STORYTELLER and guitarist Stephen Fearing will play a gig in Sutton Poyntz this weekend.

Multi-JUNO Award winner and co-founder of Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, Stephen has been one of Canada’s great musical storytellers - not to mention one of its most acclaimed guitarists since the 1980s.

His 13th solo album, The Unconquerable Past, adds another unique chapter to that impressive body of work. It’s also a striking and often surprising example of his restless creative spirit.

While fans of his solo work may be more familiar with Fearing’s acoustic side, The Unconquerable Past finds him stepping back into the widescreen world of layered instruments and arrangements. He collaborated with Winnipeg-based producer/songwriter Scott Nolan (William Prince, Mary Gauthier, Hayes Carll) and a superb group of players featuring acclaimed pianist Jeremy Rusu, bassist Julian Bradford, drummer Christian Dugas, vocalist Andrina Turrene, and Nashville’s legendary multi-instrumentalist Jim Hoke.

Like other artists who are loosely categorized as folk and Americana, Fearing questions what those terms really mean. The Unconquerable Past can be seen as embracing and transcending the labels and genres simultaneously. “I’m always intrigued by unknown territory, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone,” he says.

“For this record I had a concept of leaning in a specific direction, but in a simple way - using a palette of potential sounds, instruments drawn primarily from Country-Americana and Roots music, and with frequent, deliberate glances over my shoulder to the golden era of analog recording."

Fearing wrote most of the songs in a condensed, creative burst just prior to going into the studio. One aspect of the album that came very early was its title, The Unconquerable Past, a phrase that leapt off the page and got him thinking.

*Stephen Fearing, Mission Hall, Sutton Poyntz, Sunday, January 26, 8pm. Tickets £15, only in advance from the box office on 01305 837299 or email songsfromthehalls234@gmail.com