Fearing playing P.G. tonight

Since he became a resident of B.C. once again, Stephen Fearing has made himself increasingly available to the northern half of the province.

Fearing, long regarded as one of Canada’s epic guitar-vocal talents, is coming again tonight to Prince George. He was here in July as one of the stars of the Heatwave Festival and this time he is hitting more than just Lheidli T’enneh territory on his travels. The acclaimed songwriter with earthy voice and staggering guitar fingers will do five shows in five nights across the region.

“I’ve been looking forward to this tour for some time, a chance to travel into northern B.C. and another chance to play songs from Every Soul’s A Sailor with my trio. And drag along some more guitars,” said Fearing just prior to his departure from Victoria. He is originally from B.C., living in Smithers and Vancouver during his youth, before moving to Ontario and then Nova Scotia until a couple of years ago when he sought out the west coast again.

Fearing brings with him all his years as a solo artist, with fan favourites like Expectations, the train ballad The Longest Road, the empathic anthem The Bells Of Morning, Dog On A Chain and many more.

But he also has another set of fan favourites he earned as a member of super-trio (alongside Colin Linden and Tom Wilson) Blackie & The Rodeo Kings, a group that both stood out for their own craftsmanship and also drew attention to other quality Canadian songwriters (most notably Willie P. Bennett).

With his stellar prowess on guitar and rich vocal tones, Fearing hardly needs anyone to help him perform but he is bringing along bass player John Dymond and drummer Gary Craig on this northern jaunt.

“Gary and John have been touring with Bruce Cockburn and I’m pleased to have been able to lure them away from the four-star luxury to go slumming with me on a good old-fashioned van tour,” Fearing said.

You’ll find them all at Artspace (above Books & Company) tonight, then on successive nights in Quesnel (at the Chuck Mobley Theatre), Burns Lake (at Lakes District Secondary School’s theatre), Kitimat (at Mount Elizabeth Theatre), and Terrace (at R.E.M. Lee Theatre).

Local tickets are $25 in advance from the Books & Company front desk, or $30 at the door while supplies last.