A special virtual concert featuring singer-songwriter Jeffery Straker will be held on May 11, and tickets sold to the concert will support the Assiniboia and District Arts Council.
The release of singer-songwriter Jeffery Straker’s new full-length recording “Just Before Sunrise” will be marked in May. Local residents are invited to join him and his band in this online streaming concert featuring songs from the roots/folk album plus other fan favourites.
Residents can support the Assiniboia and District Arts Council when they purchase a concert ticket through this link: https://viewstub.com/af/jeffery-straker-saskatchewan/2FTWLP
Jeffery Straker grew up taking piano lessons in small-town Saskatchewan and swears he was born under the piano on the family farm. Since then he’s gone on to perform over 100 shows per year across Canada, Europe and Latin America and was named the 2020 Saskatchewan Music Awards Roots/Folk Artist of the Year.
The storytelling nature of his songs has the power to transport a listener out onto a lake in Canada’s North or to the main street of a prairie town. Described as “a clever lyricist with an energetic piano style”, his song writing has drawn critical comparisons to the likes of Harry Chapin, Kris Kristofferson and Billy Joel.
In speaking about his album, Straker said, “The songs on this album are a soundtrack of reflection and I think they reach an optimistic conclusion. In a way, the listener is asked: ‘Where are you headed? And, where would you like to be headed’? (often those are two different places).
“The victories and losses we experience in life inevitably shape our viewpoint and our path and in that sense the last few years of my life informed this record. A significant part of that was two years ago, suddenly and unexpectedly having my mom pass away. The result of the grieving, questioning, revelation and resolution I experienced has been a deep gratitude for the optimistic outlook on life that I hold. I really hope you like these songs.”
