SaskMusic has announced the nominees for the 2021 SaskMusic Awards (which will be given out at the awards event on Jan. 20, 2022). Among this year’s nominees are two artists – Tyler Gilbert and Heidi Munro – who call communities in this area “home”. Both artists have been nominated for awards in their respective categories. Both have also seen their albums included on this year’s “Long List” for Album of the year.
Tyler Gilbert
There are transplants that will root down into their new ground so well, that you would swear that they had always been there. Tyler Gilbert has ‘taken’ to life in Windthorst in just this way.
Although Gilbert grew up in an urban setting, he had a special tie to Windthorst.
“I was born in Calgary and spent quite a few years in Regina when I was growing up. But my grandparents, Hugh and Helen Rolufs, lived here. So, I came out here a lot to visit them when I was a kid.”
Earlier this year, Gilbert says that he made the decision to make Windthorst ‘home’.
“The pandemic has opened a lot of people’s eyes to how much better you can live, on less money, in a small town. So, there was that. I wanted to get away from having to hear the general insanity that can be part of life in the city these days.
And for me, I’ve always been a quiet and kind of reserved guy. The idea of living in a small town appealed to me. I still have family in Windthorst. Bert and Dalene Uhrich are my uncle and aunt, and Randy Rolufs is my uncle as well.
When my uncle called and said that there was a place in Windthorst that I might be interested in, I came out and looked at the house and decided to take it. So, my girlfriend Ingrid (she’s a painter and graphic artist) and I moved out here at the beginning of the year.”
Being open to change is something that Gilbert says is evident in his music as well.
“I started making albums in 2003. When I started out, I was more into folk music, and performed as a singer-songwriter in that genre for a few years. There has always been an element of ‘rock’ in my music. But as I went along, I started performing with a full band, and got to the place where I am now. When I perform with the band, our music is heavier, more like ‘Alice in Chains’.
Both types of performances appeal to me, for different reasons. I still do acoustic performances. I did a performance for the Pirates Award Banquet this fall, and really enjoyed it. I like the fact that you can get more into storytelling, with songs that have a deeper meaning in an acoustic performance. Audiences that come out to hear an acoustic performance expect that. So, it becomes more of a ‘personal’ show.
But performing with a band is something I enjoy too. It’s good to have that loudness and that comradery that happens with a band onstage. There is a much more ‘active’ energy that comes from the crowd in a performance like that. I appreciate both. But at this point though, I’m more into playing with the band.”
Gilbert and his band have released a new (6th) album Kill the Magic on November 20th of this year. He notes that the process of recording the album went very well, even though he and the other members of the band are living in different locations.
“I have a small studio here in Windthorst, and I found I was able to do quite a bit here. The other members of the band are scattered in cities all over. But it was surprising how much we were able to do remotely.”
He adds that the new album is something of a departure.
“This new album isn’t quite as ‘heavy.’ The single from the album Cultivate Madness has a bit of a Black Sabbath ‘feel’ to it. But the other songs are more ‘ambient’ rock.
I didn’t want to have any personal limits on my writing or the way that I performed when I recorded this album So, I tried different ways of singing and used different methods, to give it a more ‘ambient’ feel.”
Last week, it was announced that Gilbert and his band have been nominated for the SaskMusic Metal/Loud Artist of the Year Award. As well, the band’s previous album The Fallen has been put on the voting list for Album of the Year.
Gilbert says that he is delighted by the nominations.
“This is our first nomination, so I’m pretty happy about it. The album that’s been nominated for Album of the Year, The Fallen, was recorded in 2020. It has a more ‘acoustic’ feel to it. A lot of musicians did a ‘quarantine album’. I guess that was mine.”
Overall, Gilbert says that he is happy with where he is, both in his career and his choice to move to Windthorst.
“The music scene in Saskatchewan is a very close-knit community, more so I think than in a bigger province like Ontario. It’s good to be part of a community like that, especially with all of the craziness we’re living through now. I’ve also found that being here, in the quiet and solitude, was very conducive to writing and recording. Who knew that there were so many stars in the sky? This is a great place to create and make music! My girlfriend and I have also been blown away by how friendly people are here! I’m not sure that too many of my neighbors know what my music sounds like. But after I did the Pirates banquet, I had so many people coming up to me and saying how much they like my music. It’s feels great to be in a place where people are so quick to welcome you, and willing to support you. This is a good place to call ‘home’.”
Heidi Munro
Over the past few months, many of us have been led (or at times forced) into making changes and adopting new ways of doing things. For some, this has allowed them to discover opportunities that they might not have ever considered otherwise.
Heidi Munro (who is originally from Kennedy) has been part of the live music scene in Canada for the past 30 years. She has appeared at major festivals such as the Big Valley Jamboree and the SaskTel Jazz festival in Saskatoon, and been welcomed onstage at countless different venues across the country.
When the pandemic began, Munro says that she and her music partner Scott Patrick were faced with having to find a different way to connect with their audience, and were pleased by the response they received.
“Scott and I managed to stay busy. When the pandemic first hit, we began doing online performances. Our concept was to produce something that was like the weekly music shows that we used to watch on television when we were kids. So, each show had a different ‘theme’ to it. We did a country show, pop, rock, jazz, we featured a different music genre each week. Those shows actually kept people super engaged with us. We were able to reach out to a lot of our fans this way. People really seemed to love what we were doing.”
As restrictions changed, Munro points out that she and Patrick were invited to perform at some different kinds of venues.
“While the restrictions were still in full force, we were asked to do a number of national and international online events, along with some private ‘corporate’ shows. Then this past summer, when the restrictions eased, we went on tour and performed a variety of different venues. We headlined at the SaskTel Jazz Festival and the Bow Valley Jamboree Music Festival. As well, we did several theatre shows, including an acoustic show with Jack Semple and Chris Henderson. There were also a lot of outdoor and private shows over the summer. These shows were something fairly new for us. But they were great! People really seemed to enjoy being able to share a concert with others that they really wanted to spend time with. And there’s something really wonderful about being able to relax and enjoy a concert in your own backyard.”
Munro and Patrick were also able to record their album Give Me Your Rain. Munro says that the album presented a unique challenge for the duo.
“I haven’t recorded a lot of albums. It can be a costly endeavor…and in this business…you have to weigh your options carefully and decide what makes the most long-term sense for our market as artists. But during the lockdowns, we were able to write and record Give Me Your Rain with the help of our friend Grant Sotnikow (who produced the album). Scott and I focused on recording a very ‘stripped down’ album that we could promote with acoustic performances, since we didn’t know how long the pandemic was going to continue or what new restrictions we might face.”
Last week, it was announced the Munro and Patrick have been nominated for the SaskMusic Country Artist of the Year Award. As well, Give Me Your Rain has been added to the voting list for Album of the Year. Munro says that she and Patrick are delighted by the nominations, and adds that they might continue to focus on creating the kind of connection with their fans that they achieved with their album.
“We’re very honored to have nominated for Country Artist of the Year. We’re also really proud that our album is up for Album of the Year. Scott and I have talked and we’ve agreed that we love performing in the more ‘stripped down’ acoustic environment that was featured on the album. If a song can stand on its own without a lot of stuff behind it…or if you can hear a pin drop during an acoustic performance, that shows that you’ve made a very special kind of connection with your audience. That’s something that we want to continue sharing with our fans.”
She adds that as the schedule for next summer begins to fill up, she hopes to have the opportunity to perform again in this area.
“Right now, there are a few shows that have been confirmed. A lot of venues are still waiting to see what’s going to happen with the pandemic, so our calendar isn’t full yet. But I’m really hoping that we’ll have the chance to perform in the southeast again this year. We were down to Kenosee Lake and the Happy Nun in Forget last summer. Some people from home came out for those shows, and it means a lot when you can see those familiar faces at one of your shows.”
NOTE: Fans can visit: www.veryprairie.ca/sma2021-voting to cast their vote and decide which of the albums on the ‘long list’ for SASKMUSIC Album of the Year will make it through to the top 10.
