Thomas Stajcer celebrates the release of his debut album – Will I Learn To Love Again – ably assisted by opening acts David. R. Elliott and Adam Baxter, with a show at The Carleton on Thursday, July 5th. Show time is 8 PM and admission is $10 at the door.
From Halifax, via hockey-stick-making Hespeler, Ontario, Thomas Stajcer‘s debut is a country & western tour of doubt and regret that culmnate in the ultimate question: Will I Learn To Love Again?
Opening with the slow-burning, violin-infused ballad Love Me Now (Or Never Again), the album picks up with the late-night two-stepping Salesman before
driving full steam ahead with the high-octane ripper In the Long Run. Classic country sounds and themes dominate the LP, evoking the sneer, whimsy, and
frankness of outlaw country pioneers such as Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. These influences blend with touches of rock n’ roll on tracks
such as Any Old Road and the album’s raucous closer, How Long Could I Wait?. As with the best country records and performers, vibrant storytelling is
on full display throughout, shining bright on the introspective Wildfires, the pining title track, and in the voice of the Dukes of Hazzard-esque narrator (Mike
Trask) on Sad Cowboy.
Recorded live off the floor at Joel Plaskett’s New Scotland Yard (where Stajcer is the in-house engineer), the album features two tracks – Love Me Now (Or Never Again) and Wildfires – co-written with the East Coast icon. Assembling a host of seasoned backup musicians to bring these songs to life, Will I Learn To
Love Again? is true to the big band live show that garnered Stajcer a nomination for Country Artist of the Year in The Coast’s 2017 Best of Music Reader’s Poll.
David R. Elliott is a prolific, boundlessly creative stalwart of the East Coast music scene. Over the course of the last decade he’s penned, performed, produced and collaborated on countless releases, creating a vast back catalogue of material praised by legends of the East Coast like Joel Plaskett, Charles Austin and Al Tuck. He’s created pop, punk, country, hip hop, and who even knows what else.
David has the working songwriter ethos of early era Willie Nelson or Tom T. Hall, influenced by equal parts Alden Nowlan and StompinTom, to create a uniquely and aggressively working class Saint John universe of song. He writes as seriously as peak era Randy Newman with the enthusiasm of Ryan Adams, with a lyrical sensibility bolstered by a constant intake of Hip Hop.
He’s won multiple regional awards and garnered critical acclaim for his many releases over the years. He’s shared bills with artists like Greys, Mo Kenney, Cousins and Les Hay Babies and performed/showcased at such major festivals as Nova Scotia Music Week, Pop Montreal and Canadian Music Week.
Citadel House recording artist, Adam Baxter, is a powerhouse of energetic, explosive creativity. With the aggressiveness of a Rock and Roller and the sensibilities of a Folk musician, Adams’ music stretches across multiple genres to provide a compulsive mix of
high energy and sweet longing.
Raised in Nova Scotia and developed in Newfoundland, Adam Baxter is touring the release of his third studio album, Domestic. He’ll be bringing his unique brand of dynamic and thoughtful music through the Atlantic provinces through the summer of 2018.
“Listening to Adam Baxter’s music is like shooting a Double Espresso (dark roast) while reading a letter from home.” – Dean Stairs, Chair, East Coast Music Association