KURATED NO. 271
Traveller 2 by Barry Truter
CONTENTS
- PLAYLIST
– The 11-song album is on bandcamp - VIDEO SONG
Living in Barbados
Barry Truter’s YouTube channel
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MUSIC FOR OUR TROUBLED TIMES
Barry Truter sings and writes with insight and gentle force
by Andy Rose
How is it possible to create art when the world is hurtling toward near-certain destruction? Is it even worthwhile when humanity is at stake? Shouldn’t we focus on stopping war, saving democracy or fighting climate change instead of writing poems and singing songs?
The topic arose in a dialogue between BC author Tom Wayman and Roger Holdstock, a musician and educator, at a Wayman book launch I attended a couple of years ago. My takeaway from their compelling discussion? Art is essential. It gives us the strength to survive and maintain our humanity. It fuels our spirit to act on matters of life and death.
And music has an especially potent role because it stirs our emotions and brings people together.
The best that music can be
Traveller 2, the new album from Vancouver musician and writer Barry Truter, is for me the epitome of what music can do to inspire and call us to action. His is music with many messages and themes. A long-time member of Vancouver folk trio Fraser Union and a cofounder of the Georgia Strait Music Camp, Truter sings and writes lyrics with insight and gentle force. He calls out the greed and hypocrisy of our toxic capitalism while inviting us into quiet places where we can find inner strength and equanimity.
Truter’s songs remind us to “slow down the feet, relax the brain.” They do just that with fine vocals, feel-good grooves and melodies featuring the Caribbean and South African influences he’s been honing for years. The work also features an array of talented musicians on fiddle, lap steel guitar, mandolin, dobro, percussion, and vocals.
Traveller 2 is a musical treat. At the heart of its 11 tracks sits Let Your Heart Lead.
Let your heart lead, and your feet will follow
Let your light shine, set your spirit free
We are seekers from our birth
Children of our Mother Earth
So let your heart lead, and follow the beat.
Your heart might lead your feet to a lake in a quiet wood and contemplation. Your heart might lead your feet to dance with joy. Your heart might lead your feet to join a protest march.
We don’t know if our actions can change the disastrous course the world is on. But in leading with the heart, we act with kindness and do our best. This is all we can ask of ourselves.
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About Barry Truter
Traveller 2 is the culmination of a project that includes Truter’s first Traveller album, released in 2011, and his book Traveller: Stories and Songs in the Key of Connection.
The book won the 2022 Next Generation Indie Books Award in the anthology category. It intersperses words and music from both CDs with lively stories about Truter’s many journeys, often by merchant ship, that inspired the songs. You can read Tom Sandborn’s review in the Vancouver Sun here.
Traveller 2 is available on Bandcamp to listen free or download as a digital album for $15. Barry Truter’s book and albums are available through his website, barrytruter.com.
~ Andy Rose is a member of High Spirits community choir and the Vancouver Folk Song Society
