Miles makes for enjoyable evening at The Crossing
Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Craig Bakay
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EMC News Lynn Miles is a pro.
Craig Bakay, Frontenac EMC
Lynn Miles rocked The Crossing in Sharbot Lake last Friday night with a second set that had a packed house calling for more.
That much was in evidence last Friday night as she and Keith Glass (of Prairie Oyster fame) overcame a bit of a slow start that culminated in a second set that was worth the price of admission on its own.
After an albeit slow start following dinner, Miles and Glass soon found their stride as they reeled off a string of Miles' own tunes that led to a 2003 Juno Award for Roots & Traditional solo album as well as several Canadian Folk Music awards (including best English songwriter, best contemporary singer).
"I like to be on stage and I love a roomful of people listening to my music," she said in an interview following the concert.
Originally from Sweetsburg, Que. (just outside of Montreal), Miles has recently returned to Canada to live in the Ottawa area after many years in the U.S. with stints in Nashville, Austin and Los Angeles.
"I had a publishing deal for seven years," she said. "But the record business has changed and musicians living in the States don't get health care like we do here."
So, she's back home. She still plays in the States and returned last October from a tour of Europe. But she still likes Canada and would like to see things pick up here.
"I have an agent who does the bookings for me, but if somebody wants me to play for them, I will," she said. "This is a good room with good sound and the owners have been excellent."
Unfortunately, there aren't that many places like the Sharbot Lake Country Inn for performers like her to play.
"I think we've devalued music from where it has been in the past," she said. "I think about how hard it is to get here and how much we need more venues."
Still, despite an "aging demographic" of fans and sparse venues, she soldiers on, continuing to perform and write the kind of music she's been so successful with over her career.
"Sad songs matter the most," she said. "They're about people examining their life.
"And I'm drawn to the expression of life."
By the way, Glass said he's been in contact with his bandmates in Prairie Oyster and predicts a reunion tour possibly this summer.
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