By Spencer Sterritt

Folk singer Scott Cook brings P.A.’s music scene up from the underground

Nov 29, 2015 | 11:04 AM

Scott Cook’s rich and booming voice filled the Prince Albert Multicultural Centre Friday night.

The combination of his deep voice and gentle guitar/banjo/ukulele picking won over the small but vocal crowd.

The night began with Cook singing mellow, laid back folk songs, but ended with sing-alongs of originals and covers, finishing with Kermit the Frog’s The Rainbow Connection.

Cook relished the intimate space, spending several minutes between songs relaying tales of his time on the road.

He played two sets, and each featured songs of other roots folk artists who have travelled the same touring routes as himself.

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“These folks have inspired me, and I like to give back,” he said during one of the intermissions.

Cook has followed the Home Routes tour, which took him through 13 sets over 14 days, travelling through Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The Home Routes organization, run out of Winnipeg, arranges house shows across Canada. They also find houses for the performers to stay at in the town, sometimes a friend of a friend or other times someone they’ve never met before.

”It’s a nice change for me having things arranged,” Cook said. “With the exception of Fort Qu’appelle it’s all been places I’ve never been before.”

Cook has already travelled the world, and has a special place in his heart for Taiwan and Australia.

Friday’s performance was his final show on the tour. He’ll play a farewell show in Edmonton before departing to Vancouver, then Taiwan for three weeks, followed by several months in Australia and New Zealand before returning to Vancouver.

He told the captive audience on Friday that he recently bought a van for himself in Australia, which is his preferred way of travel across countries.

“I don’t know what I’d do without my van,” he told everyone before letting rip a song about living in his van, and how it was okay to be a hobo.

For Cook, visiting a relatively small town like Prince Albert is his bread and butter.

“It’s more personal and intimate. You can make a genuine connection,” he said.

Lucy James, who runs Jam Street on 2^nd Ave. W, had nothing but great things to say about the Home Routes tours running through Prince Albert.

“It’s quality Canadian artists coming through a town they normally wouldn’t come through,” she said. “It’s an intimate setting where you actually get to talk to the artists.”

James is interested in revitalizing P.A.’s music scene, which she says is largely underground but thriving.

“There’s a lot to do if you can find it,” she said. “I think that there’s a large group of artists who enjoy music and go to every event, and when you go to one of those events it seems like you know everybody. Everybody knows everybody in that scene.”

She said it would be great if more venues for all-ages opened up, moving shows away from bar and dance stages.

“Here it seems like the teens go to house parties or pit parties, and that appreciation for live music isn’t happening for youth here yet,” she said.

“There’s actually a lot going on, you just have to know it and be interested in it, and get out of the house and go do it.”

The next Home Routes performer is Coco Loves Alcorn (link: http://cocolovealcorn.com/), an Ontario jazz singer.

Scott Cook’s music can be found on his website (link: http://www.scottcook.net/news.php) .

ssterritt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @spencer_sterrit