Drumheller area based musician Joe Vickers performed an excellent show of upbeat acoustic and folk music for an enthusiastic audience at the Slice, Wednesday, Nov. 22.
He had a dedicated band of fans applauding and shouting out requests, which Vickers attempted to play, having several solo discs and a couple with Edmonton based folk punk band Audio Rocketry discs to draw from.
He soun
ded like a more impassioned Jason Isbel as he told heartfelt stories and sang songs about the family and Alberta prairies. He sang an array of brand new songs, a couple more Celtic folk reminiscent songs from the Audio/Rocketry catalogue and several highlights from his solo “Patient/Medicine Bag” Cd from 2014 including the show highlight “Medicine Bag.”
He told some stories about spending time in Portland, Oregon to visit his wife while she was studying naturopathy and about the contrast in attitudes between more liberal, hippyish attitudes there and the more conservative attitudes of Alberta. He followed that up with a touching song about a friend of his coming out to his family called “Brokeback Son.”
Another highlight, on the lighter side, was a song about the joy of playing music with his friends.
I also enjoyed “Weatherworn,” featuring some delicate pretty finger-picking.
For something different, he invited his friend Natalie Gauthier, who came to the show all the way from Rosebud, on stage to sing some harmonies on a couple of songs including “Kitchen Floor,” which was inspired by his grandparents dancing together.
Vickers wound down a solid set with the apt Audio Rocketry tune “Ghost Town Stories ”which ended with the plaintive Line “ until we meet again, skeleton man.”
