Taking bits and pieces of his world travels and adding it to his soundscapes, fusing it with high-level guitar playing and placing it on a platform of songwriting developed over more than two decades, has landed Ben Sures on the Legacy Guitar and Coffee House stage March 14.
The Winnipeg, Man. native has been based out of Edmonton for more than a decade, evolving from a troubadour busking his way cross-country to an award-winning songman and popular sideman for Canadian blues musicians.
Sures said his passion was always centered on songwriting. Becoming known for his abilities on a guitar was the result of his pursuit to become an established singer/songwriter.
“My primary interest was always songwriting,” said Sures, whose most recent album is Son of Trouble (2013).
“I took an early interest in acoustic music…that accidentally led me into the blues and ended up working as an accompanist for other musicians sort of by accident.”
The son of visual artists — Order of Canada-winning ceramic artist Jack Sures and painter and illustrator Deborah Uman-Sures — Sures’ music is painted with an introspective, offbeat brush.
“I’m known for my quirky songwriting and strong personality,” laughed the musician, adding that his latest (seventh) full-length release went back to his blues roots and was recorded through two old amplifiers, live and off-the-floor on a beaten up 1960s Fender Music Master guitar emblazoned with “character and mojo”.
“My other albums are more folky…I kind of felt like ‘OK, for album number seven it’s OK to step out of your box’,” referring to the album as a ‘Ben Sures album’ all the same: “My personality dominates the style more than the style dominates the album.”
He’s earned his share of awards along the way, including a 2005 folk category win in the prestigious John Lennon Song Competition for “Any Precious Girl” (a song about a young woman with bipolar disorder).
“There’s so many people making music — they need a reason to listen to you…these things (awards) help open those doors…ultimately it’s about getting it out to listeners.”
The most-played Albertan on CKUA radio in 2012, following his Gone to Bolivia release (2011), Sures has been reaching out musically, exploring the roots underlying his blues-rooted folk blend — getting into African blues and singing in French and Spanish on his 2013 release.
Other work includes contributions to various radio shows, including CBC’s The Irrelevant Show, Madly Off In All Directions and The Round Up with Bill Richardson; he is also a founding member of Edmonton’s old blues-country-gypsy jazz trio, The Dead Stringers.
One of Sures’ current side projects is The Death Ballad Love Tellers — a singer/songwriter undertaking of murder ballads, led by Sures, David P. Smith and Bubba Uno.
Sures is currently in talks with well-known children’s music performer Fred Penner about collaborating on a children’s album.
“From murder ballads to kid songs,” laughed the songwriter.
Learn more at bensures.com or get tickets to the event at legacyguitarhouse.com.
