Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
Acoustic Rocker Blaeser Embraces the Constant of Change with New “Potential Paths” Single

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Acoustic Rocker Blaeser Embraces the Constant of Change with New “Potential Paths” Single
Blaeser
Fri Apr 15, 2022
Cashbox Canada

If change is the only thing that doesn’t change, then resistance to change is certainly futile. This is the universal truth rising Saskatoon acoustic rocker Blaeser explores in his thought-provoking new single, “Potential Paths” – check it out on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/Wuez_885Ghc

Even though the choices we make and the paths we walk are unique to each of us, we all share the fact that change is unavoidable and can happen when we least expect it. For Blaeser — Taylor (T.J.) Lang — the global pandemic that changed everything for all of us two years ago is also what launched the creation of “Potential Paths.”

“On March 10, 2020, I was prepping to play a half-time St Paddy’s Saddledome show with my former band, Celtic rock group Crack the Lens, to 13,000 people, and had just put down a deposit on a Toronto apartment,” Blaeser remembers. “Two days later, all of that was gone as the world closed down. It really got me thinking of how quickly things change, all the paths we never get to walk, all the people we never meet — or leave behind, for that matter — as circumstances change our paths through life.”

There were a thousand variations of the man that I am today
All those endless iterations that I had to leave behind along the way

Those old “iterations” of ourselves are often left behind at a crossroads or a fork in the road we may not have seen coming. “‘Potential Paths’ directly references big events in my life where everything suddenly changed course,” notes Blaeser. “All those younger, more innocent versions of me had to disappear along the way to who I am now, just as my current self will disappear to continue that journey.”

Being open-minded and open-hearted to those course corrections is one of the takeaways from this thoughtful, melodically-memorable rock song which is also the lead single from Blaeser’s forthcoming and second full-length album, An Audio Guide to Introspection — set for release this Summer.

“10 songs of darkness and light, and the paths I did and didn’t take,” is Blaeser’s top line for the new collection recorded, mixed, and mastered by Casey Lewis at Calgary’s Echo Base Studio last October through December.

“The title came from a Twitter conversation with Dan Mangan where I said that his More or Less album was like ‘an audio guide to introspection’,” recalls Blaeser. Mangan is a big influence on Blaeser’s songwriting, in addition to other erudite and reflective Canadian songwriters like Dallas Green and Gord Downie.

“My music, currently, is equal parts Tragically Hip, fingerstyle guitar virtuoso Jon Gomm, and City & Colour,” he says, adding, “If all I’ve got is one guitar, I want to get as much out of it as I can in terms of fingerstyle techniques, and if all I have is one voice, I want to make every word meaningful and memorable.”

Blaeser comes by his devotion to artistic innovation and improvement honestly after a lifetime immersed in music. Born in Saskatchewan and raised near Calgary, the naturally talented, multi-instrumentalist had worked his way through learning piano, drums, saxophone, keyboards, bass guitar, and then electric guitar by the end of school.

“By the time I graduated, I had bought a crappy old electric and was jamming power chords in my first band with some high school friends,” he reminisces. “Our first show was in a small-town coffee shop, which we filled but where we absolutely did not fit the vibe. Video exists of this event, unfortunately.”

As he worked his way toward a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Calgary and began his professional life afterward, music wove in and out of the picture for Lang as he went through — you guessed it — life changes. A one-year move to Vancouver in his mid-twenties included his first busking experiences.

“My first busking sessions in Vancouver were notorious failures, with my very first donation being a fruit and cheese platter from the Starbucks down the street.”

In 2012, Lang became the bass player for Crack The Lens and rediscovered the joy of making music which, in turn, ignited more songwriting and finding his solo artistic voice as Blaeser.

“For me, songwriting is about the little details, the turns of phrases that change a generic tune into an emotional punch that sits with you. The ones that bring the whole thing down to earth and pull away a curtain on something that’s been right in front of you. Connections and complexities.”

Encouraging connection through his songs and performances while giving everyone something to reflect on is page one in Blaeser’s 2022 planner.

For more on Blaeser check out these links:
listentoblaeser.com/
instagram.com/listentoblaeser/
facebook.com/listentoblaeser
twitter.com/listentoblaeser
open.spotify.com/artist/2YZ8Nq5TEKrJhTOL2KHbb5?si=tEu1uUQAQ2m5MmtXbtEpeQ&nd=1

Reviews
Album
Blaeser
Month: Feb 2020
Canadian Hip Hop Artist Toronto Poor Boy Releases Inspiring New Single “Big Dreams” Canadian Hip Hop Artist Toronto Poor Boy Releases Inspiring New…
Dalannah Looking Back Dalannah Gail Bowen Releases New Single & Video “Somebody’s Watchin’ You…
TonyTone Fade Away TonyTone is out with his newest single, “Fade Away”!
Prove It On Me Rory Block Rory Block Announces Second Release of Her "Power Women of the…
Ramshackle Rodeo - Back From the East Ramshackle Rodeo Releases Debut Album “Duga 3”
Fiona Fierce and Non-Compliant Jazz Artist Fiona Ross Releases ‘Raw & Real’ New Single, “For My Dad”
Irene Atman Releases new Single & Video “Because I’m A Woman” Irene Atman Releases new Single & Video “Because I’m A Woman”
Simon Alexander Releases "Good Friends" Simon Alexander Releases "Good Friends"
Canadian JUNO Award Winner Andy Milne releases first trio album, The reMISSION Canadian JUNO Award Winner Andy Milne releases first trio album, The…
Jane Bunnett & Maqueque Jane Bunnett & Maqueque Stand On Firm Ground / Tierra Firme…
JUNO / Maple Blues Award Winner Steve Hill is “All About The Love” Today in this 70s Rock-Meets-60s Gospel Mashup of Music JUNO / Maple Blues Award Winner Steve Hill is “All About The Love”…
Elizabeth Leslie Sonic Shakedown for Canadian Darkwave Pop Artist Elizabeth Leslie
Spare Skirt Katie Ditschun Katie Ditschun Releases “Here We Are” From Debut Album ‘Spare Skirt’
Kelsi Mayne’s New Video Preview Goes Viral SiriusXM ‘Top of the Country’ Top 3 Finalist Kelsi Mayne’s New…
Mauve “Must Be” the New Single by Electro-Pop Artist Mauve

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 10
  • Page 11
  • Page 12
  • Page 13
  • Current page 14
  • Page 15
  • Page 16
  • Page 17
  • Page 18
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers