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B.C. artist plays Red Deer

Daniel Wesley and his band plays Internationl Beer Haus on Oct. 13.
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Daniel Wesley thought he was busy touring the country as a alt-rock artist – and then he had kids.

Now that his sons – age three and one – are front and centre in the married musician’s life, he’s reached a whole new level of busy.

Wesley’s two boys even try plinking on Wesley’s guitar strings when he’s trying to compose a song on his instrument. “They’re either trying to grab onto my guitar, or else I hear them yelling in the background,” said the B.C. artist, with a rueful chuckle.

“I’m so busy with life, and it’s all so hands-on right now, that it’s a challenge to write music.”

Fortunately, Wesley found enough quiet moments to have written and recorded 10 new world-beat flavoured songs for his album, I Am Your Man, released last summer.

But with a wife and two sons at home, and seven studio albums under his belt, he admitted, “I’m not super career-oriented anymore. I’ve gotten to the point where I can make a decent living. I enjoy it still, but now I’m following (where his career track is heading) instead of leading it.”

The 34-year-old, who performs with his band on Thursday, Oct. 13, at the International Beer Haus in Red Deer, considers himself lucky to work as a musician, and he’s grateful to fans who support his concerts and buy his CDs.

The White Rock native made his latest studio release on his own Beachgrove Records label since he’d finished a three-album contract with 604 Records. I Am Your Man is the first album Wesley produced himself since 2007, and it takes him back to his strength as an acoustic, eclectic, groove-based musician.

“I wanted to have something really loose and fun and upbeat – kind of similar to some of my earlier albums,” said Wesley. He aimed for a more cohesive sound that doesn’t jump “from rock to reggae to ballad to singer-songwriter stuff.”

There are a handful of personal songs about family life (including the title track and So True), as well as summery, feel-good songs, such as his first single Shake. “There are no shockers on it (in terms of) reinventing what we do. We just try to do it a little bit better.”

Next spring, Wesley’s looking forward to recording a live album at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom. As a fan of live albums, he’s already making a list of tunes that go over well with a live audiences. “I’ve got about 40 songs now that I’ll have to bring down to 15 or 20 … It’ll be a cool challenge.”

Looking back over his decade-long career has made Wesley keenly aware of the passage of time. “I’ll work as a musician as long as I can,” he said – “as long as the phone is still ringing and people are still coming to my shows.”

And even if it all stops someday, he feels “I’ll still be making music for myself.”

For more information about the show, please contact the venue.

lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com