“Sometimes it feels good to punch someone.” The words sound strange coming from such a soft spoken man. “Well, I mean, when I’m in the boxing ring, of course.” He says with an easy laugh.
Canadian Doug Folkins is a Celtic Rock singer/songwriter and storyteller (and amateur boxer!) with a modern Pop twist. He’s perfectly happy to sing down at the local pub tonight, but he’s also set his sights on becoming a fixture on the Festival stage in the very near future.
Folkins has spent the last 10 years, writing, playing, and producing his own material. With Another Last Call, Folkins’ fifth album, he returns to his folk rock past. “Calico Girl” and “Park the Car” have already gotten worldwide airplay in Austria, France, Israel, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and The Netherlands (as well as New York and Los Angeles).
This worldwide appeal might be a result of Folkins’ ability to blend traditional Celtic influences, country twang, and pop jangle to create a fresh sound that is as comfortable as your favorite pair of jeans. He is a serious musician who takes time to whittle down each song to its most essential elements. The challenge now is to take that warm “down at the pub” intimacy and translate it to a much larger audience.
Musically, Folkins was influenced by Tom Petty, Blue Rodeo, The Pogues, Bob Dylan, Bruce Guthro, and Gordie Sampson. Lyrically, he’s inspired by the people he meets throughout his everyday life; he’ll write of any character with a story worth a mention.
Folkins’ proudest moments to date include opening for Julian Austin at the Morfee Mountain Music Festival in 2008 and being nominated for songwriter of the year at the Vancouver Island Music Awards in 2002. He is currently playing gigs in support of his latest release Another Last Call, and is all about showing his audience a good time. He’s the guy in the room who can make friends just by pulling out a guitar and strumming a few chords.
ive put dealing with the rain and park the car on bfrcp on live 365.its only small internet station,just plays music in a loop,but gets the odd listener.the tracks stay on for a month or so before i change playlist.
Doug - thank you for the encouraging words last week about the new HeArt project collaboration with my wife Artist Nicola Cooper. It was appreciated! Looks like you are busy with lots of gigs - well done. Perhaps we can connect at some point to do something live together. Best regards, Ken
Hey, Doug, great to hear your new CD tunes - well put together! Come on over for a visit anytime and give a listen. Best wishes for the success of the CD and best regards, Ken
It was my pleasure to play "Dealing With The Rain" on my weekly, 30-minute podcast featuring mainstream, independent music. The direct link to the show is: http://indiemusicsampler. com/2009/02/20/ims-121/
In a few days, the song will also be added to the music stream which plays out some of the best in independent music commercial-free 24x7.
