This tape comes to us via Neil MacGonigill. We weren't familiar with Mark Koenig's work, so we turned to our usual source: [center][img width=538]//7ca49eb9f67ba1319ef136f9d52cd8b8.cdn.bubble.io/f1721939787010x708873790926437100/richtext_content.jpeg[/img][/center] [center][/center] [b]Good music is all that matters to Mark Koenig[/b] By Richard Wagamese (Herald writer) There's an awful lot of geography in Mark Koenig's music and the landscapes lend themselves to his mixed-bag brand of country. Koenig's sound ranges from rambunctious Tex-Mex, to Louisiana cajun, rockabilly, hillbilly, plaintive Nashville pedal steel, dobro, fiddle and progressive country rock. That it all comes from an Alberta band makes it even more impressive. Koenig's debut album, The Lonesome Kind, hits record store shelves in the next week and it's already garnered critical acclaim for its stylistic potpourri. "I'm real, real happy with the record and the reaction to it has been great from different parts of the country. More than we really expected," the amiable Koenig says. "Some people have said that I'm a cross between early Gordon Lightfoot and Marty Robbins which is great, but I think that if it weren't for the rock edge on the record it would be a more accurate compliment. "The Record (a Canadian music magazine) has it at number 42 on their chart already so I guess people aren't having too much trouble getting into what we're doing," he says. Koenig's been doing this for a long time. The past 15 years have seen him in a variety of bands touring and opening for the likes of Willie Nelson, George Strait, Ian Tyson, Lyle Lovett and Ricky Skaggs. But he's been a nomad for a lot longer. In fact, the title track from The Lonesome Kind was inspired by a chance encounter on a lonely California beach a few years back. "I was just sittin' there playin' my guitar in a park by the beach in Carmel when this old guy comes along and sat down to listen. After awhile he worked up the courage to ask if he could play." Koenig explains. "Turns out he was an old '40s jazz player who toured with a lot of the biggies back then. His eyes just got real big and shiny when he started to play. "Since he quit playin' he just spent the last 20 years or so travelling around in an old beat up VW van with his dog. Never married, never settled down, he was just livin' his life." The Bojangles-ish tale inspired Koenig and he wrote The Lonesome Kind. A highlight of the album, it's indicative of the type of music Koenig favors real and strongly narrative. The collection of songs tells the tale of where he's been. Born near Prince George, B.C., Koenig's worked as a truck driver, logger and musician from Mexico to Canada. "I like to paint pictures. I like to write about stuff that I can sink my teeth into and right now I've got a bank of material that I've saved up through the years. Enough for three or four albums. "And I'm still writing. It may not be traditional or mainstream country, but it's good and I just want to be associated with good music," he says. One listen to The Lonesome Kind shows that all the years on the road are paving the way to that goal already.
