Renowned guitarist Jason Fowler coming to town

MORRISBURG – The St. Lawrence Acoustic Stage concert series is kicking off the 2010 season in a spectacular fashion with its first concert, 7 p.m., on January 30 at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre.

Renowned singer/songwriter Jason Fowler, winner of numerous guitar honours, and inaugural winner of the OCFF (Ontario Council of Folk Festivals) Instrumental Composition of the Year Award in 2004, an outstanding performer with five albums to his name, will be the January 30 concert headliner.

The Stage board is excited and honoured that the celebrated guitarist will be presenting a one night only concert in Morrisburg. “We are very fortunate,” said Jeanne Ward. “Jason is literally booked  at concerts through to next Christmas. It will be wonderful to have him on our stage here in Morrisburg. And he has also agreed to do a workshop on Saturday afternoon for interested guitarists.”

Jason Fowler, whose home is in Toronto, is a Canadian phenomenon who has appeared on over 100 recordings with artists as diverse as Ian Tamblyn, Amy Sky, Nana Mouskouri, Murray McLauchlan and Ember Swift. He has toured extensively with tenor John McDermott, and with Toronto violinist Anne Lindsay. His work has been in demand on the albums of David Bradstreet and D’Arcy Wickham. 

Fowler has played on scores of television commercials, film soundtracks and radio spots. Two of his original songs were featured on the shows Party of Five and Time of Your Life.

In June of 2009, Fowler released his latest CD, Buckets of Rain, which revisits artists he has long admired like Bruce Cockburn, Bob Dylan and Hoyt Axton, as well as his original works. 

On January 19, Jason Fowler took time from his busy schedule to talk to the Morrisburg Leader.

“How did music become my life?” Fowler said, laughing. “Well, to tell you the truth, until I was 16, my career choices were hockey or music. Age 16 was the turning point.”

In high school, Fowler, who was a percussionist, joined the marching band, the jazz band, the stage band and the orchestra.

“I’ve always sung,” he explained (Fowler describes his voice as a ‘husky baritone’) and music was a strong part of my family life. Every family occasion was an opportunity for people like my dad to pull out their guitars and sing.  These home concerts instilled in me the idea that it was ‘cool’ to do my own music, and I started writing songs when I was 12 years old.”

Formal training at McGill only deepened Fowler’s love of music, ranging from classical to blue grass to folk, and for performing for audiences throughout Canada.

He developed a strong personal approach to his music.

“A teacher told me, whenever you practice a new piece, play it slowly, very slowly until you can play it flawlessly. From the beginning, learn the music without mistakes. I’ve always found great satisfaction in playing things correctly. You have to crawl, if you will, before you can walk.”

Fowler’s Morrisburg concert will reflect a striking balance between songs and instrumental pieces, some taken from his new CD, Buckets of Rain.

This 2009 CD is made up of songs that Fowler said he has been singing and playing his whole life, many in the areas of folk and blues. Yet the artist has injected what he calls his own “spin” into the pieces making them essentially his own. Somewhat unusually, this CD was recorded in Fowler’s own home studio, without the usual pressures and restraints of a regular sound studio. 

The results “floored” him.

“Without headphones and the demands of time, I found I played ‘out more’,” he said. “There is a fresh authenticity to the music, a richer sound, more the way I would perform these pieces in a live concert. This CD is, I think, more like the sound that the original artists, without studio trappings, probably created.”

He will perform several pieces from Buckets of Rain, as well as  works from his earlier albums.Fowler plans to split his St. Lawrence stage concert (as artists like Bruce Cockburn do) between songs and instrumental pieces. 

There will be much for music lovers to enjoy on Saturday night when this experienced and dynamic performer takes to the stage. 

“I think people will like the eclectic nature of the show, finding something to enjoy in its different aspects whether it is a touch of classical guitar, or a moment of blues. I especially love it when audience members tell me later that the way I have interpreted a piece has really struck a personal chord with them.”

 “Sometimes when I am in the middle of a concert, I will drift away for a moment,” Fowler said, laughing, “and suddenly think to myself, I’m actually working here.  The way I see it, though, I’m getting paid for my travel to and from concerts. As for the performance itself, well that’s a pure joy, a wonderful thing.”

Jason Fowler’s concert at the Morrisburg Meeting Centre will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 30. Tickets are $15 at the door, or by contacting www.st-lawrencestage.com

His Saturday afternoon workshop tickets are $40 ($50 with a concert ticket). Interested guitarists should register as soon as possible for this private teaching session with  renowned performer Jason Fowler.