Joey Wright can almost guarantee that he'll have a better second experience at the Living Room this coming Saturday (Nov. 19).
Last spring, Wright attended a funeral hosted by the establishment and he expects a much more lively crowd when his Western Canadian musical tour comes to Squamish.
"It's a little odd that it's happening there," Wright said. "But I think anywhere can be a good venue."
A scheduling snafu saw Wright's show, originally planned at the Brackendale Art Gallery, have to be moved and the Living Room stepped up to the plate. Wright will host the venue's very first musical show.
"I like the idea of being the first act ever there," Wright said. "Maybe I'll be a trailblazer; maybe it'll become the new place to play."
Wright, who grew up in Toronto, has released four albums in his career and has received rave reviews for his work. In 2006, Wright was nominated for a Juno for his sophomore album Jalopy in the Instrumental Album of the Year category.
He said his music is a mixture of several different styles.
"I stated out playing a lot of bluegrass music and as a sideman to some bigger acts," he said. "I played bluegrass for a while in Toronto and my music draws on a lot of that stuff. I also have a jazz background and my sound is sort of a mix of all those things together."
Wright said that his sound has evolved throughout his career.
"I did a lot of co-writing and was into instrumental composition for a while early in my career," he said. "But that went dry and I moved towards songwriting, which is something I think I've gotten better at over the years. I've definitely gotten better as a performer."
According to Wright, songwriting can be a rewarding process.
"It's about distilling ideas down to the prime intent," he said. "Creativity livens the intent and that's really what I've been into as far as songwriting goes."
After a successful tour last year, Wright will return to Calgary, Vancouver, Squamish, Pemberton and Vancouver Island on this tour. He said he looks forward to hitting the stage at the Living Room.
"There will be around two hours of music," he said. "The set up is drums, bass, two guitars, violin player and a mandolin. We'll be starting off with stuff from my last record - Hatch - but there will definitely be some newer stuff too."
Wright will hit the stage on Saturday at 9 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at the Living Room for $15. Event organizer Cam Salay recommends calling the Living Room at (604) 815-0999 beforehand to reserve a spot for the show.
For more information on Wright, visit www.joeywright.ca.
