Jon McKiel is a singer songwriter from Halifax, Nova Scotia. While McKiel has made a name for himself north of the border by criss-crossing Canada winning over audiences with his live show, he ventured south to record his most recent release, The Nature of Things, for Wednesday Records. Bringing along his bandmates, Josh Kogon (bass), Cory LeBlanc (drums), Mike D'Eon (guitar) and Colin Crowell (synth and trumpet), McKiel recorded in Boston with producer Thom Flowers at Fort Apache in Boston.
Initially released in Canada, the record hit U.S. outlets in February. McKiel hasn't yet toured behind the record here in the States, however, initial reviews have the Canadian troubadour drawing comparisons to Ryan Adams and Matt Pond PA, depending on which song of his strikes a chord with the listener. In his year end grab bag here on Blogcritics, Jon Sobel wrote "McKiel's dark alt-rock may have something of the shoegazer to it, but I found it just the thing for driving around the city streets in an angry funk, with its moody sounds and aware lyrics."
Although McKiel hasn't toured here, he did make his way south earlier this month to Memphis to participate in the Sun Studio Sessions series. Appearing without his band, McKiel's solo acoustic performances at Sun will no doubt draw even more Ryan Adams comparisons. However, make no mistake that McKiel is making his own mark on the music scene. Here he performs "Never Forget" another song that fits squarely within Mr. Sobel's description above.
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