Most adults reach a point where nostalgic memories keep crowding their thoughts – the glow of senior prom, the spiffy first car or the first real job.
Blues singer-songwriter Kyler Schogen dealt with those warm, fuzzy emotions – some bittersweet, others mostly happy and comforting – by recording a CD.
Starlight Dreams is a product of Schogen’s youthful memories that as a whole recreate the vibe of songs he loved to listen to while growing up. The album looks back in a nostalgic wave at family, friends and fans.
“It’s laid back and dreamy and definitely passionate,” says Schogen who is hosting a CD release show at St. Albert’s Vinyl Rock CafĂ© this coming Saturday, Aug. 15.
Rounding out the Kyler Schogen Band is Brett Osborne (bass) and Mark Cummings (drums).
Using every ounce of energy and years of experience from working in Los Angeles with some of the world’s top-tier singers and musicians, Schogen produced the 12-track at SunCave Studio located on his country acreage near Smoky Lake.
It is the fifth CD under Schogen’s own name and his first instrumental album. At the CD release, he will adapt the songs for a live show.
“Most of my best stuff comes from not thinking too much and letting it happen. I’ve recorded ideas and crafted songs from there. I try to take myself out of it and let it happen. It’s all off-the-cuff. I find that’s how the best things happen.”
The son of German immigrants, Schogen grew up in Vancouver in the transitional ’60s and ’70s. At 17, he first tested his showmanship with The Whiz, a five-piece blues-based rock band that played ZZ Top and old Zeppelin music.
“As a rock and roll band it was very interesting and very volatile. After the first two gigs, we didn’t have a singer and the guitar player left soon afterwards.”
But the siren song of fame and money kept calling and he moved to Los Angeles to hit the big enchilada.
“I didn’t find my big dream to the extent I was hoping but I did record and produce with some well-known people.”
There was the great American blues singer Mae Mercer, who appeared in Dirty Harry, The Beguiled, Frogs, Cindy and Pretty Baby to name a few.
Schogen also enjoyed the opportunity to work with Bob Margouleff, an American record producer most noted for his work with Stevie Wonder on the electronic music synthesizer.
“Living in a city like L.A., it’s very exciting and I do miss the music, but it sidetracks you. I live here in the middle of nowhere. I write quite a bit and I record it. In the big city there are lots of distractions. Out here on the acreage, you can let your creative juices flow organically.”
In recording Starlight Dreams, Schogen chose melodies that spoke to him and this is the first time he’s added a classical guitar to the mix.
“You play the classical guitar in a different style. You play with a thumb as opposed to a pick. It’s hard to get your motor skills as precise as when you use a pick. But learning to play this way was like a breath of fresh air.”
One track, Time Will Tell, carries a ’60s and ’70s melody line and was conceived at the St. Albert Farmers’ Market.
“I was playing at the market and I got myself a looping panel. I started playing a melody on the street and it stuck with me.”
Seven Sisters is majestic tune that brings to mind waves splashing against rocks and is named after the Seven Sisters, a bluff of rocks on Scotland’s coastline.
Old Time Portraits is painted with a bluegrass melody on a slide guitar while The Matador relives a dual between a Spanish guitar and an electric guitar.
Shimmer of Glimmer is a groove-oriented R&B take whereas Sweet Bambina slows the tempo to an early ’70s-style ballad.
“People have had a real positive response to our show. We’re not badass. We’re definitely lower volume, a little more mellow and you see the personality of the band.”
The show starts at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $10, door $15. Available at 780-470-0788 or at facebook.com/kylerschogen.
