Folk-music mystic, Carly Dow has given even more of herself on stage than she expected this tour.
As she was leaving for her tour she found out her friend has suddenly died of what she believes is natural causes.
“It’s been really tough tour emotionally,” said Dow. “We took some time of to think about her and the craziness (of touring), it’s already so vulnerable to perform.”
Dow has found solace in her music and sharing her emotions as she mourns the loss of her friend with the crowd and her social media followers.
“I had thought about keeping it private and not really diving into it,” said Dow. “Honestly I was dropping the ball with a lot of things… I wanted to let people know why I was more off kilter than usual. I think that it’s important to talk about death and that when you are grieving you don’t have to hide it. I feel like a lot of people need to know that it’s okay.”
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Dow is now touring her second album, Comet released Oct. 19, that was created by a Manitoban team.
“Prairie artists have more space in their music, it’s all more open feeling,” said Dow. “It’s not just busy music it has some space in the phrasing, arrangements, lyrics and lyrical content with references to our surroundings and vibe. Wide open like our sky.”
This album, Dow spent most of her time in pre-production preparing the arrangements and melodies that would become the light, banjo driven masterpiece it is now.
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“My first album was my first run as a co-producer and creative leader and I was still learning what to do. With Comet I knew more clearly what I wanted before going into the studio.”
The musician says has poured her talents into the album to create a more polished product than her first, Ingrained.
Inspired by the natural world, Dow also holds a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Studies and works part time for the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
“Being outdoors and learning a lot about the natural world has contributed to song content and what I choose to write about. There is a lot of imagery and words in the context of human relationships. I get to use another part of my brain. I find it inspiring to break away from that,” said Dow.
Dow will perform at Milkcrate Record Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. tickets are $10 at the door.
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