Check out the premiere of ‘More Than Two by Fours and Timber’ from Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist Jeffery Straker. Straker’s rolling, fluent piano pulls us along melodic currents, while his gorgeously warm voice flows, showing his range. His vocal is heartfelt and open as he sings about a subject that is truly personal, which comes through clearly in the quality of his performance. The song was recorded live in one take, giving it a really intimate, authentic feel. Later, Fats Kaplin overdubbed the harmonica part, adding to the song’s emotional and sonic depth, that lonesome sound perfectly complementing the theme and tone.
Straker grew up in the prairies and has watched the communities and lives of rural folk changing over the years. This song relates to the disappearance of grain elevator or silos from the familiar landscape as he explains: “I’m proud to release this new Canadian prairie folk song. Having grown up on a Saskatchewan grain farm, helping with harvest and also learning to play the piano, part of my surroundings were the beautiful ‘prairie skyscrapers’ – grain elevators – at every small town. These big old storage silos once numbered more than 3000 though today there are fewer than 180 left standing. Their disappearance reflects a change in rural living along with modernization and urbanization. A symbol of a vibrant agricultural past in thriving small communities, those that remain often cause passers-by to slow down the car, stop for a photo & pause to reflect. They represent a simpler time and gazing up at them almost takes you back in time. This song tells a story of a grain elevator on its last day just before being bulldozed and how the town around it has also been in decline for some time.”
While Straker focuses on these rural landmarks, his sensitive, thoughtful words prompt all of us to reflect on the inevitability of change and the passage of time. We can become weary of turbulent times and the loss of familiar things and it can be tempting to hold on to the past. However, Straker encourages us, ultimately, to let go. The accompanying video was shot on location in Horizon Saskatchewan, with Straker actually performing on a real piano inside the 1922 Federal grain elevator, which is owned and maintained by Kevin Klemenz. Anyone who has had to shift the bulk of a piano around will understand the physical demands of locating it in the grain elevator and even on the railway tracks nearby. Straker shares: “The piano was found on Facebook Market Place for free!” The video was artfully shot and produced by Mitch Goetz and beautifully showcases this historic building and the surrounding prairies. Sticking with the theme, eight of Straker’s recent shows took place in old grain elevators.
The single is taken from Straker’s brand new album, ‘Great Big sky’, which was produced by Steve Dawson in Nashville. Look out for Jeffery Straker at AmericanaFest in Nashville on 20th September and on a UK tour in October and November, to promote the new record, which is out now. Absorb this thought-provoking song and then check out the video.
