Review - Bryce Lewis : Saskatchewan Country Guitar
Photo by Chris Graham
La Honda Records’ newest artist is the wonderfully gifted and sensational guitarist Bryce Lewis who just released his debut instrumental album, Saskatchewan Country Guitar, to the world. It comes jam packed with a spectacular supporting cast of tremendously talented all star musicians: Steve Leidal, Big Paw, Pat Lyons, Colton Crawford, Grant Seimens, Redd Volkaert and Jeff Bradshaw.
Bryce Lewis delivers a screamingly splendid album that will surely capture your imagination and fill the musical void you never knew existed. Rewinding time and bringing you back to the origins of country music. This album is the absolute perfect addition to any music lover's record collection. Comparisons can certainly be drawn between legends like Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed and Bill Frisell.
Bryce Lewis was born into a farming and ranching family in southwest Saskatchewan. By the age of two, he was strumming along to Marty Stuart’s Hillbilly Rock album on his first guitar (a sheet of plywood cut in the shape of a guitar and strung with fishing line that his dad had made him). By age 11, he joined the Kyle Lutheran Church String Band as rhythm guitarist, where local guitarist Glenn Boyer introduced him to the “boom-chick” patterns of Luther Perkins. Through his teens he learned how to play by ear from his Uncle Pat. Bryce has been lucky to sit in for a song or two with Colter Wall and Tyler Childers as well as get a few lessons from his childhood hero, Redd Volkaert.
The incredible endless sunrises, sunsets, stunning cloud formations and life in the breadbasket of Canada are brought to life by Bryce’s craftsmanship disguised as the illusion of him simply stretching his fingers to begin the mesmerizing affair that’s waiting to unfold.
The album starts off with “Palliser Triangle” which comes across calmly and as softly as a whisper between two old friends. Bryce, using only his guitar, effortlessly paints fantastic portraits of wide open prairies, offering us brilliantly delicate brush strokes that are so colorful and vibrant, that you can actually hear the kaleidoscope of colors of the prairie sky with every refrain. This track, as well as the entire album, is dedicated to the prairies and to the people who work on them. “Palliser Triangle'' and “Plain To See Plainsman” aptly bookend Saskatchewan Country Guitar. Bryce Lewis’s fingers glide wonderfully across the guitar and perhaps more than any other two tracks on this album directly convey his appreciation and acknowledgement to the most welcoming people you'll ever meet within the land of living skies.
In my mind, I picture myself just waking up, sitting on a porch in the midst of the prairies watching a marvelously beautiful sunrise along with a delicious cup of Tim Hortons’ finest. Enjoying every sip, while each and every enthralling note of both the coffee and the music waft and linger in my thoughts and float across the sky.
Be prepared to adjust the volume if you got carried away and felt the urge to turn the dial up on the previous scenescape. Not a criticism, just an observation after listening multiple times across a few different mediums and speakers.
Suddenly and abruptly, the caffeine from our aforementioned coffee kicks in on “Rubic Ride” which starts off like a bull leaving the gates of hell as depicted on the the album jacket, which contains a picture of Bryce Lewis’s father, David Lewis, on the back of a massively enormous bull named Rubic. It’s a fast paced waltz with maybe a twist of western swing or swing beat blended in. This track seemingly mimics the thrill and swirl of the bull itself. Going in one direction, spinning, stopping and going the exact opposite direction. It keeps you on your toes and delights all around.
“Pickin Rocks” could be my favorite song on the A side of the album. It has a funky, cool theme and equally chill vibe. This melody sort of repeats and intensifies as the tempo continues to increase and increase as the song continues on. This tune is absolutely more fun and entertaining than the painstakingly monotonous work farmers have to endure to clear their fields of rocks so that they can plant and cultivate crops.
“Paw’s Mood” contains higher pitched notes and tones than other tracks. It almost replicates wind chimes on the aforementioned front porch. As the wind picks up speed across the prairie so, too, does the pace of the song which gets pleasantly faster and faster. I sense a contemplative mood neither happy or sad but deep in thought. Then an epiphany occurs as the tune happily races away and abruptly ends with a solution.
“Whoopi-Ti-Yi-Yo” is a well known cowboy song of which the movement is said to mimic the movement of a horse. For me it comes across gleeful and exciting, like it’s Friday, you just picked up your paycheck and maybe you have a date; all is right in the world. Nothing can change your mood and bring you down. The pedal steel guitar blossoms and shines on this track alternating primacy between guitars. For me, instead of pushing dogies across the prairie, I imagine songbirds singing and swapping stories of their journeys. That’s the wonderful thing about instrumental records: you can let your mind wander and see and hear the story that you have in your head. You probably won’t notice the faint cattle cry at the end. If you do, don't let facts ruin whatever story you develop for yourself.
“Khamenkule (Calm and Cool)” is a funky, groovy beat along with a cool, breezy melody. This tune provides a kind of nostalgic cabaret vibe. This one will have you grooving, moving and swaying to the tune. This track is seemingly reflective of where we started and what else is to come, reminding us to pace ourselves or more simply, the calm before the storm.
The B side is absolute fire. The brief respite is over and the storm has arrived and we are back at it full tilt. As the music accelerates to a breakneck pace starting with “Jackpot Weekend.', This, I believe, has another rodeo feel and this time, perhaps, it's the whole dang thing: calf roping, steer wrestling, bronc riding and a whole lot of rodeo calamity. This is a tremendously enjoyable ride that you don’t want to end.
“Artifice” is a fox scouting a henhouse or if a thief in the night had a tune - this could be it. I don’t know what cunning predators lurk across the prairies at night, but this is their theme song. Someone or something is up to no good and we have this fantastically, alluring and charming tune to keep us intrigued and curious as this mischievous song unfolds.
“Psychopomp Lament” is the only song with lyrics and is sung from the point of view of the Psychopomp, the guide of souls to the place of the dead. He’s moving souls to their final resting spot. “They called him, and he doesn’t care where you go.” The soul that he’s moving is 8 feet tall and apparently saved several miners. This has a booming driving baseline with a lot going on. You can feel the boatman making his way and steamy electric guitar and friends practically bringing the dead back to life. The sound is reminiscent of the Regina, Saskatchewan based folk-bluegrass ensemble The Dead South. It’s a quite alluring track that will certainly get a lot of play.
“Bob Lazar…Has a rocket powered bicycle.” The real Bob Lazar built a jet powered bicycle at the age of 16. He would later become mystical and claim that he was hired to reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology. In this track, I like to believe that he has figured out how to extract some of the alien technology, upgrade his bicycle with a rocket and is again off on a joyride. Maybe the aliens are chasing him trying to get something of theirs back. Who knows? It’s a marvelous whimsical journey that defies space and time that you never want to end. This song is enthralling and totally mind bendingly hip and will surely become a fan favorite. It’s certainly one of my favorites and makes me smile every time it plays.
“Plain To See Plainsman” is originally a Colter Wall song, but here Bryce has stripped away the words, sharing with us a crisp instrumental as open and beautiful as the country both he and Colter call home. The final song on the album sort of puts us right back where we started: back on our porch in the midst of the prairie. This time, instead of a sunrise, we are witnessing the perfect sunset and our cup now contains whiskey. In addition to hearing poetry in motion and witnessing firsthand the wind move across the endless oceans of grains, we reminisce about our day we had and how we can’t wait to do it all over again tomorrow. Endless possibilities abound.
This review clearly contains more words than the entire Saskatchewan Country Guitar album and that is perfectly fine with me; as less here is indeed more. This album is all around a spectacular treat and I am sure it will find a way into your heart as it did mine.
Find out more about Bryce at the links below:
