Ferdy Belland
Toronto's folk-rocking singer-songwriter sensation Jeremy Fisher recalls the last time he was in Cranbrook, as the opening act for the Indigo Girls: "That afternoon I was in a sushi restaurant, sitting next to a bride-to-be and her maid-of-honour while they held a heated discussion on wedding photography...it sure gave me a fascinating insight into wedding culture! As for the Indigo Girls show, I remember an enthusiastic audience in a beautiful-sounding ampitheatre. I went for a nice run and was surrounded by striking mountains and clean air. And I've been bugging my agent to get back ever since!"
Jeremy Fisher returns to Cranbrook on Monday, Sept. 28, when he performs at the Studio Stage Door Theatre, in the first concert of the Cranbrook Live Concert Series.
"There are certain aspects of road life which I enjoy," says Fisher. "I love meeting new people. Ideally, touring for me would involve seeing lots of different places and enjoying what they have to offer. Often, however, there's only enough time to eat a square meal while eavesdropping on Bridezilla figuring out how to spruce up her Facebook page by throwing a wedding."
A former member of The Obvious, Fisher has released seven solo albums over the past 15 years. He's collaborated with Hawksley Workman, Serena Ryder, Jim Bryson, and Jakalope, and has shared stages with Xavier Rudd, Sarah Slean, and the Proclaimers. He once even undertook a 30-date, 7,500km tour via bicycle (!), entitled the "One Less Tour Bus Tour." Equally at home busking on a sidewalk as he is striding the stages of stadia, Fisher's wealth of intelligently-crafted pop-hooky songs incorporate helpings of blues and folk influences.
As far as his place within the Canadian musical world, Fisher remarks: "I see myself as an entertainer, first and foremost. I'm throwing a party every night I'm onstage, and it's up to me to be a good host and make sure everyone's having a great time. As a singer-songwriter, I try to do that with storytelling, and so I try to stand on the shoulders of giants like Stompin' Tom Connors and Gordon Lightfoot ... although it was bands like Rush and the Odds that made me want to do this in the first place."
Fisher compares his songwriting process to eating a watermelon. "First you see this sweet plump fruit that you know is going to be the best thing you've ever tasted. Then you cut the thing open and find out there's a million seeds you have to pick out. You take a big bite, but then you're spitting out seeds and it turns into a giant sticky mess ... but it's totally worth it!"
"I wrote all the songs on my new album on piano...which is not my main instrument," explains Fisher. "I found that liberating. I took the songs to (producer) Gus Van Go and he helped me realize it was a pop record, so we took it in that direction. If I had a Dream Band I could assemble, it'd be AC/DC, but with me on rhythm guitar!"
All in all, Fisher is excited for this coming Monday's concert. "Come on out, you're going to love it!" Fisher exudes. "My drummer Ryan Granville-Martin is a local Cranbrooker. And hopefully he doesn't have any outstanding warrants for his arrest!"
Jeremy Fisher performs live at the Studio Stage Door Theatre (11-11th Ave. S., Cranbrook BC) the evening of Monday September 28th (showtime 7:30pm). For ticket information, please contact Mike Robinson at Lotic Environmental: 250-421-7802.