Victoria, BC-based alt-folk artist Steven Bowers has released his fifth full-length album, Elk Island Park on February 12. The album was produced by Jason Mingo and JUNO award-winning producer Colin Stewart and features backing vocals from award-winning songwriter Meaghan Smith.
Steven will be touring throughout March, check out the dates below, give the album a listen, and find out more about him in our newest segment of Five Questions With!
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Steven Bowers. I am a songwriter from Newfoundland. I am a visitor on Songhees and Esquimalt territory, currently living in Victoria BC with my wife and 1-year-old daughter.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
My music is often described as introspective, although I admire the narrative style of songwriting, so I sometimes try to veer into that world if I can. I write on the guitar and piano, and a lot of my songs feature guest vocalists and layered harmony arrangements. I usually can only work on one song at a time, and I overthink lyrics. I also have to consistently remind myself that not everything needs to be in waltz time.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
I’m doing a solo tour starting on February 28th at the Ship in St. John’s, then working my way West. When I perform solo it’s often acoustic singer-songwriter in style, although for this tour I’m adding some digital and electronic layers to mimic the sounds of the new record. I come from Newfoundland where storytelling and songwriting go hand in hand, so I usually talk a bit about the songs. I try to do it gracefully, the way Ron Hynes or Geraldine Hollett would do it, letting the audience into the heart of the song just a little bit.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
I think it would be the song ‘Migration’ from my 2012 album Beothuk Words. There’s a video on Youtube of my wife and I whipping around a frozen lake on a four-wheeler. She shot it on her phone as the sun was setting at just the right moment and it came out pretty cool for an unplanned, no budget thing. If there’s a lyrical thread that runs through my songs, you can probably see it in this one.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/artists?
I’m looking forward to Jaya Bremer’s new record. I’ve been listening to a lot of William Prince lately. Jenn Grant is one of my favourites, I burst into tears on the highway once listening to her song “No One’s Gonna Love You (Quite Like I Do)”.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
March 8 – The Carleton – Halifax, Canada
March 9 – The deCoste Centre – Pictou, Canada
March 10 – The Tipsy Muse – Frederiction, Canada
March 13 – Hugh’s Room Live – Toronto, Canada
March 14 – Bar Robo – Ottawa, Canada
March 15 – Mariposa – Montreal, Quebec
March 18 – The Ironwood – Calgary, Canada
March 19 – The Aviary – Edmonton, Canada
March 28 – Northern Quarter – Victoria, Canada