Halifax singer-songwriter Darrel Cameron expects a lot from his audience. “I have a lot of respect for the listener’s role in music. As a music fan myself, I know that each person brings their own interpretations and experiences to the listening table.” For their efforts, Cameron’s listeners will be rewarded with a lyrical depth that conjures images ranging from cinematic to deeply personal in scope. He sings of dried flower souvenirs, orphans being sung to sleep by the ocean’s waves, lines of poetry written along eyelashes, faded letters kept underneath pillowcases and messages from a child yet to be born. Places appear more like characters than landmarks into this vast emotional landscape. The Halifax Armouries, the Atlantic Ocean and the forest lake by Cameron’s childhood home each have cameo roles, as well as the North End’s Gottingen and John Streets.
”The things that inspire me to write are all the things I’ve come across that I can’t find answers for like faith versus doubt, hope in the midst of despair, meaning in the seemingly mundane. My songwriting is a process of engaging in those struggles with creativity and intent.”
This fall, Cameron will be putting the finishing touches on his debut EP entitled “Alleyways and Bloodlines” recorded with Don MacKay at Spaces Between Sound Studio in Halifax. The project features eight songs recorded in spread-out sessions over the past year. “Making the record was a slow process, I was only able to grab a few hours of recording time each couple of months, but it’s coming together nicely. Don is great to work with, we were able to get a really creative flow going even though there was so much time between sessions.” Benn Ross came in to play drums on four of the songs. “I’m really thrilled to have Benn help out – I wanted someone to approach the tunes creatively, not just play the standard out-of-the-can rhythms, and he made some great contributions over two quick sessions.” Christopher Mushquash also made an appearance on slide guitar as well as co-writing contributions on two of the songs.
The rest of 2009 will see him finishing up his “Monthly Song Challenge” to write a new song for every month of 2009 and document it on a blog (www.windandrainrecords.blogspot.com).
“It started as a personal challenge; to give myself writing deadlines and stick to them. My goal at the outset in January was to take whatever happens this year and engage in an artistic process about it. I want to be able to look back at the songs and have a creative document of the year that has gone by. Plus I’ll have twelve new songs to work with by the end of the year, which is a lot better than waiting for inspiration to strike or waiting until I have the time set aside to write.” Many of the songs have been debuted at house concerts, open mics and coffeehouses as well as being posted on myspace. “Beyond that, I’m not sure what I’ll do with them, if I’ll continue the challenge into the next year or not. Right now I’m leaning towards stepping back from those songs and focusing on the re-writing process, to see if I can take the good ideas and make them even better.”
Keep an ear to the wind for more updates from Darrel Cameron in the coming months.
