Steph Cameron

A bracing gust of fresh musical air

Steph Cameron (SK)

Steph Cameron arrived on the scene like a bracing gust of fresh musical air when her 2014debut recording ,“Sad-Eyed Lonesome Lady”, received unanimously enthusiastic reviews and Polaris Prize consideration. And with her latest, “Day Break Over Jackson Street (2017), the buzz just continues to grow, both here and now abroad. 

Why has this young singer-songwriter created such enthusiasm, you might well ask?

Steph is a storytelling songwriter who, without gimmicks or hoopla, captivates with songs of love, loss, and finding joy when times are tough. She draws on her often turbulent experience as a nomadic, singing-for-her- supper busker, and time spent as a support worker and advocate in the Downtown Eastside for her stories. “[The Downtown Eastside] is a community that is defined by the struggles that it faces, but it also has a very creative spirit and it takes care of its own. I felt very inspired by that neighbourhood,” she says.

Some of her songs are influenced by the political context of our everyday lives – but what rings true in her poetry is her understanding and empathy for the human condition.Cameron claims,“I have always felt an affinity for music that comes from the street or other places of conflict. [I have] respect for music that admires the resourcefulness of struggling people and demonstrates a distrust for authority.”

She spent years in the underground punk and hip hop scenes, but it’s working in the folk and old country music traditions – her sound reminiscent of folk the troubadour stylings of the 60’s and 70’s – that she’s found her voice.

This July, with that evocative voice and fluent guitar, Steph will share her sometimes difficult, yet beautifully compelling stories with us.

 

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