A Calgary musician as down-to-earth as the songs he writes.
1. He’s tells it likes he sees it.
The prairie boy’s most contemplative work can be heard on his new solo album Trouble & Mercy. “I needed to do this album,” he says. “These songs were for me.” On standouts like “Peace of Mind,” he sings about the human condition, which he knows all too well: “You won’t hear ’em on the radio, won’t see ’em on no television show/The greatest heroes they remain unknown, they live a life all on their own.”
2. He’s a good listener.
In his early 20s, Penner worked at a women’s shelter in Chicago. Then, over the course of 12 years in Calgary, he worked at the Mustard Seed, group homes and the Calgary Drop-In & Rehab Centre. “The art of listening to stories comes before the art of storytelling,” Penner says. “Everybody needs to be heard, especially when they’re down and out. They want you to understand. Listening is part of understanding.”
3. He’s on a journey.
Penner has played more than 300 shows over the last two years, touring across five countries, six provinces and 12 states. “I like change. I want everyday to be different,” he says. “Different regions, different geographies, different environments. I wanna know what’s happening out there.”
4. He lives by a code. Penner was raised in a small, rural Mennonite community. In this “mixed bag,” his parents ran an illegal roadhouse and his grandpa made raspberry hooch. “We grew up poor, lost the family business [a Mennonite restaurant] and our house,” he says. “But during the worst part of their lives, my mom and dad helped others — taking in runaways, putting out hampers with food, diapers, whatever essentials. It always comes down to the essentials. It’s a simple code: be kind.”
5. He gives credit where credit’s due.
Working from Penner’s desire to use vintage gear and recording techniques, and to strip the album of traditional bass and drums, recording engineer/co-producer Jon Wood created the gorgeous banjo and orchestral coda to “Peace of Mind,” and peppered the album with rhythmic kneeslaps, foot stomps and kick-pedal on suitcase. Penner says, “a good producer like Jon understands the message, and draws the best out of the artist. It’s all about serving the song. As a musician, he has a feeling — something you don’t go to school for.”
Cam Penner & Co. perform July 8 at the Southern Alberta Summer Games in the Crowsnest Pass, and on the last Saturday of the Stampede: July 11 at the Ship & Anchor. Download Trouble & Mercy at kerfmusic.com.
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