Wed 28th March, Cam Penner + The Listeners, Greystones

[Dornock]

TRAVELLIN’ TROUBADOUR CAM PENNER CALLS IN AT THE GREYSTONES, WEDNESDAY 28TH MARCH 2012

 

“Cam’s rootsy harmonica & rich, mellow honest voice interweaved perfectly with Jonny’s gently sparse but ever so complementary guitar workings. Their long set, as time passed so quickly, consisted of all the new stuff from their “Gypsy Summer” album & more, with simple yet pure songs and a confessional twist to most, lots of wayward & funny travel stories (that reminded me of the book, Travels with Charley- John Steinbeck) & when out came Jonny’s lap steel, some mighty fine countrypolitan fayre. They were, well.... what the club is all about really! Graham ‘Shipcote’ Anderson of The Jumpin Hot Club, Newcastle

 

“'Trouble & Mercy' is a highly emotive, travellin' troubadour's master class deserving of being bracketed with the illustrious likes of Steve Earle. It rarely gets more resonant and graceful than this.”Whisperin And Hollerin review (9/10), March 2010

 

"An undeniable new star on the country side of Americana... so distinctive and powerful."Third Coast Music, Texas

 

In a complicated world, Cam Penner finds beauty in simplicity, with an honest, spare approach to folk music that is refreshing in an age filled with so much insincerity and irony. Singing uncompromising songs about redemption and truth, he is a voice for the disenfranchised, a storyteller for those who never reach their destination. Cam’s personal lyrics are complemented by a gentle acoustic guitar style, and the defiant heroes of his songs are weary, but they are never defeated!

 

He hails from a Mennonite community in Southern Manitoba, where his parents, the town rebels, ran an illegal roadhouse and his grandfather, a bootlegger, delivered his goods to the rural community bringing much needed remedy. Growing up in small towns in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Penner found an appreciation for common people's stories. He left at nineteen for Chicago where he ran a soup kitchen and worked at a women shelter. These experiences ignited a passion for social justice and after moving back to Canada, Cam continued working with the homeless for the next thirteen years.

 

Penner has described his philosophical outlook and songwriting muse: "Sometimes I feel the thousands of souls I've listened to are people living inside of me, telling their tales." Agreed. When listening to Penners songs you can hear the struggle, the hope, the yearning to be better. "I've never really written topical songs, I usually write about the emotional struggle, the pull between what's right and wrong."

 

Looking at the world through a windshield. That's been Cam Penner's view for the last two years. In those two years he has toured five countries, six provinces, twelve states and performed over three hundred shows. He has opened for Chip Taylor, Richard Thompson, Slaid Cleaves, Fred Eaglesmith, Greg Trooper, Carrie Rodiguez, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, John Prine, Glen Campbell, Lyle Lovett, and the Flatlanders. Cam has managed to find his way into the bars, theatres, cafes, arts centres, backyards, and honkytonks across this wide land.

 

The album 'Felt like a Sunday Night' has charted in Europe (Euro-Americana Charts) climbing its way to No.3. It also stayed in the top fifteen (peaking at No.3) for four months on the Freeform Americana Charts (across North America) outlasting any other artist. The song 'No Stars in the City' took third place in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition and his latest song 'Thirteen' has made its way to the finals in the 2008 competition. Other songs from Cam's repertoire 'Rye Whiskey' and 'When I Die' have been featured on compilations in both Canada and the UK. The album made it's way on many top ten lists and was given four star reviews in both North America and Europe.

 

His 2009 album, ‘Trouble and Mercy’, was recorded two days after a six month tour by side man and recording engineer, Jon Wood. With his road band taking a hiatus, Cam captures his most honest and contemplative songwriting to date. "I found these songs in the alleys and streets. Under a dumpster. In the remains of discarded trash. Faded phone numbers and addresses on cigarettes packs. In empty clubs, gas station pumps and front page headlines. On the bottom of a styrofoam cup. In the last drag, stuffed in the glove compartment. Between sofa cushions. On the side of the interstate. Waking up beside her, watching two worlds collide. In the dives and diners. At cheap no tell motel rooms where you sleep in your clothes, shoes on. Stopping when I saw something shiny. Walking through the ditch, kicking at the tall grass, searching for a dime. Living hand to mouth and waking up to stove top coffee. In the madness of a rich man's town, where the poor and elite collide. There in the midnight hours, I'd sometimes peel back the gauze and poke it to see if still hurt."

 

His latest album ‘Gypsy Summer’ is Cam’s most self assured outing to date, a richer contrast to the defiant stripped down sensibilities of Trouble & Mercy. The new album is a more personal affair - where his previous outings often featured stories of characters he had encountered, this album really feels like a confessional. With Gypsy Summer, Cam continues to successfully roam from his comfort zone into new territory.

 

Advance discount tickets on sale £8 from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/139566 or http://www.seetickets.com or http://www.ticketweb.co.uk or buy direct from http://www.boohoomusic.co.uk