Folk Fest headliner Orville Peck rides the sierra high concept on Bronco

Content of the article

Bronco is the pop-country crooner’s third and final title Orville Peck’s stable of recordings. In keeping with this three-part model, the 15-song set on Columbia/Sub Pop was rolled out in three chapters, with the finale returning in April. Currently touring in support of this new music, Peck is the Friday night headliner of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Content of the article

Bronco’s first chapter featured four tracks – Outta Time, Any Turn, C’mon Baby, Cry and Daytona Sand – this final track was a mini-movie for the mysterious masked musician.

As he wanders through reminiscences of brutal drinking and risky actions, the narrator addresses a tall blond man. He wants him to take him home, both to Mississippi and to much more personal areas. Since bursting onto the scene with the first Pony in 2019 and building on that success with the Show Pony Ep 2020, Peck has always shown a cinematic touch.

Doing your own stunts and acting is part of the package.

Raised in South Africa, he was trained as a dancer and actor, while playing, « literally anything you do under the sun – cricket, rugby, football, swimming, tennis, athletics ». This movement-based fitness staple has come in handy now that it’s projecting its presence everywhere, from the Coachella stage and the opening of Harry Styles in Madison Square Garden to designer Michael Kors’ 2020 runway show.

Content of the article

He likes to combine past practices with current performance to make music videos with frequent director Austen Peters.

Semi-trailer surf

« Doing the Daytona Sand video was the most amazing experience ever, » says Peck. « We flew to Miami and did all the filming in three days, where I got to ride atop an 18-wheeler, do a Midnight Cowboy moment in South Beach, hit one of the famous dive bars in the area and more. No one thought we’d ever be allowed to ride a truck through downtown Miami, but somehow it happened. When I was 14 and imagining what a music video for a superhero or a rock star would be like, that was it.

Bronco trots out a set of songs that range from road-weary odes like Lafayette and introspective revelations like Trample Out the Days to deeply testimonial ballads like Let Me Drown. It is by far the most developed and personal material of his to date. There are obvious reasons for this, he explains.

Content of the article

« After the pandemic hit and my tour was canceled and everything stopped, I fell into the craziest, deepest depression of my life, the most unhappy I’ve ever been, » he said. « My personal life was in shambles, my professional life was shrouded in uncertainty and I was completely lost for a long time. Then I made a big change and started my life over in many ways, including m committing to waking up every morning 24/7 and doing demos seven hours a day as a day job, and it was completely cathartic.

While Pony was written for him and about finding his identity, and Show Pony was written for the first time for an audience, he believes Bronco represents a fully present representation of his unique brand of country music. He may still be the masked singer, but what’s in the grooves for fans are bits of the man in song-length portions.

Content of the article

Unique country music brand

“Every song is so deeply, incredibly spiritual to me, unrestrained and not giving what other people think,” he says. “It’s an album full of stories, which is why we chose to unfold it in a series of chapters like an old-school album release. Music is so disposable and fast these days, that way people could sit with the songs for a while, get to know them and find out which ones they like.

It’s a smart plan, because Peck doesn’t write instantly digestible ditties.

As a gay artist in a genre not renowned for his acts, there were challenges early in his career that have largely been let go with wider acceptance. The landscape and his confidence are entirely different now. He says he never saw his diary compare notes on designer duds with Lil Nas X backstage at the Grammys, but those around him did.

Content of the article

« I always joke that the only thing I wanted to achieve with this project was to release Pony, everything that followed was icing on the cake, I made it up as I went along, » he says. . « But someone told me recently that maybe I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m ready to accept it. It wasn’t calculated at a time when I knew I could succeed – luck plays such a big role – but success is wonderfully surprising and continues to bring more opportunity.

While the solo act is something new, the muscle memory acquired over years of touring in musical theatre, modeling and playing in Vancouver-area punk bands has proven key to landing gigs. subsequent gigs ranging from being a face of Beyoncé’s clothing line and representing Western couture by Mounted on rock to appear in the hit series Euphoria and more.

« It wasn’t until I was 30 that I realized I could do all those things I used to try and pursue separately to all work together in my own way, » he said. “Acting, dancing, music, my love of storytelling, film and fashion are all part of this well-rounded general training as a performer. You have to move on, you know.

That’s exactly what he’s doing this summer, touring with his hand-picked longtime backing band to perform everywhere, including Edmonton’s beloved folk festival.

sderdeyn@postmedia.com

twitter.com/stuartderdeyn