Legacy Guitar and Coffee House is the May 3 stop for Vancouver roots collective, the Wooden Horsemen, as they showcase their premier seven-track, self-titled debut along their cross-country tour.
Formed and fronted by Ottawa native-turned-Vancouverite, Steve Beddall (a.k.a. the Wooden Horseman), the project began as a solo endeavour and has turned into something that Beddall feels has what it takes for the long haul.
“I’d like to explore new sounds and push ourselves to the creative limit again and again,” said Beddall, lead vocalist/songwriter/guitarist.
The frontman is on tour with Missy Cross (vocals/percussion) and Alex Hauka (cello/vocals). The trio is joined by a rotation of musicians when performing in and around their Vancouver base.
There is a sparseness, arranged on a haunting moodiness that stems from Beddall’s observations and insights.
“There’s nothing as powerful as one person sitting down with a guitar. If you can strip everything away would it still be powerful and compelling on its own?”
The arrangements on the album are fashioned with a degree of intimacy, powered through haunting harmonies and tasteful instrumentation.
“I wanted the album to be sort of minimal, where the vocals sit on top,” said Beddall. “(Our music) is changing all the time — the new jams are a lot more upbeat.”
With a goal in mind to keep the music fresh and refrain from recording ‘more of the same’, Beddall said his traditional folk and blues influences blend with his current, diverse projects.
Heavily influenced by traditional bluesmen and folksters — from Leadbelly and Muddy Waters to Neil Young and JJ Cale, Beddall also performs in a number of Vancouver groups, including guitar with heavy-driving club DJs, the Funk Hunters, world-funk band Whiskey Chief and country-folk group Coldwater Road.
The writing stems from a ten-year departure from Ottawa and a journey out west filled with the colour of adventure that accompanies a one-way Greyhound bus ticket.
“I tend to be interested in the subtleties, in stories people tell me…some small thing somebody says to me will stick in my head.”
Beddall said “Restless” is the track that stands out for him on the album.
“It was born out of a guitar riff and I have some really cool contributions to it that put a stamp on it,” he said, elaborating on the rich textures on violin and accordion and ‘psychedelic bluesy feel’ to the tune that was inspired by a trip he took down to New Orleans.
From Pender Island to P.E.I., tickets to catch the Wooden Horsemen in Cochrane are available at legacyguitarhouse.com.
