Photo: Contributed

Murray McLauchlan is one of Canada’s most highly regarded singer/songwriters, and with good cause. Over a 40-year career, he has released 18 albums and been awarded 11 Junos. His songs Farmer’s Song, Down by the Henry Moore, Whispering Rain and Sweeping the Spotlight Away are now considered Canadian standards. Murray is also a painter, an author, an actor, a radio host; he's been bestowed an Honourary Doctor of Laws and appointed to The Order of Canada. That’s quite a ride. Yet some may wonder where he's been of late. Murray did tour in support of his 2012 critically acclaimed release Human Writes, but then decided to take a break. Other interests prevailed and he restricted his touring to shows with Lunch At Allen's, the supergroup he co-founded, whose members also include Ian Thomas, Marc Jordan and Cindy Church.

Now Murray is on the road in his own right once more. Here’s what he has to say: “As a songwriter I know that it's not enough to sit in your kitchen and write. Your songs need to be heard. Music is a communicative art and if it isn't brought in front of people there is no way to tell if that end has been met. I like to think of a concert tour as a kind of roving gallery to test your art and your ideas. I try to do my very best to make it worthwhile for folks to be there and to perhaps look at things in a new way when they leave.”

This, in a nutshell, is the Murray McLauchlan concert experience.

Tickets are available at Select Your Tickets outlets, online at www.selectyourtickets.com or by phone at 250-762-5050. For more info, pics & music clips, visit www.shantero.com