The prolific folk singer Owen Steel has just released a new album, Time Machine Blues, which sounds like it was pulled out of the attic of an old Prairie house, all jangly strings, leisurely delivery and kitchen singalongs. The bulk of it was recorded in one 10-hour session at Echo Chamber, followed by an evening in Steel's kitchen. "There were people coming and going. Our friend Lisa Leblanc was in town that nite, so she came in to deliver some wine and ended up singing and playing on some songs," says Steel, who growing up split his time between PEI and St. Andrews, NB. "There was also some time spent in the following weeks adding several parts---a little slide guitar here, some bells and soup cans there." In addition to eight originals, there's a pair of public domain songs, "Sweet Sue" and "Backfirin' Now," that fit seamlessly into the album's aesthetic. "I think there's something to be said for carrying on songs from the past," he says. "It's fun and challenging to interpret other peoples' work, and pay homage to them by doing so."
w/Curse in the Woods, Thursday July 11,
The Company House, 2202 Gottingen Street, $15, 11pm
