…and Away, which is being dropped in Vernon with a release party at the Bean Scene coffee house Sunday, June 7 before Friesen hits the road for a tour that takes him across Canada.
A familiar voice and multi-instrumentalist around town, Friesen just played an opening slot for headliner Brandon Isaak at the Vernon Folk-Roots Music Society’s last concert.
Known for crafting his own unique style of folk-roots music, Friesen adds equal parts joyful abandon, heart-string pulling and tongue-in-cheek humour to his performances.
“Music is a catharsis to my experiences in the world, whether it be madness or beauty, both deserve and need a voice. If I don’t, I will either drown in sorrow or die far too young in revelry,” he said. “The threads of that inspiration are woven from a lifetime of longing and seeking, of losing and learning, of striving for balance in a precarious world.”
Friesen’s songs reflect those sometimes turbulent and sometimes serene experiences.
His songs speak to modern day trials and tribulations, his love of coffee, his pseudo fetish for knitting (and knitters) and an undying passion to understand relationship within one’s community.
“Music has always been the connective tissue in the fabric of my family and friendships,” said Friesen. “From earliest memories of church choirs, to teenage mosh pits and bass heavy dance parties to a long standing passion for festival culture, the heartbeat is a drum beat, the story, a song, and the teller’s tale is one I strive to tell.”
After decades of revolving bands, playing everything from metal to folk and frantically seeking a venue for that voice, Friesen found his calling along with singing partner Jayme McKillop. Together they recorded their debut EP, Full Moon Sessions, in 2013.
As Ginger & Rose, the duo have played extensively across B.C., including a memorable slot at the Arts Wells Festival and around the Okanagan.
The duo will be reuniting to perform this Saturday at The Taste of Art in Armstrong Saturday evening (see accompanying story above).
Last year brought some changes, starting when Friesen entered the studio with producer/master fiddler Ben Beveridge to work on Home… and Away.
The album is a 12-song collection of Friesen’s most beloved stories – a chorus that touches on the familiar without debasing his anti-pop mentality – accompanied by acoustic riffs and banjo refrains, along with foot-stomping tunes and quiet understated folk ballads.
Catch the official release of Home…and Away, and the kick-off to Friesen’s 40-date, cross-Canada tour, at the Bean Scene Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Bean Scene. Partial proceeds will go to North Okanagan Youth and Family Services.
