Saturday, February 8 PM (7:30 door): Neil Bjorklund and Friends, an evening of original Folk. Neil was the frontman for the popular band Flying Canoe in the 90’s, and has been a singer and songwriter in Eugene for more than 20 years. https://www.neilbjorklund.com/about-us/ . Musicians joining Neil include Laura Kemp, Dana Abel (Misty River), Megan Bassett (Sugarbeets), Matt Keenan (Sugarbeets), Scott Altenhoff (Monroe Street), Austin Bowles (Concrete Loveseat), and Beau Eastlund (Sugarbeets).
“James Taylor with edge...” is how one listener described Neil’s sound on his first recording “Flying Canoe”. His voice invites the comparison with JT—rich, clear, and emotional. His songwriting has been compared to that of John Gorka and David Wilcox, for its poetic quality and strong, accessible melodies. Musically, Neil grew up doing time with electric garage bands and acoustic folk bands in the ‘70s. In the 80’s he sang and played guitar, fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle and accordion with a traditional Celtic band in the St. Paul, Minnesota, a hotbed of traditional Irish music. In 1994, an epic adventure to Africa in the 90’s deeply awoke his muse, and original songs began pouring out. To share his new songs with local audiences, he joined forces with Alli Bach to from what later became the popular folk-rock band Flying Canoe, sharing his music with a broad audience in live performances and on public and college radio stations throughout the US, Europe and Australia. Audiences connected with his heartfelt lyrics and memorable melodies, leading to sold-out shows across Oregon. As reviewer Jule Wind of The Register-Guard wrote, his songs are "easy to listen to again and again."
After several years of touring locally, the members of Flying Canoe went their separate ways, and Björklund turned to focus on his career as a solo artist. Again, it was an adventure that awoke his muse, this time a long wilderness rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. A slew of new songs was birthed after that journey through the ancient stone walls of the canyon, forming the nucleus of his second recording “Light and Darkness,” which was released in 2012. Neil joined forces with a stellar crew of Eugene musicians, including Megan Bassett and Matt Keenan of the Sugarbeets, Austin Bowles and Beau Eastlund of Concrete Loveseat, and Eugene singer Jenny Getty to form the “Bodacious Band,” sharing the song from Light and Darkness in venues in and around Eugene, Oregon. Now, after a long break to complete his career as a habitat conservation planner and park planning manager for the City of Eugene,
Neil is coming back to the stage now for another round of connecting with music lovers and diehard fans from his earlier incarnations. He comes to Tsunami Books with many of his musical pals of the past, including Megan Bassett (vocals), Matt Keenan (bass), Austin Bowles (keyboard), Beau Eastlund (drum kit), Scotty Altenhoff (hand percussion) and Dana Abel (vocals and accordion).
(tix $10-20 Now on Sale; drop by the store or call 541-345-8986 to reserve)
