Rose-Erin Stokes’s latest album When the Sun Goes Away could be named Album of the Year at this year’s Ontario Folk Music Awards. The gala event takes place on October 6th, at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, and Stokes will be making the trip from North Bay to take in the show.
“I appreciate it,” Stokes said of the nomination, “I’m always grateful for these moments. I think when you’re an independent artist, you’re always kind of looking towards the next thing, so it’s nice to just take a moment and be grateful that this resonated with folks and that it’s been recognized on that level.”
“So yes, I’m very appreciative,” she said.
When the Sun Goes Away is Stokes’ third album, released last fall. It was recorded at producer Jim Bryson’s Fixed Hinge Studio in Stittsville, Ont., with additional production by Andrew Sowka. The project was mastered by Sage Kim at Lacquer Channel Mastering.
Stokes wrote the music, sang the songs, and played acoustic guitar on all tracks. To fill out the sound at Fixed Hinge Studio, she brought in Jim Bryson, Andrew Sowka, Vince Aquilina, Phillippe Charbonneau and Kinley Dowling, musicians she has worked with before, some of whom are from North Bay.
The local music scene is close to Stokes’s heart, and she plays around town as often as time allows, usually with a stripped-down band, often consisting of Vince Aquilina on percussion and Andrew Sowka on electric guitar. Those who caught this summer's Bay Block Party saw Stokes perform with a full-on backing band on Main Street.
This fall’s annual folk music awards gala is part of an entire weekend, a folk music conference that brings musicians, artists, and industry workers together. “It’s an opportunity for artists to showcase and connect with other industry folks,” Stokes detailed, and she’s looking forward to connecting with new people.
Cultural Industries Ontario North (CION), an organization dedicated to fostering and promoting Northern arts based in Sudbury, will also be setting up over the weekend at Folk Music Ontario. CION has also recognized Stokes’ works from previous albums, nominating her for a songwriting award at the Northern Ontario Music and Film Awards.
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Recording When the Sun Goes Away went well Stokes noted, “There’s kind of a magic,” to the process. “You’re bringing in the baseline of just acoustic guitar and vocals, and then it’s adding colours and textures” to the songs.
Time in the studio “is a journey,” she added, “and it’s fun to experiment.”
And she may be back in the studio soon, as she’s been busy writing new music during a busy summer season of gigging. Asked to list some other local musicians the town should be watching for, Stokes mentioned Lennie Rayen, Empty House, Peach Pact, TIBO, Winternom, Main Street Echo, Brigette Lebel, and Benjamin Hermann are all bands to seek out.
“I know my taste in music is pretty broad,” she said, adding her record collection runs the gambit as well. As for future gigs, keep an eye on Stokes’s social media and website. For now, “I’m winding down a bit with gigs through the fall and winter, but who knows, maybe something will pop up.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
