Who: Jeremy Fisher
What: Paralympic logo launch
When: Saturday, Sept. 16, 3 p.m.
Where: Whistler Golf Course Driving Range
Admission: Free
Listening to tracks from Sony/BMG recording artist Jeremy Fisher’s new album Let It Shine , a sense of idealism plays out in songs romancing high school days and standing up for what you believe in.
Fall for Anything offers sentimental big thoughts on life, drawing on the words of his grandmother, "If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything". Hopeful, Fisher’s voice reaches inside of you and pulls out thoughts that roll out of the vivid imagery produced by his lyrics.
Tangible enough to relate to, but abstract enough not to spell it all out for the listener, Fisher’s acoustic-driven folk with pop sensibilities search to make sense of the world.
But don’t let the complex music grounded in mind stirring lyrics fool you into believing the Vancouver/Victoria musician is as serious as his thick, often knit eyebrows. Listen closely for the jokes hidden in the dark corners of his music or better yet, cruise onto www.therealjeremyfisher.com to check out his real "tee vee" segment of him spinning around with a camera until dizziness stomps him on the floor. Or even better, read up on his favourite music flavour of the week at www.myspace.com/jeremyfisher , where he touts an accordion-playing klezmer punk from East Vancouver.
"He may never be popular because the kids don’t like the accordion that much," Fisher laughs of Geoff Berner, who keeps stage company with Billy Brag. "But he has this plainspoken way of finding emotional truths in stories… Clown and Bard is the first song in a long time that made me cry. Not because it was a sad story. It was just the beauty of the simple poetry in there… He has this ability to make people laugh and cry all in the same song. To be able to manipulate people into that range of emotion is a great gift. That is where I find inspiration."
With song titles such as We All Gotta Be a Prostitute humour knits with social commentary. Something Fisher will further run with in his new acoustic-driven album just getting underway now.
With a new decade – three to be exact – comes a new mark of change for Fisher, a more realistic one and a departure from his idealistic 20s.
"One thing I stopped doing was taking in so much media, watching TV news and the things that go on in the world that I can’t actually change," he reflects. "So now I concentrate on things that I can change in my immediate life. I have a more realistic approach to life. In a way it manifests in my songwriting. I tend to look at things as a global issue and find the personal issue in it. Some of my new songs, a lot of it is influenced by the global political climate. I picked out stories of individuals and told them from my own perspective. I am kind of drawn to the love stories. I don’t mean the Celine Dion I-will-love-you-forever songs."
Finding the personal in the global was something Fisher had right from the start. To promote his indie debut album Back Porch Spirituals , he toured across Canada, clocking in 7,500 km on his bicycle over six months. The One Less Tourbus tour also raised funds for buying bikes for people in Africa.
Fisher is one of many incredible Canadian talents who will be performing at a free concert Saturday, Sept. 16 to celebrate the Paralympic movement and the unveiling of the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games emblem. Other stars sharing the stage include three-time Juno-Award winner Chantal Kreviazuk, The Philosopher Kings, Spirit of the West and Juno-Award winner Jim Byrnes. The free outdoor concert and emblem unveiling begins at 3 p.m. at the Whistler Golf Course Driving Range.
