The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum is kicking off its fall season of After Dark concerts on Sept. 20 with a performance by Regina's Tyler Gilbert, who released his latest album this past July.
The artist's newest effort, OK Murphy, was released July 15, and features a fuller sound as Gilbert takes his music one step from folk and toward rock. With funding from Rawlco Radio's 10k20, which aims to give out $10,000 grants to 20 Saskatchewan musicians each year, the project came with a larger budget and Gilbert took advantage of the resources to create a collection of songs that are faster more upbeat.
"It's quite a bit different. My other CDs were mostly solo stuff, so just me and a guitar," said Gilbert, who appeared at the EAGM in June for their Big Bash. "This one is half and half. Half is a full-band aspect and the other half includes my solo stuff. There's a quite a bit different sound. There are some more rockier parts."
Gilbert said he cares about the diversity of his music, so adding a full band to his sound helps round out where he finds his inspiration in music.
"It was a direction I wanted to take. It was planned out," said Gilbert, who added his next album will probably become rockier still. "I find myself getting less folky."
He said his influences are diverse and they have never really changed.
"I've always wanted to make an album of every influence that I have. I've done the folk. I think now I'm pushing more for the rock. I am making decisions to change the sound."
While he will be performing solo in Estevan, he said he does want to recruit a band to tour with so he can perform the full rock songs, while also keeping his solo performances a key part of his brand.
Promotion is always a big part of the music industry, and Gilbert noted that with everyone having the opportunity to post their own music somewhere on the Internet, the focus now is how artists can reach an audience from a pool of so many voices.
"The tougher part now is that you're swimming in a bigger sea full of fish. Perseverance is definitely needed to break through. Promotion is a big part of the game," said Gilbert.
Gilbert recently returned to Saskatchewan from a tour in the United States, where he regularly asked local bands to open for him.
"Some of the positives to that, is that they have a local fan base," said Gilbert. "And two, it's connecting with the musicians. That's one of the things about going on tour as an independent musician. Once you make those connections, it's a lot easier to go back. That's one of the main things about going on tour, so you can go back every year and the friendships and camaraderie is really important."
Estevan's Poor Nameless Boy will open at the art gallery at Gilbert's request.
This October, Gilbert will also be touring with the Saskatchewan Cultural Exchange Society, travelling to high schools around the province and hosting workshops about songwriting.
"I will have my own little class. It talks about what it is to write a song and what it takes to write a song. I will play a few tunes here and there, and maybe we'll have participation from the students to come up with a little diddie. It's quite communicative with the students."
Interested listeners can sample some of Gilbert's music on his website, www.tylergilbert.ca, and his music is available at iTunes, Amazon and HMV. He can be found on Twitter @tgilbertmusic.
The show on Sept. 20 starts at 8 p.m.
