With the promotion of his newest record “Turn Time Off” in full swing, Fredericton native David Myles is logging more than a few frequent traveller points on his credit cards these days. In the past two weeks alone, Myles has played shows in the United Kingdom, opened two shows for legendary folk-rocker John Hiatt in Southern Ontario and is getting set for his Saturday July 24 performance at Moncton City Hall as a part of the Mosaiq Concert Series, in conjunction with the IAAF.
Steeped in romantic pop as much as it is a folk record, “Turn Time Off” shifts seamlessly between many genres rather than being tied down exclusively to any one of them. An even bigger feat to pull off is making such a record sound coherent (which Myles does rather well) as opposed to a merely slapping a collection of songs together. The personable Myles is looking forward to returning to the Hub City for his show on Saturday, especially after his successful April performance at the Capitol’s Empress Theatre.
“I love playing in Moncton and I’m not just saying that!” Myles laughs from down the phone line. “Prior to my show at the Empress in April, I had played the Capitol Theatre on a couple of occasions as a part of bigger shows but my show at the Empress really took the cake. If I could have recorded any of the shows from around that time, it would have been the Empress show for sure. It’s a great venue and a great setting for what I do. Plus the techs on staff are fantastic and really know their stuff.”
The enthusiasm Myles feels for his Empress show continues to hold a special place within Myles’ memory to this day. Not only was the crowd extremely receptive to his work, but the audience present that evening was treated to material featured on all three of the singer’s records instead of focusing solely on the material featured on “Turn Time Off”.
While it is practically unfathomable that he would encounter audience disdain to his songs no matter where he plays, Myles admits that he loves the challenge of having to win an audience over.
The major opportunity to win over fans of the well-respected artist like John Hiatt wasn’t lost on Myles. He admits that he wasn’t quite sure what he would be getting into when he agreed to the shows, especially in light of the fact that he was performing in large country-music styled bars (not quite the usual venue for Myles) and was playing the shows solo as opposed to the trio he is accustomed to performing with.
“I love those types of shows where people have no idea who you are and might not care about you. I find those types of shows end up being entertainment in their purest form.
“The Hiatt shows specifically gave me the opportunity to play to an audience that would be different from my own. It’s almost like song writing speed-dating,” he laughs. “People tend to make up their mind very quickly as to what they like and what they don’t like.”
Speaking of “song writing speed-dating”, Myles recent trip to the UK was for, believe it or not, one show. And though he will be the first to admit that it is a long way to travel for one show, Myles had been invited to perform for the Rural Touring Association of the UK, an association widely influential in helping artists secure potential months of touring work throughout the country. Myles says that he is already starting to see the fruits of his overseas trip pay off and will be heading over for a slew of shows in the fall, including a run of several shows with Squeeze founder Jools Holland.
“Those shows with Jools are going to be especially excellent as we are going to be playing to thousands of people each night,” Myles gushes.
With his down-to-earth mind frame and obvious positive attitude, winning over future fans shouldn’t be an issue for the Fredericton native. Whether or not Canadians are willing to share such an extraordinary talent with the world is another story altogether. Truthfully, I don’t think that you can blame us for wanting to keep someone so good for ourselves.
Article published in July 20, 2010 edition of the Times & Transcript