Porch Songs

New album inspired by time spent on the porch 31 March 2010 by Tamara Neely - Staff Reporter A collection of songs has sprung forth from afternoons spent on a sun-warmed porch in Turner Valley. Turner Valley musician Mike Clark is celebrating the release of his third album, "Porch Song" with shows April 2 and 3 at his bar Mikey's Juke Joint and the Black Diamond Hotel on April 10. photo by Tamara Neely Turner Valley musician Mike Clark is celebrating the release of his third album, "Porch Song" with shows April 2 and 3 at his bar Mikey's Juke Joint and the Black Diamond Hotel on April 11. photo by Tamara Neely For Turner Valley musician Mike Clark, sitting on the porch with friends, a cold beer and his guitars is a relaxing way to wind down a week. It’s also the time when introspection comes to the surface and his thoughts flow into songs as his fingers pluck the guitar strings. Clark’s third album, “Porch Songs”, is the culmination of those moments spent reflecting on his porch. He is celebrating the release of the new album in April, with two shows at his own bar, Mikey’s Juke Joint in Calgary, on April 2 and 3, and another show at the Black Diamond Hotel on April 10. “It’s an important part of my life,” said Clark. “It’s where music happens in my house. Porch music goes back for eons and we have jam sessions out there.” People around the world have been able to share Clark’s precious porch time. His last album, released in 2005, has had airplay on independent radio stations in Japan, across Europe and Australia. “It’s neat to take something you made up on your porch and have it played all over the world,” said Clark. It’s also a pleasant surprise when the royalty cheque arrives in the mail. “That’s cool, it’s like free money,” said Clark. Thinking about the people he loves and what is important in life has taken him down a path of writing a collection of songs more introspective than his last album. “Porch Songs” features 10 original tunes and two cover songs ranging from “swampy” blues to rock to jazz. “It’s a pretty personal album this time,” said Clark. “The songs are taken from my life, rather than looking at others. Maybe that’s because I’m getting older and seeing changes in my life, there have been lots of changes.” In the past five years Clark has mourned several friends and family members who have died and he watched as other Canadians cope with the loss of loved ones. The theme of coping with death percolates in a couple of his songs on the new album. The song “And Counting” is a tribute to the number of Canadian soldiers who have died while serving in Afghanistan while the song “Don’t Lose What You Love” deals with Clark’s observation of friends battling addiction. “There’s a fine line between pleasure and pain and addictions start with harmless things, but they build,” said Clark. There are some good-time songs, too. The song “Drive’r Like You Stole’r” trumpets the charms of a Pontiac Parisienne. “I always wanted to write a car song,” said Clark. “Fred Eaglesmith has a song about the Pontiac Strato Chief (the car Clark drives) already, so this one is about the Parisienne.” Playing songs from the new album live is as much a part of his love of music as creating the songs in the first place. “I love the instant communication you get with other musicians and the feedback from the audience,” said Clark. “I’m lucky I’ve got a good audience in my own place (Mikey’s Juke Joint) that likes my music.”