By Remi Watts
Listen: Calgary is full of terrific musicians. Recently I was privileged enough to catch a glimpse of one of these audio-inspired peoples, a folk-fellow calling himself “Pioneer.” The other day as I sat at my desk, minding the business of others, I was handed a rather strange looking CD– a black velvet case with glow-in-the-dark lettering and a guitar pick gracing the inside jacket– which I promptly put to spin.
After just a few minutes of listening I was hooked to the peaceful tremble of his voice and the melodic strum of his guitar. However, when quickly typed into Google, Pioneer was an enigma. Simply put, this review is the most information that currently exists regarding both the album and artist, Pioneer.
Listen: the album is marvelous, eight songs long, all covers and all filled with an intimacy and humility often missing from most music. Opening with Bob Dylan’s “Hard Rain,” peaking with “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and closing with the overly appropriate song “humility,” the album is much like a slow stroll through the recesses of a quaint and eclectic mind.
Listen: Pioneer, may be hard to find, but it’s definitely worth exploring if you can track it down.
..Remi Watts