The rural lifestyle is something that may be difficult to understand if you haven’t lived it. One performer who is sharing his experiences through music and art is Ben Crane.
“There is something a little deeper about a rural lifestyle, because you’re in the middle of the life circle,” said Crane, who is known for his unique blend of swing, bluegrass, country, blues and gospel.
Crane has been making music for 25 years and has released multiple albums over the years, including his latest, 2012’s Wonder Working God. His artwork has been shown at the Calgary Stampede and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
“You see life and death constantly with the animals. You’re out in nature. You’re soaking in what God has made as opposed to what man has made,” Crane said of living in a rural community.
Crane said that his artwork and his music are connected “right at the nose hairs” and is something that is just a part of him.
He mentioned stories of sitting in front of an old cabinet stereo and being mesmerized by the sound of music or reading Pogo comic books with his grandmother and being drawn to the artwork.
“Everybody figures they have something they want to say or some way they want to contribute to society, which I think is our mandate as humans,” said Crane, who figures his art and music is wired that way.
An important part of both his artwork and music is humour – something he said he finds medicinal. Crane said during the BSE outbreak (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, a.k.a., Mad Cow Disease) in the early 2000s, he remembers a particular instance where his humour touched someone.
Crane said that during that time he heard horror stories of farmers who were losing everything and family farms that had been around for decades that “blew away like dust.”
He recalled a young man in his early 20s coming up to him during a performance. The young man said that every time he thought he wasn’t going to make it another day, he listened to Crane’s music and the humour brought relief making him feel he could make it another day.
“I couldn’t believe that,” said Crane. “That kind of helped me refocus on what I was doing. All of sudden the show wasn’t about me, it was about the crowd. It’s not about making people laugh, it’s about giving people something to laugh about.”
Crane performs his sets with his 18-year-old daughter, Jessica. She released her first CD last year, which Crane helped record. She will be joining him in Water Valley when he performs July 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling 587-226-7567 or visit watervalleychurchevents.com.
