
We catch Terra Lightfoot at home in rural Ontario just before she hits the road for her fall tour. She is relishing a few days of relaxation with her husband, American musician Jon Auer, who just got back from a tour himself.
After a summer filled with shows and festivals, she says she filled the brief space between summer performing and fall touring with … recording music!
“It’s been a big push of creativity around these parts,” she smiles. Though her last album, Healing Power, came out late last year and her summer was go-go-go, she says she’s full of energy to make music.
“The Healing Power album cycle or whatever you want to call it, has left me feeling creatively juiced,” she says.
It’s partly to do with her bandmates: Rob Radford on drums and Eli Abrams on bass. The trio has been together since last summer and have a wonderful connection, she says.
“I feel very safe and secure with my band, I love what we’re doing right now.”
Described by CBC Music as “one of Canada’s best all-around musicians,” the Juno Award-nominated artist has opened for Bruce Cockburn, Blue Rodeo, Willie Nelson and more. Healing Power was her fifth studio album.
She’s feeling a new freedom in her music now, she says.
“I think that the songs on Healing Power have contributed to this new era. I’m not so tied to creating something perfect, I’m more into things that are moving and that can change.”
There is so much pressure for artists to make themselves heard and seen, she says, to continually have a presence, online and in real life.
“That to me is sort of a comfort because we’re all just doing the same thing. No one’s doing it perfectly and we’re doing it because we love it. There’s a lot of freedom of just letting go of what you think you should be doing. I just feel so much better without all that pressure.”
The joy of creativity is the whole point, she says.
“If you’ve ever played music you know what it means to be so emotionally involved and captivated by making these beautiful sounds and trying to share it with somebody. We all need this creative practice whether you’re a writer, musician painter … whatever you do, you need to let it out. “
Lightfoot ends her North American tour at the Demmitt Hall in northern Alberta on October 19. She then heads to the UK. ‘It’s going to be crazy times,” she says, “but … all in the life of music!”
Terra Lightfoot plays Calgary on October 17, Edmonton on October 18 and Demmitt on October 19. Tickets and details can be found on her website.
“Someone Else’s Feelings” from Healing Power: