Bryce Lewis, Saskatchewan Country Guitar - Part I
I. Our upbringings paralleled eachothers'. Bryce Lewis and I began a collective pursuit. He brought the Saskatchewan Country Guitar.
It was an act of frustration and a tongue-in-cheek Hail Mary. A cancellation from a hired guitarist with a week's notice before a sold out Bullarama in the rural community of Grenfell, Saskatchewan. I posted to the socials, something to the extent of, Bullarama on Saturday, if you play the guitar, I will hire you.
In moments, the reply, "I play guitar".
A 23 year old, Long & McQuade employee from Saskatoon unable to rehearse but willing to take on the licks and leads for a forty song setlist. Further, unable to get off work for the day of the show and possibly late for the first set. I sent the songs over and let it ride.
He was 15 minutes away with 15 minutes until showtime. Parked and playing in seconds. No notes or cues, a Fender Squire Telecaster into a Dr. Z combo amp. The hooks were replicated with accuracy as he innovated the playing for his instrument. Steel played on guitar, fiddle played on guitar, banjo played on guitar. He laughed, "hard to do that without a b-bender". He not only carried that first performance, he dictated my sound for a decade to come.
Bryce Lewis; Kyle, Saskatchewan. An obsessively communal and supportive town filled with anomalies and lore. Excavations of wooly mammoth bones, a Stampede Wresting personality, and a relevant prairie history with the Matador Cooperative Farm - an agricultural co-operative on 10,000 acres of land donated by the provincial government midcentury. Also, home to the Lewis Family. Bryce, the eldest of four with a ranchy childhood and a wholesome passion for the electric guitar. Specifically, Saskatchewan Country Guitar.
Answering the call immediately out of high school for the weekly western jams of southern Alberta and into the bowels of Calgary, Bryce left Kyle to hone his craft. Finding his way back to Saskatchewan, still fresh off the farm, he responded to me via Twitter.
He proved himself an immediate equal. We had paralleled upbringings, responsibilities, and discipline. Now, farm kids pursuing art. From that first show we expressed what the other could not and became uncanny collaborators. Aligning our visions we formed The Vultures. Our intention - simply to make the other sound good.
Howdy Readers,
This begins my series on Bryce. We’ve been celebrating his debut release over on La Honda records for a few months now. In fact, my 2 year old routinely requests “pickin’ wocks by Byce, peas.” The new album sharing a title with this series; Bryce Lewis, Saskatchewan Country Guitar.
This piece drops in as a second storyline to my “Where Have All My Horses Gone?” series for paid subscribers. We brought ourselves to the formation of my band The Vultures, an outfit defined by Bryce and his approach to the guitar.
Thank you to all those who have upgraded to a subscription tier. You contribution directly goes to the release of my new album - a yearly subscription acting as a pre-sale for the upcoming vinyl. Shipping included.
Thanks crew,
BB