Jonathan Churcher
In rehearsal at the Banff Centre, Banff Alberta, with Catherine Thompson.
“During his residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts, Jonathan’s songs, performances, and stage presence never failed to move those lucky enough to be there to listen and to see.”
Jonathan performs as a ‘singer-songwriter”, and until November 14, 2016 (when he moved to Vancouver Island) he was likely to be seen in various venues in Yellowknife as a singer/songwriter and as a side musician on harmonica, bass, and soprano sax. For the past nine years, he has been working hard to reclaim his inner musician after decades of sluggishness bordering on dormancy. He infuses his story-based songs with insight, emotion, and humor. Most of Jonathan’s tunes reflect his deep interest in and love for the land and people of the Northwest Territories.
Jonathan moved to Yellowknife in early 20018, having settled there after a decade of travel that took him to the Northwest Territories communities of Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, Tulita, and Yellowknife, and further jaunts to Vancouver Island, Mississippi, Hawaii, Georgia, Florida, and Nova Scotia.
On his first CD (Acasta Island, 2011) he sings in English and French and plays harmonica, guitar, keys, and bass guitar. The tracks vary in style and instrumentation, although the overall genre is “folk-rock”. One piece is an arrangement of naturally occurring sounds (noise?) captured in Yellowknife and another tune, The Troubadour’s Prophecy, is a medieval-type melody with Celtic Harp accompaniment. It’s about climate change in the Western Arctic.
The tunes of his second CD (Rock Walker Blues, 2015) continue to explore the themes of climate change and the stories of the people of the NWT. Both CDs available at: www.CDbaby.com.
jonathanchurcher.com 