Nova Scotia’s David Myles is a musician who not only puts up with change, he welcomes and embraces it.
A long-time trumpet player who moved through the jazz scene for some years, Myles stepped away from his chosen three-valve instrument when he made the switch to the six strings of a guitar.
At virtually the same instant, he turned his attentions to songwriting, a talent which landed him a win in the 2009 Great American Song Contest in the contemporary acoustic/folk category for “When It Comes My Turn”.
That same year, moving from trumpet and jazz to guitar and songwriting earned him an East Coast Music Award for folk recording of the year. The 2009 ECMA was followed by Nova Scotia Music Awards for Male Artist of the Year and Folk Recording of the Year and another ECMA nomination as entertainer of the year, among others.
In 2010, Myles was named the Nova Scotia Music Awards’ Male Artist of the Year and also carried off the Folk Recording of the Year title. He also earned an ECMA nomination as the year’s entertainer, and other nominations.
Nothing much changed for 2011, awards-wise, as Myles has again been given the nod for a number of industry music awards, mostly for his new album, Turn Time Off.
But 2011 has been a year of change for Myles musically as he switched genres while working with Joel Plaskett. His new direction can be observed when Myles returns to play Canmore’s Communitea Café, March 28-29.
Myles, who is coming off a Vinyl Café tour with Stuart McLean, recently opened for Plaskett before heading west with Kyle Cunjak on upright bass and Alan Jeffries on guitar and vocals – two long-time friends he’s toured Scotland with.
“I’ve kind of had three tours going,” said Myles last week from a gig in Parry Sound. “I love playing in Canmore. I used to work at Lake O’Hara and I’ve got a lot of friends thee. And I really like Communitea Café; I think I was one of the first live shows there.
“A friend of a friend knew Marnie (Communitea owner Dansereau) and I was lucky to play there. It’s nice to see it’s growing as a venue.”
And Myles is familiar not only with the Canmore music scene a la Communitea; he’s also experienced the Nordic Centre, although last year’s experience was somewhat humbling.
Last year when Myles was in town to perform, he decided to take a turn on the Nordic Centre’s trails. However, being that many Olympians were in town for a world cup event prior to heading for the Whistler/Vancouver games, “I got walloped. It was the day after the world cup and everybody out there was a professional in their team suits. And I was out there in jeans and a dress coat, just having some fun. They were amazing skiers.”
This time around, music lovers can see how Myles has changed direction again with his latest offering. Having embraced jazz, blues and folk on previous albums, Turn Time Off is a soul-infused pop offering.
Looking back to his first of four CDs, Myles’ first attempt was a full-length album, “which I wanted to do just to see if I could do it. I wanted to see if I could make a career of it. I had dabbled with the idea of being a trumpet player, but I guess I never really committed to it.”
Early radio support from CKUA and CBC helped give him the confidence to give singing/songwriting a go as a career.
But having switched from trumpet to guitar while in his third year of university and while visiting China, Myles had started writing his own songs. “I also love singing, and you can’t do that and play the trumpet. Playing the guitar gave me the ability to write songs; I saw the guitar as a tool for songwriting.”
Because he so suddenly made the switch from playing trumpet to the guitar and songwriting, “I only know about six covers,” Myles admits. “It takes a long time to play jazz at a high level and I was kind of a hack. I still play it, though, and I’m a big jazz fan.
“I love jazz, but it’s not in me to spend 10 hours a day practicing scales.”
Now a man of guitar and vocals, Myles said he is enjoying the entire package of the music experience, from rhythms to songs and lyrics. Typically, he’s a music first type; with a melody or guitar riff coming to him first.
“Lyrics then somehow magically appear,” he said. “I think they come out of the ether. There’s always a bit of mystery at the start of a song, but that is when the craft comes, developing and editing to where I like it.”
Myles is also not the type who knocks out a song on the back of a napkin while mid-tour, or wherever. “I need to set aside a block of time to work. That’s where the craft part comes in. If I don’t set myself up to work on songs, it doesn’t happen. I need to work at it.
“I write a lot of love songs, songs about being away from home and songs about those around me. I don’t write many story type songs, because I need to be inspired by something I’ve experienced. Sometimes a song comes quick, sometimes it takes a long time.”
However Myles is working things out these days musically, it’s working out. He hasn’t had a day job for four or five years and plays up to 130 gigs a year, with tours of the U.K. and U.S. coming up in 2011.
He’s also working on a live album, Live at the Carleton, which came about simply as the result of a sound man at Halifax’s Carleton bar recording during a four-night gig.
“The Carleton is not unlike the vibe at Communitea,” he said. “It seats about 100 people and it’s a great spot. I didn’t even know it happened. I always thought live albums seemed over planned, but there was no plan with this one and it feels really good.”
