CANORA – “I love the crowds and the spontaneity of playing with others.”
Kyle McKearney, back by his band The Outliers, took over the stage at the Canora Composite School auditorium on Feb. 10 as part of the Stars for Saskatchewan Concert Series presented by the Canora Arts Council.
Billed as “a captivating storyteller,” McKearney repeatedly drew enthusiastic applause from the audience of approximately 65 music fans, including a standing ovation that drew him back to the stage for a memorable encore.
According to the Arts Council, a lot of new people came out due to the style of music and people attended from other Arts Councils of other communities. There was a younger age group in attendance.
Post-concert comments included “Very enjoyable performance,” “Good variety of music,” “Enjoyed the fiddle playing.”
Originally from B.C. and a long-time Alberta resident with his family, McKearney said, “It’s been fun doing this acoustic tour, meeting all the nice folks in Saskatchewan.”
Members of the Outliers who joined him onstage in Canora were his wife Sarah, who sings and plays acoustic guitar. They were supported by Talia Beckie on fiddle and Dave Oostra playing the cajone, a type of box-shaped drum that takes up a lot less room than a drum set while traveling between concert dates. In addition to his unique vocal talents, Kyle also plays acoustic guitar.
He describes his music as “simple Canadian Alt Country.”
Praised by many for his “raw, soul-baring storytelling,” his talent for song writing and performing shone brightly at the Canora performance through songs such as “It Ain’t at the bottom of a Bottle.”
Born and raised in St. John, B.C, just down the road from Beaverlodge Alta. McKearney said his song, The Man From Beaverlodge is a true, wild story from his past, including the lyrics,
“I was working one night in a smokey ole bar
These fellas didn’t like the way I wore my hair
There was a tension in the air and I knew I had to move quick
This mountain of a man from Beaverlodge
Said, boy you better get outta Dodge
I figured that was it so I clenched to take my licks
I figured I’d better get out and have this fella’s back
But before I could there was two men bleedin’
On the ground where he left ‘em after a good beatin’
He jumped back in the truck and we peeled out fast
He lit up a joint and he puffed and he passed and He drove me home but I never got that fella’s name”
McKearney shared that he has been living in Alberta for 25 years, where he and Sarah are raising their family of two young boys. He wrote a song called Alberta Saved My Soul, which included the line, “Take me home to wild roses.”
Touring Saskatchewan is a great way to get to know its people, and McKearney obviously believes in giving credit where credit is due, telling the Canora audience, “I have probably 15 trucker hats, you guys make the best trucker hats.”
McKearney and the Outliers performed on the popular Canadian TV Series Heartland, appearing in the Season 18 finale. One of their numbers, a song about love and loss, was called Tomorrow.
“To leave behind a world without you
Instead of whiskey sick
Just watching dust collect
On a broken frame
It’d be the two of us
So I’m letting go
dying to know
Will I see you tomorrow
Will I see tomorrow”
Even while he’s busy with his present tour, McKearney has released a new song called Rearview, all about the past.
“I was bad for you and you were worse for me
That much I know
Taking up space in my rear view
While your memory is riding shotgun
Playin’ every heartbreak song”
Even though the band is focused on McKearney and his music, other band members each had opportunities to shine during the Canora concert: Dave Oostra demonstrating his proficiency on the cajone, Talia Beckie playing the fiddle like it’s a part of her and enjoying every minute of it, and Sarah McKearney singing smooth harmony with her husband, and even taking over the lead vocal in another original called Whispering Pines.
“Whispering pines, whispering pines
The sound of them always reminds me
Of a time, of a time
When you used to lay beside me
Sweet as your loving sigh
Bitter as our last goodbye.
Singing lonesome lullaby
Whispering pines”
McKearney faced and overcame a variety of challenges early on his life to get where he is today, some of which inspired the song, Tough or Die.
“Left my home when I was fourteen
Daddy went to Nashville chasin' dreams
My brother was young and my ma was high
Son you better get tough or die
Left that oil town behind my back
Played my guitar like a paperback
Saw the writing on the marquee sign
Son you better get tough or die
When all you wanna do is sit or cry
Get tough or die
and try to keep your head held high
Get tough or die”
A lengthy standing ovation persuaded McKearney to return to the stage for an encore. All alone on stage with his guitar, he sang Sober, a song that won him the Song of the Year award in Alberta a couple of years ago.
“I’m just doin’ what I know
I can run but I can’t hide
It only hurts me when I’m sober
So I don’t hurt much anymore
I keep my hand on the bottle,
‘cause it’s all you’ll let me hold.
It takes grit to survive”
McKearney said in addition to performing, he thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to write his own songs.
“It’s a way to share my perspective with no one telling me I’m wrong while I’m writing it. I also love the craft of creating something from thin air.
“I usually write from my own life experiences or from seeing a situation or perspective that inspires me.”
“Lately, I’ve been pulling songs from dreams and my subconscious. I try my best to wake up and get them down.”
McKearney has been touring for over 20 years, playing for crowds of up to 12,000. But he said there’s something special about performing for smaller audiences such as the Canora concert.
“I love small shows. I’m a story teller at the end of the day and I find the small crowds keen to listen in.”
“I’ve played in nearly every province and state in North America. I’ve toured The UK, and have played in Germany as well.
McKearney’s latest album is called Wildflower.
More information on that project, as well as his previous albums, is available online at a number of sources, including: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube and Amazon Music etc.
Prior to introducing the performers before the concert, Ken Rolheiser of the Canora Arts Council took a moment to remember Alfredo Converso, a long-time supporter of the local arts scene, “who left us too soon with his sudden passing on Feb. 3. Alfredo’s love of music and his generous service as a volunteer led him to join the Canora Arts Council where he served as vice-president and representative on the Provincial Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils.
“If I may borrow a thought from his obituary,” continued Rolheiser, “’He entered our lives unexpectedly and departed just as quickly, and he has bettered the lives of his family and community forever.’ Rest in Peace Alfredo, you are remembered.”
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