Singer-songwriter David Myles has a warm place in his heart for the foothills area. Back in 2005 — the year he got his start in music — Myles was a finalist in a songwriting competition in Turner Valley hoping for the big prize of a trip to Nashville.

Haligonian soul musician David Myles plays a concert at the Bragg Creek Centre on Saturday, Feb. 6. Tickets are $32 and dinner can be ordered a la carte.

He didn’t win the trip, but he did win a black fleece vest that says Turner Valley Lodge Renegades on the back.

Myles has turned his Renegades vest into three albums and won best folk recording of 2009 from the East Coast Music Association and plenty more music awards and songwriting competitions.

On Saturday Myles is coming through the foothills again, this time with two of his band mates to play a dinner concert at the Bragg Creek Centre featuring original songs sprinkled with jazz, soul and R&B influences.

As a singer-songwriter, Myles’ music often gets classified as folk music. However, he has lived on a steady stream of music by black musicians, such as Sam Cooke and Ray Charles.

“My music doesn’t sound like folk music to most people. But I write lyrics in a way that I hope are easy to relate to, in the way folk music does — songs that resonate with average people — but it’s coming from a person who never listens to folk music,” said Myles. “My music has a little bit more of a romantic element or a soul element to it.”

Myles will release his fourth album called Turn Time Off in April. The album is being produced by fellow Haligonian Joel Plaskett and features a good dose of love songs.

“I write a lot of love songs, especially the new songs,” said Myles. “I got married a year and a half ago, so there is a lot of love in my life.”

Songwriting comes from his heart, but there are other topics bouncing around in his heart. A song that won three songwriting competitions is one called “When It Comes My Turn”, which is about growing old.

“If I had a hit, in my world of not having hits, that’s it,” said Myles. “That song is an entry point for people to get to know my music.”

Songwriting competitions have helped push Myles further in his career. He is now at the point where he is earning a living with his music — five years since the Road to Nashville competition at Renegades on his 24^th birthday.

“The prize was to go down to Nashville and work with a songwriter and I won the first round. It was the most exciting thing ever and then a horse — literally a horse — a guy on a horse came into the bar to get a drink. That was the most exciting birthday of my life,” said Myles.

Upright bass player Kyle Cunjak and drummer Josh Van Tassell will join David Myles onstage by for the Bragg Creek Performing Arts Spotlight Series on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Dinner will be served a la carte at 6:30 p.m. and guests are welcome to enjoy the whole meal prepared by volunteers or just dessert and drinks if they wish. David Myles’ performance begins at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the show are $32 and dinner is ordered separately. For more information or to reserve tickets call 403-949-4114.

tneely@ookotoks.greatwest.ca

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