Earlier this year, I wrote about the Linden, Alberta, Canada-born folk singer/songwriter and guitarist Mike Edel, who currently splits time between Seattle, WA and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. And as you may recall, Edel can trace the origins of his music career to around 2008 — and since then he’s released two EPs, 2008’s Hide from the Seasons and 2012’s The Country Where I Came From and two full-length albums 2011’s The Last of Our Mountains and 2015’s India, Seattle.
Edel’s latest album, the Chris Walla-produced THRESHOLDS is a decided change in sonic direction for the Canadian-born singer/songwriter and guitarist, as he adopted a “consistency-is-boring” mantra before spending a year in the studio evolving his sound and working on new material. The album’s latest single, “Houdini” prominently features around pedal effected power chords, an anthemic hook that sounds indebted to David Bowie‘s “Heroes,” and a swooning, heartfelt sentiment — that in desperate times, sometimes the only thing you can do is lean on those closest to you. The song also suggests that the brightest days generally come after the darkest ones; that adversity is temporary and that things frequently can and do get better.
Written and directed by Keenan O’Reilly, the recently released video for “Houdini” follows a man, who suffers a terrible and inconsolable loss in a terrible car accident, that leaves the protagonist scarred and battered physically and psychologically. Through a slow process and the assistance of a kindly nurse, the video’s protagonist learns to overcome his fears and move forward with his life. It’s poignant, heartbreaking and profound.
Edel is currently on a lengthy headlining tour. Check out the remaining North American tour dates below.
Tour Dates
5/05 – Los Angeles, CA | Hotel Cafe
5/09 – Seattle, WA | The Sunset
5/10 – Bellingham, WA | The Firefly
5/14 – Rossland, BC | Flying Steamshovel
5/15 – Red Deer, AB | Red Hart Brewing
5/16 – Edmonton, AB | The Buckingham
5/17 – Calgary, AB | The Ironwood
5/18 – Calgary, AB | The Ironwood
5/21 – Lethbridge, AB | The Slice
5/22 – Kelowna, BC | Fernando’s
5/23 – Vancouver, BC | TBC
