Edmonton based folk musician Ben Sures makes a long awaited return to the Lethbridge Folk Club to play the the Lethbridge College Cave, Saturday, April 27.
He last played the Folk Club in 2015.' This trip he is also playing the Rocky Mountain Folk Club in Calgary on April 26.
“It should be a good weekend,” Sures said.
Since his last visit, he has released two live albums and two studio albums including an album of murder ballads with David P. Smith, Troy Bubba Cook and his tenth album “ The Story That Lived here,” which he released in 2022.
He recruited two top notch musicians to record with him, Richard Moody (viola, violin, mandolin, vocals) and Scott White (upright bass).
“I always wanted to work with them but never could because they were always in demand and never available because if timing, but during the pandemic they were available. Richard Moody is the brother of Ruth Moody who played with the Duhks and Wailin Jennies. He Also played on my 1997 album Ooh Wah Baby. So it was nice to work with him again,” Sures said.
“It’s an acoustic record. I was going listening to Guy Clarke albums and just loved the sound and the production and the at lead me to Townes Van Zandt, so there is a lot of their influence on this album ,” he said, adding response has been great.
“The feedback had been good. It spent nine weeks at the top of the CKUA charts,” he said, noting he recorded int in 2021 and released it in 2022.
“I still get to show off some guitar things on this album,” he said.
A lot has happened since his last visit.
“I lost my father in 2018, so there are a two songs on the album about that and I’ve been looking after my elderly mother,” he said.
“Father’s Shoes” is about going to his wife’s house and picking up his shoes. My grandfather said I look exactly like him from the back physically and his shoes fit, so I’ve been wearing them in my painting studio,” he said.
He has a couple of personal songs about him and people he knows.
“”Before We Had Sarah,” is about Sarah Frank and her husband Luke Fraser about touring with their band the Bombadils just after that had their daughter,” Sures said.
He isn’t working on new music yet.
“I’m going through all my older songs. Most people listen to music on line or streaming. So I’m not really releasing CDs anymore.
You can order them online and you get a T Shirt and a bigger, nicer package of liner notes you can look at,” he said.
Though Sures is a painter, former Lethbridge musician Keri McTigh -Latimer, who plays in Nathan and Leaf Rapids with her husband Devin Latimer designed the album cover for “the Story that Lived Here”
“ She designs most of my album covers,” Sures said.
Sures has another Lethbridge connection as he recorded Death Ballad, Love Tellers with Fernie/ Sparwood musician Troy Bubba Cook, who passed away in December 2022 and who went to the U of L and Victoria based songwriter David P Smith.
“Murder ballads are an important part of folk music, so we decided to write some of their own ,” he said.
Sures will be joined by percussionist/ vocalist Stephanie Suchy and bassist Brzezicki for the Lethbridge show.
“Even since 2015 I feel I’ve become more confident as a performer and a musician,” he said, adding he is not working on a new album.
“I’m always writing. But I’ve got 10 albums worth of songs to choose from. I’m playing 99 per cent of the new album,” he said.
“ I’m really looking forward to the show. I Love playing the Lethbridge folk Club. I feel blessed,” Sures said.
Ben Sures plays the Lethbridge Folk Club, Saturday, April 27. Karen Romanchuk will open the show at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 members, $40 non members, $10 students.
— by Richard Amery, L.A. beat Editor
