Ben Sures releases landmark concert album

Ben Sures

In 2016 Ben Sures received a grant from The Canada Council, Canada’s most significant granting body to Arts and Culture. The grant was to have his songs arranged for horns and strings and presented in concert. The songs were arranged by Edmonton trombonist Audrey Ochoa, who also assembled a horn section made up of trombone, two trumpets, bari, alto and tenor saxophone. In addition to the horns Canadian Folk Music award winners The Bombadils (Luke Fraser mandolin and Sarah Frank violin and vocals) long time backup singer Stephanie Suchy and Art of Time Ensemble and Jayme Stone upright bassist Joe Phillips also performed. The concert was a huge success, a packed house with many people turned away at the door. Sures felt it might be a good idea to record the concert as it was a once in a lifetime event and engaged long time Guy Clark, Emmylou Harris producer and engineer Miles Wilkinson who described Sures’ performance as a text book on how to put on a great show, referring to his performance and stage banter. The concert and subsequent album is titled Poema Poematis which simply means ‘version’ in Latin. This album features new versions of Sures’ most popular songs including The John Lennon Songwriting contest folk category winner ‘Any Precious Girl’.

Ben Sures would be best described as a wiz of a guitar player who tells great stories in song. Having a natural stage presence, he connects with his audience in a very laid back way; it’s a bit of ‘taking the audience to Ben land for a vacation’. Songs about everything from imaginary Rayguns to sandwiches prepared for him by his father when he was a young boy. A Ben Sures concert includes humour, storytelling, sing a long and great guitar playing. Sures is immersed in the history of roots music so you feel the old traditions informing this contemporary songwriter’s music.

Ben is a winner of numerous songwriting contests including the John Lennon and the International Songwriting Contest. He has traveled far and wide across Canada performing at Festivals, small clubs, fairs, town squares and living rooms. He has also toured the UK on three previous occasions and performed in Beirut, Lebanon. He is well known for his work on CBC Radio as part of The Irrelevant Show as well as the many interviews and broadcasts on Canada Live, The Round Up, Morningside, Madly Off In All Directions, The Vinyl Café and more.

Artist’s website: www.bensures.com

‘The Yardbird Suite’ – live:


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