Vancouver-based actor and acclaimed blues musician Jim Byrnes said he鈥檚 looking forward to performing in the 鈥淗all of the Mountain King鈥� on Saturday. It鈥檚 a Tolkein-esque reference to the Brackendale Art Gallery and its infamous and bearded owner, Thor Froslev.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always great to see Thor,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 always love to play the Brackendale Art Gallery, because it鈥檚 fun to be in such an intimate setting and be able to tell stories and connect with the audience.鈥�
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Byrnes moved to Vancouver in the 1970s and during his long career has starred in hit TV shows like Highlander: The Series and Wiseguys, and he even had his own short-lived series, aptly called The Jim Byrnes Show. He鈥檚 also provided voices for popular cartoons like Beast Wars: Transformers, X-Men: Evolution and Dinosaur Train, among others.
As a musician, he鈥檚 released 10 solo albums and earned numerous accolades, including Juno Awards three times for Blues Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year at both the Maple Blues Awards and Canadian Folk Music Awards.
He鈥檚 also shared the stage with legendary blues greats from Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker to Taj Mahal and Robert Cray.
鈥淢usic is what I am doing mainly these days,鈥� he said. 鈥淗owever, I鈥檓 still going to auditions, and doing some narration for my daughter 鈥� who is a filmmaker 鈥� and for Knowledge Network. I鈥檓 keeping pretty busy, but picking and choosing what I do.鈥�
According to his website, Byrnes keeps his schedule full by performing some 150 shows a year across North America and Europe.
鈥淚鈥檓 also starting to put together stuff for a new album,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all still a work in progress, though. My albums tend to have a theme, so I am working on that. My producer recently moved to Nashville, so I鈥檝e been doing a lot of emailing back and forth with him.鈥�
But once he鈥檚 ready to record, Byrnes said it doesn鈥檛 take long to make a record.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not like a lot of rock bands that take years to make a record,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e go in and play live off the floor. The last album, we did it all in four days. But right now, we鈥檙e assembling the raw material.鈥�
He said he鈥檚 always honoured by the awards his music receives, but never goes into the studio thinking about winning another Juno.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 do it for awards,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 do it for the music. The awards are the icing on the cake. But, when we go into the studio, I always just want to do something that鈥檚 better than the previous album.鈥�
In Brackendale this weekend, 鈥淚鈥檒l be playing a good mix of blues, as well as some country,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 guarantee you won鈥檛 be disappointed.鈥�
Byrnes plays BAG on Saturday (April 11) at 8 p.m. and tickets are available at the art gallery. For more on Byrnes, go to .
