Singer/songwriter Shannon Lyon was working on an olive farm in Spain when he realized it was time to come home. I was staring across the Mediterranean and it was time, he says. I just decided to come home. I hadnt seen my family in five years. It was the year 2000 when the Uxbridge, Ont., native had just finished touring with Blue Rodeo and decided to leave everything behind and move to Europe. It seemed like a beautiful opportunity, Lyon says. I think was just open to some new challenges and changes in my life. It just sort of came at a perfect time for me. On July 31, Lyon will be performing at Arts Club Backstage Lounge with Lindsay May in Vancouver. It will be his first performance in the Lower Mainland in more than 13 years. Vancouver was great when I played there last. I always enjoy it there, Lyon says. Lyon is nearing the end of a long tour that has seen him perform across Northern Ontario and through Western Canada. Following his show in Vancouver, Lyon will be stopping in Duncan, Ladysmith, Victoria, Port Alberni, and Gabriola Island, before ending the tour in Coombs. Its the first lengthy tour Ive done in Canada since the mid-90s, he says. Although born in Uxbridge, Ont., Lyon began his musical career in Kitchener, Ont., in the early 90s. In 1990, he formed a band called The Strange Days. Over the course of three years the band released one album and went on tour with Blue Rodeo. We got fairly lucky when I was in my early twenties we landed a pretty decent management deal. At the time and we had the same booking agent as Blue Rodeo, he says. After the band folded in 1993, Lyon decided to pursue a solo career. He says the decision was economical on a few levels. Ive always written songs on acoustic guitar, he says. A lot the traveling was made easier. I started traveling through Europe and Australia and it was just me and my guitar and my harmonica. Growing up, Lyon was influence by a wide range of artists such as Elvis Presley, Frankie Valli, Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash and Neil Young. It started with early Neil Young records as a teenager, he says. I was overwhelmed by his candidness and openness. He wasnt afraid to tell you when he was afraid, scared, or weak or insecure. I figured if I was going to write songs it was going to be from a very authentic place and it would be based on my own experiences. Since becoming a solo artist, he has recorded 10 albums. In 2004, Lyon became the first Canadian signed to Richard Bransons post-Virgin Records label V2 which also featured Paul Weller and The White Stripes. His most recent album, Broken Things, was released in 2012. I think the most potent way to get a story across through song is to have lived that story, he says. Broken Things deals with issues of addiction and cultural isolation. It was the first album that Lyon mixed himself. Its pretty dark, Lyon says. It would be the best album to start with for people who want to get an introductory into Shannon Lyon music. Its definitely representive of a guy sitting in his chair with his guitar singing his sorrows, he adds. Lyon decide to move to Holland after a friend of his encouraged him to do so. For more than a decade he spent time living and performing throughout Europe. At the end of doing a bunch of shows with Blue Rodeo I put out a record called Summer Blonde, and I just felt like I was spinning my wheels, Lyon says. Although Lyon does not use Facebook or Twitter he says he the ability to download music from anyone from anywhere in the world is an extremely powerful medium. As far as social media goes. Im pretty bad with that stuff, he says. Who wouldnt want to get in the way of being able to record a song anywhere from an iPhone for instances, upload it to a website and anyone could download it or listen to in that moment if they could find you? Thats a pretty powerful medium. The Uxbridge native is still a firm believer in the power of an album and describes it as being almost like a novel. It has a beginning, middle and an end. I always look at records like that, he says. We seem to be in a time where the single seems to be popular. People will extract from the album what they will. Its like the 1950s when Elvis and that gang were putting out singles. There was no idea of a long play record at that point, he adds. He compares the ability to download music for free on the Internet to being able to listen to the radio. When I was a kid, we turned the radio on and that was free. And we didnt question that, Lyon says. Its not that different from today where kids sit on the computer and music is free. Thats just the way it goes. When the advent of music sharing programs began, a large majority of artists including Lyon wondered how they were going to make a living. Lyon says despite the increasing ability to share music there is nothing that will replace the value of live shows. A lot of us were holding our guitars wondering what to do next and how we were going to make a living, He says. Its always been about getting on stage for me. Thats certainly one thing thats never changed. Its all about bringing the music to the people. Itll always be that way. For more information on Shannon Lyon visit www.shannonlyon.com.
Shannon Lyon, Arts Club Backstage Lounge with Lindsay May, Wednesday, July 31. For more details visit shannonlyonmusic.com.
