The tiny community of Esk saw its population grow ten-fold on Friday night, July 4, with a special concert dubbed Esk Fest. The yard and shop of Chris and Colleen Therres became a makeshift amphitheatre for a special visit by Mike Lynch and sidekick Marshall Jaaskelainen on stand-up bass and vocals.
When lovers of Canadian folk and country lament the loss of homegrown ginats like Ian Tyson, Gordon Lightfoot and the great Stompin’ Tom Connors, they need look no further than Mike Lynch to find that same country steeped spirit and gifted storytelling ability. Many of Lynch’s songs cast a nod to the legacy of those greats – but make no mistake, Mike’s songs are born from his own experience, travels and deep love of the country he travels in.
Lynch is gifted with a pitch true voice that can drift from a strong baritone to a plaintive wail, backed by intricate fingerpicking styles and a deft touch with the harmonica. Those skills are on display with songs like “Highway to Dreams,” a bittersweet reflection on the life of a road musician. Lynch knows what he speaks of, having pulled off the road on Highway 16 following a trip from Winnipeg that day and bound for a gig in Calgary the next.
That love of country shows up in “I Wanna Live Everywhere,” a true to its title expression of affection for many of the locales he’s performed in. Backed by Jaaskelainen’s driving rhythmic energy on bass and mirthful energy, Mike’s songs ranged from reflective to comical to searching.
“8 Second Trip” paid homage to the theme of rodeo, the players forming a veritable two-man cowboy symphony. Lynch is a consummate storyteller in his lyrics, some of which are spoken pieces. His “Songs from the Tub” album, produced as a side-effect of pandemic induced isolation, brought forward the timely and introspective “Has Everybody Gone Crazy But Me,” a tune wrapped up in a completely tasty chord progression
His songs acknowledge country legends like Hank, Merle, Johnny and Willie, especially in “The Entertainer Tonight,” and the working-class feel is strong in “Just Trying to Survive.” One of Lynch’s most haunting and wistful performances comes with the title song of his latest album, “I Used to Dream I Was a Cowboy.”
To get the audience involved there were plenty of opportunities for singalongs with greats like “Your Cheating Heart,” John Denver’s “Country Roads,” and “Mamma Don’t Let Your Babies,” the Willie and Waylon standard.
Mike Lynch is one of our own musical road warriors, a true Canadian troubadour, that should be included in that aforementioned pantheon of Canadian musicians on the strength of his songs and his fun-filled and passionate performances. Check out this musical wandered at Mike Lynch Music.