Larry Krause is no stranger to the album recording process.
The local western roots country crooner has six on his recording artist resume, and has just added a seventh – Warm Breeze, consisting of 15 Western Roots tunes “that reflect the people, places and times that create the West we live in today.”
Krause, who is based out of Paddockwood, said it was a departure from his previous experience writing and recording new music, which is usually done quite quickly. Warm Breeze, though, is a project more than three years in the making.
“Having worked on it that long hasn’t been a bad thing, because there are three of the songs that are included on there that hadn’t even been written when the album started,” he said.
“It’s one of those albums that I’ve always wanted to put out. It’s got a whole bunch of tunes that I wrote on it, and some favourites that I’ve been performing for years that people have requested. I’m very pleased with how the project turned out.”
Krause is known locally for the Timberline Music Show, but also his dozens of performances on big and small stages in Prince Albert and across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, BC and PEI.
He’s played everywhere from local music clubs to the stage at the Calgary Stampede, small town halls and agriculture fairs or around the fire after a long cowboy day.
“The style of music on (the album) and the style of music that I perform would be considered a Western roots type of thing. It wanders
very much to Western heritage and cowboy and intertwines into the modern age as well,” Krause told the Herald.
“A lot of the songs and a lot of the topics are kind of timeless. It wouldn’t really matter if they got written 20 years ago or 50 years ago. It’s basically the same kind of message that comes through.”
Inspiration for the songs on this album came from “all over the map,” Krause said, whether living and working on the ranch, or riding trails in the Canadian Rockies, and the cowboy way of life.
“That, basically, and just the personal circumstances that people deal with on a day-to-day basis,” he added.
“Not only in rural areas, but quite likely urban areas to an extent as well.”
Krause said he was proud to put together the album locally, using local musicians and a local studio.
Warm Breeze features young Jake Vaadeland on banjo, who has been performing locally alongside the Sturgeon River Boys, but who has also appeared as part of the duo Jake and Ira with Ira Amundson of Amundson Family Music.
It also features Dean Bernier, an accomplished local fiddler.
“Everybody that’s involved in the production of the album is Prince Albert area musicians. We live in an area that has some very incredible musicians and I have the good fortune to be able to work together with them to be able to create a product of this kind of quality,” Krause said.
The album was recorded in Prince Albert at Riverbend Studios.
With performances few and far between over the last year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Krause is also looking forward to getting out and performing his new music. His first opportunity will be at the Army and Navy Club on May 21.
“I’ve done some virtual stuff and I’m very fortunate to have been able to have that opportunity, but definitely looking forward to getting playing,” he said.
“We had a pretty busy summer back in 2020 all booked and me, like so many others within a week and a half, we went from the promise of a pretty good summer to the realization that absolutely nothing was going to happen. I’m looking forward to seeing things open up in a reasonable fashion, to moderately be able to see how things can expand and get back to something we can all be enjoying again.”
To support Krause or buy his music, reach out to him directly through his website or phone number. He said he’s launched earlier albums to streaming and web platforms but finds that his audience is one that still enjoys receiving that music in hard copy.
“The physical CD-in-hand is still for my market, the best way to go. So that’s what we’re doing.”
To purchase a copy, visit larrykrause.ca or call 306-961-4694.
