EARLVILLE – The Earlville Opera House welcomes Canadian Fred Eaglesmith in a 6-piece Traveling Steam Show on Sunday, November 18 at 7 p.m. at Madison Hall. His full ensemble includes the fabulous Ginn Sisters on this tour. Fred Eaglesmith has earned comparisons to John Prine, Woody Guthrie, Neil Young, and Merle Haggard while mixing country, rock and folk in his stunning narrative songs. Onstage his tales and observations are as keen and compelling as his songs and frequently as hilarious as the best stand-up comedians.
The Ontario-based singer-songwriter has recorded 19 albums and written more than 1000 songs since the early 1980’s. If you can imagine “Tom Waits meets Pink Floyd meets Hank Williams,” (Calgary Herald) you may understand why this artist has such devoted fans. He inspires devotees called Fred-heads to follow him from one show to another delighting in what one reviewer calls the “fury and fun” of his concerts. His releases consistently hit the upper reaches of the Americana charts. His songs have even become part of the course curriculum at two colleges. Eaglesmith is creating a body of stunning contemporary roots music that is all its own.
Eaglesmith left the family farm at age 15 to become an itinerant rambling troubadour. His life story could in fact be the subject of one of his songs, which is one reason why Eaglesmith has such a deft touch for finding the literary significance within the lives of seemingly common people and rendering their tales, thoughts and feelings with profound humanity. He has a knack for creating a contextual sense of time and place that resonates with reality.
