With three EPs and two full albums already under his belt, The Ballad of Losing You is Zachary Lucky’s return to the music scene. Kicking off his latest Canadian tour with his sixth album’s release in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Lucky assures his fans that, “This album isn’t a break-up record.”
Following the release of his second full-length album, Saskatchewan, in 2012, The Ballad of Losing You shows Lucky’s evolution to a more matured sound, with subtle lyric differences between this latest album and past albums. “This album feels more legitimate… I’m much happier with the songs; they feel natural, honest and organic. It’s my favourite record so far.” Some of his track recommendations from the album include “Woke Up,” “Salty Air” and “Morning Words.”
After spending the majority of his adult life listening to older English folk artists including Shirley Collins and Anne Briggs, he was naturally drawn to an acoustic guitar-based sound. As many of his tracks on this latest album are ballads, written around the theme of losing someone, the title of the album “fit right.” This album meets the intent of marrying the English and American styles of folk music and having a happy medium between them. He lists artists such as Townes Van Zandt, a folk country artist from Texas, and Fairport Convention as his main influences for his acoustic English country folk musical style. He also notes that Ryan Boldt from Deep Dark Woods, a Saskatoon alternative country band, was a major influence in finding his way into the English folk genre.
Originally listed as “a break-up record on the surface level,” Lucky said, “The Ballad of Losing You is not really about being heartbroken. It’s more about loss and losing someone or something, which is a common human experience. If you can’t relate to that, it’s kind of crazy.” His inspiration for this album was fueled by his experiences, but it’s not all directly related to his personal life. “There’s a lot more to this album than just a bunch of sad songs. It’s about being honest and real and storytelling through music.”
When asked about what he was looking forward to this time around, when he plays at The Copper Owl in Victoria Sept. 26, he said,” Every night and room has different atmosphere. I look forward to interactions with the audience.” He also went on to talk about his future plans: heading towards the east coast after his performance in Victoria, for another 65 or so shows in his tour across Canada.
His final parting words for readers? “Make sure you do what you love; life is too short just to be working for a paycheque or pension. Music used to be an unrealistic dream for me… and now here I am, on another tour. I just take everything in day-by-day, to be honest. If you really want to do something, and it’s worth all the sacrifices, just do it.”
Zachary Lucky @ The Copper Owl (1900 Douglas Street)
Thursday, Sept. 26, 9 p.m.
$10 at the door
