Cast a long shadow

>> Local troubadour Rob Lutes strives to build momentum beyond our borders

KEEPING THE TAP RUNNING: Rob Lutes

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

On his recent third release, Ride the Shadows, local musician Rob Lutes wears the loose-fitting mantle of rootsy Americana, plucking what he needs from such disparate sources as Stax soul and gospel on “I Will Stand By You” or his take on the classic “That’s How Strong My Love Is,” and bringing some folky blues to “Throw Me From This Train.” In the overcrowded field of roots-inspired music, though, the singer-songwriter is only as good as the stories he’s telling, and in this respect, Lutes proves to be an expert.

“I’ve tried writing songs as more of a day-to-day thing,” says Lutes, “and it’s definitely good to keep the tap running, but I find most of what I write using that method turns out to be shit. I think you have to start writing when the inspiration hits, and then the work part kicks in when you have to finish it. The real secret is, when you feel you are 80 per cent done, then you’re done, because after that, you are over-thinking it and being overly critical.”

Although Ride the Shadows has Lutes backed by a full-fledged band, he has recently returned to where he once came from and is now performing in a duo setting, backed by the gentle plucking of guitarist Rob MacDonald. “There is definitely a sense of freedom to playing in a duo, compared to playing with a band. Rob and I have been playing together since ’97 and we’ve just developed this musical communication between the two of us. I really love the luxury of having a band, but the duo context can be really liberating.”

Although the resources have greatly improved for a Canadian roots artist, with more and more festivals springing up and a marked increase in fans of the genre, most Canadian artists that want their talents fully appreciated must continue to look to the U.S. and over the pond—the exploding market in Europe is just now embracing roots music. Lutes definitely seems to be opening all the right doors, having just returned from a successful tour of Europe and more recently inking a European deal with one of the genre’s biggest labels, Rounder.

“I have had a lot of great people help me here in Canada, and there’s a great audience here for this kind of music, but the U.S. continues to be such a huge market that it would be crazy to ignore it. It’s not easy to just hit the U.S. because it’s actually way easier touring Europe. Crossing the border into the U.S. as a musician is brutal and sadly just getting worse. Things are going great for me in Europe now, but you really need a good agent and record label established in the U.S. to circumvent the bullshit, and that’s the next goal for me.

“Everybody is struggling to make decent money in this genre and the truth of it is, you have to just tour and tour the U.S relentlessly. It’s really back to that grassroots feeling again, and that’s just fine with me.”

At Centre St-Ambroise with
Scott MacLeod tonight, Thursday,
March 27, and Scott Normandy on
Friday, March 28, both shows
8 p.m., sold out