Alt-country songwriter Kevin Roy to perform in Twin Butte

Kevin Roy (Chris P. Bakon photo)

Toni Lucas - Winnipeg alt-country musician Kevin Roy is touring his debut album Heartworn Highways, and will be performing at the Twin Butte Store on Saturday evening, October 1. His touring band consists of Roy on vocals, guitar, and harmonica, Madeleine Roger providing harmony and guitar, and pedal steel guitar player Ian Cameron.

In a phone interview Roy said he plays Alternative Country music and folk. "kind of storytelling music."  He was a middle school teacher in Winnipeg for three years, teaching woodworking, art, and cooking to students in grades 7-9  but not music. "Some of my students have graduated, and I have seen a number of them, at one particular festival, a bunch of them came out to see me and the band perform. It was kind of neat." He has been playing music for three years,  "I have taken on music, full time."

"The amount of roles that go on behind the scenes for performers is something that is not always noticed," he said, explaining he has to be self driven in a number of areas including administration, and organization, as well as writing the music and learning, musically. "The time I spend performing is not actually a large piece of what I do, but it is the most gratifying, and the reason I do it."

Roy put out a six song EP in 2014 called 'Taller than the Trees'. With that he had over 300 shows across Canada. His debut full length album is called 'Heartworn Highways'. "It is my first full length one."

"Technically, the album was released last Friday, in Winnipeg."

Roy received funding from the Manitoba Film and Music and Factor.   The original grants gave him the chance to put together an EP project of four or five songs. however Roy said "There were really a list of songs that were begging to be on this album, that fit the themes, and the band was playing super well together."  A Kickstarter campaign gathered another $6,000, enough for Roy to expand the project to a full length album. "I think it was just shy of a hundred backers. I am extremely grateful for every single donation that has come in."  Financial support came from friends, family, fans, and people he has never met. "It's really created a great sense of community around this release, and brings more people into the process." 

Roy is currently on a two week tour thorough Alberta and Saskatchewan. "I think there is eight or nine shows we are doing over the two week period."