It’s no secret that Adrian Nation has a love for Canada, especially our fair province.
The 30-year English singer-songwriter is playing Legacy Guitar and Coffee House on Nov. 13 as part of his exclusively Albertan tour.
Folks may recognize Nation from airtime on Edmonton’s CKUA Radio, introducing him to many listeners. But it’s his list of influences, collaborations and straight out passion for Canada’s musicians that really set him apart from other artists from around the globe.
The Eagle chatted with Nation via email about his aspirations to play our country, having a low boredom threshold, and the value of combining talent and determination.
Eagle: You said “I have dreamed of going to Canada to play since I was 16. It’s a dream come true.” What was it about Canada that sparked that?
Nation: When I was first learning to play guitar I met a couple of guys who were a duo called Private Property and played locally to me. One half of that duo was Michael Bennett and was from Toronto. He was such a great songwriter and certainly to my young ears the ‘real deal’. His music really meant something and I spent as much time with him as I could including a trip to a Netherlands songwriting festival but it was also the pride he held in his homeland that was so inspiring. Michael returned to Canada some years later and in fact still plays in and around Toronto under the name The Wordman of Alcatraz!
On top of that he introduced me to the music of Bruce Cockburn which opened a whole new view of the world and made Canada seem even more appealing.
Eagle: You credit quite a number Canadian of artists as influences – Gordon Lightfoot, Colin Linden, Bruce Cockburn, Stephen Fearing, etc. Who has had the most impact on you in a Canadian context?
Nation: Without a doubt it has been Bruce Cockburn and he was really the catalyst for finding all the others. Some years ago, a band I’d not heard of, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, were brought over to England for the first time by a promoter I know. When I saw the tour dates and the names of the band members, Colin Linden, I instantly recognized as the player on and producer of several Cockburn albums. When I also noticed they were playing at a venue I had also played, I contacted the venue owner and was delighted that he agreed I could open the night for BARK. That night I met Stephen Fearing for the first time, our friendship cemented by my mending a broken string for him during their set!
Stephen and I have remained firm friends and gigged together just a couple of weeks ago during his UK tour.
Colin also kindly agreed to play on one of the tracks of my second album Fall or Fly, adding some wonderful slide guitar to my Heart Beats On.
Eagle: Thanks for making Alberta the mainstay of your tour. What was behind touring exclusively in our province?
Nation: Two words....Andy Donnelly!
During a conversation in the summer of 2014 with Stephen Fearing I asked him how I was going to enter the Canadian scene. Stephen suggested I send my most recent album, which was live and solo, to the CKUA Radio station and address one copy to Andy Donnelly. I did exactly that and wrote a covering letter. Less than a week went by before I received an email from Andy to say he had been playing my CD in his car all day and he was going to feature it on the Celtic Show that coming Friday. Not only did he feature several songs from the albums that night, we also did a live Facebook interaction with the show. It was so much fun and due to the time difference I was awake till 4 a.m. answering all the questions being fired over from the listeners. That was the start of what has become a very fine working relationship between myself and Andy who has booked, promoted and is managing the tour for which I can’t thank him enough. He clearly knows the scene as well as anyone and I was more than happy to follow his advice for making this first tour solely in Alberta with plans to expand in subsequent visits.
Eagle: You seem to be quite the Renaissance Man – musician, guitar crafter, carpenter, rugby coach, climber, etc. In what way does having such a diverse range of passion inform your music, if it does?
Nation: I have always strived to write music and songs that are born through experience rather than imagination. There have been songs over the years that have had a dramatic effect on me, even changed my world view in some cases and those songs are generally ones that are about real situations rather than imagined stories, not that there is anything wrong with imagination of course, but they are the songs that have had the most effect. So spending time and energy involved in diverse pursuits with diverse people in diverse places has broadened my experience and given me more to write from. You could also say I may well have a low boredom threshold of course!
Eagle: “Some folks have told me I’m talented, I tend to think that it’s more a question of determination than talent.” Can you unpack that statement, and what that means for up-and-coming musicians?
Nation: I see talent as a starting point. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t invest it with passion, patience and tenacity, it remains where it is and doesn’t grow. If you’re looking to play the ‘long game’ then talent will get you going but it’s passion that will keep you moving. It is nearly 30 years since I first dreamt of heading to Canada to follow in the footsteps of some of my heroes and my desire in all that time has never diminished.
Catch Nation’s show Nov. 13 at Legacy. Tickets are $20 and can be bought at adriannation.zoobis.com
