5 songs that will make you want to check out Mike Stevens at Acoustic Harvest
Wait, what? You don’t have tickets to Mike Stevens yet?
That’s right. 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards nominee, Mike Stevens is performing at Acoustic Harvest on March 18, and rumour has it, you haven’t bought your tickets yet (the moose is surprisingly well-connected. It’s crazy).
Could it be that you’re unfamiliar with Mike, possibly the greatest, most unusual harmonica virtuoso in Canada? (and that’s saying a lot in a country that’s produced guys like Carlos Del Junco and Steve Marriner)
You’ve probably heard the usual bio stuff: award-winning Canadian musician, composer, educator, keynote speaker, author and humanitarian; winner of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Slaight Music Humanitarian Award among many others.
But have you actually heard Mike?
The man is a harmonica wizard who completely defies genre.
But don’t take my word for it. Here are five reasons you might want to check out this show:
- “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”
That’s right. He does it on harmonica. Just listen to how tenderly he interprets this Lightfoot classic on his latest album, Breath in the World Breath Out Music.
2. “St. Anne’s Reel”
We typically hear this traditional Celtic tune performed on the fiddle, but just listen to Mike do it on the harmonica!
3. “Cajun Fiddle”
Yep! You guessed it! That’s Mike playing Cajun music on the harmonica.
4. “Foggy Mountain Breakdown”
I mean, you had to know Mike can also play bluegrass and old-time music on harmonica, right? In fact, he has a whole album of it called Old Time Mojo. But this cover isn’t on that album. It’s on his debut.
5. “I’ll Fly Away”
Mike ALSO has a whole album of gospel music, which has perhaps the greatest title of all: Life’s Railway to Heaven. From that, here’s another familiar song given the totally unique Mike harmonica treatment.
