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Ontario performer brings luck to Foothills

Those lucky enough to take in an intimate concert in a Black Diamond café will hear stories about Canadian places and people by a master storyteller.
Ontario country and folk singer Zachary Lucky will perform at The Westwood in Black Diamond Oct. 6 at 8 p.m.
Ontario country and folk singer Zachary Lucky will perform at The Westwood in Black Diamond Oct. 6 at 8 p.m.

Those lucky enough to take in an intimate concert in a Black Diamond café will hear stories about Canadian places and people by a master storyteller.

Old-school country and folk singer/songwriter Zachary Lucky is returning west to promote his 2016 nine-track album Everywhere a Man Can Be, which last month was nominated for the Canadian Folk Music Award.

Lucky has toured the country multiple times since the album’s release, hitting large cities along the way.

Deciding it was time to think smaller, Lucky scheduled a string of intimate duo performances in smaller communities with pedal steel guitar player Ian Cameron of Regina.

“I really wanted to try and bring these songs to a more intimate setting and smaller shows around Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. and hit some places you don’t always get to hit like Black Diamond,” he said. “The kind of music I make, a lot of it is story songs and when you’re in the smaller settings a lot of time it gives you a chance to really delve into those stories and connect with audience members. In these smaller venues there is a lot of interaction between the audience and the artists. It often makes for a really nice evening.”

Lucky will perform at The Westwood Oct. 6 at 8 p.m.

The Ontario performer has roots in the west. He grew up in Saskatoon, where he got his start in music.

“When I started playing music, I dabbled in a whole bunch of different genres and styles of bands,” he said. “It took me quite a while to figure out where I felt comfortable. I’m not going to pigeonhole and write just country or folk, I’m going to be true to myself and hopefully that means putting out material that people enjoy listening to.”

Finding a captive audience was no problem for Lucky, who considers himself and other musicians like him small fish in a big pond.

“There is a lot of interesting small towns in Ontario,” he said. “There’s a lot of space between Ontario and Ottawa and a lot of people who are interested in music as well.”

Yet every once in a while, Lucky yearns for home.

“I come out west usually twice a year and tour around Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.,” he said “That’s where I learned how to do it and a lot of audiences that’s into what I’m doing are still out there.”

Lucky’s visit to The Westwood this weekend will be his first performance in Black Diamond, and he’s eager to share his stories with a small group.

“There is as lot of traveling songs inspired by my time on the road, Canadian stories about selling the family farm and doing what you have to do to get by in the prairies,” he said. “I’m inspired a lot by the road, family and friends. I often look to things immediately around me for inspiration.”

Lucky’s husky, baritone voice, combined with his skills on the guitar and Cameron on pedal steel will offer a night of entertainment, he said.

“The pedal steel is one of the most diverse instruments,” said Lucky. “It can sound super loud and gnarly like the blues guitar or it can be so soft and subtle. It can create a whole lot of feeling with very little effort. It’s a complicated instrument.”

Once in a while, Lucky mixes in the odd cover song, paying tribute to some lesser-known singers that aren’t played on the radio daily.

“Very often when we do cover songs it’s material people haven’t heard to introduce people to artists we like, like Canadian artist Scott Nolan,” he said.

Tickets to see Lucky perform cost $20 and can be purchased at The Westwood.

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