Singer-songwriter Tim Isberg is marking his calendar.
In mid-June, the 25-year veteran of Canada’s Armed Forces will be deployed to Afghanistan as part of Canada’s last rotation. He will mentor senior Afghan officials as part of the NATO training mission – Afsten (NTM-A).
Deeply passionate about writing songs, Isberg makes a clear distinction between his military career and his musical identity.
“It’s (deployment) what I do. It’s not who I am.”
Fans of his heartfelt country tunes penned from military experiences get one last chance to hear Isberg sing on Thursday, June 13 at LB’s Pub as part of the Songwriters’ Showcase.
“It’s a final concert before going for an extended period of time and I hope with the friends I’ve made, I’ll be able to keep the momentum going,” Isberg says.
Held in high esteem by the greater Edmonton musical community, he has shared the limelight with some of Alberta’s top calibre artists – Paul Brandt, Darrell Barr, Maria Dunn, Bobbie Cameron and Connie Kaldor.
“There’s a lot of depth to his lyrics. He writes true story songs. I really enjoy it when he has a story for every song he sings,” says Songwriters’ Showcase host Kenny Skoreyko.
At the showcase, Isberg plans to deliver songs from his previous CD, Comin’ Home and the tunes from his new four-track demo.
“The reality is that you need a CD to get gigs and enter songwriting contests. You need a package and it has to include songs,” Isberg explains.
One song from the fresh batch is Seven Nights and Seven Days, a duet with his wife Oxana.
“It’s a song that plays on the days of the week – being apart for seven days and waiting for Sunday until you get back together. Each person sings what they think and the chorus is harmonized. It’s very catchy. We recorded it this week and this will be the first public appearance for Oxana and I.”
Another newbie is Just One More Day, a blues-swing tune inspired when Oxana returned to Ukraine to deal with family issues. Isberg gets into the groove singing “Why don’t you stay, one more day, before going 1,000 miles away.”
He’s already test-driven the tune at a few open jams to work out the wrinkles and bugs.
“It’s a song a lot of oil rig workers’ wives can relate to,” he says.
At the concert, Isberg also brings back The Wall, a fan favourite. It was inspired by East Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall, a 20-metre barrier symbolic of the obstructions people place between religion, race and language.
And Don’t Need No Cigarettes, a story of a man who cleans up his act, abstains from vices and still gets into trouble, is another popular crowd pleaser.
“I bring a uniqueness and credibility to my songs. I’m a little bit different from other artists. Given my background and experience and where the songs come from, my performance and songs are worth listening to.”
Skoreyko just announced a special appearance by One Horse Blue at the showcase. Michael Shellard from Vancouver is in town and he will share hosting duties with Skoreyko and St. Albert’s own Rocko Vaugeois. Also reuniting with Shellard and Vaugeois are sidemen Winston Quelch and Ian Oscar.
The showcase kicks off at 9 p.m. No cover.
