For the past few years, Denis Severino has been performing throughout the BC Interior, playing and recording with numerous musicians from the area.
Tonight at the Amble Inn, the fruits of his efforts will be unveiled when Teds Amongst Men, the collective that Severino heads up, releases it's debut album, That Ol' Chestnut.
The Times Review e-mailed a few questions to Severino. Here is his response:
Who/what is Teds Amongst Men?
Teds Amongst Men is a collective. A broken down version of the band/group will be featured at this show - Mike (Shaver), Steph (Webster) and I. The album features a swath of instruments/musicians/talent.
What was it like recording the album?
The CD was a riot to record. Lots of good times, laughs and a fair bit of work. Lots of talented people. Hosted at a friend's house... very cozy, relaxed. Did it last winter. The process was low stress. And songs took shape as we recorded, including some of the arrangements.
For more about the band, here's their bio from their website (tedsamongstmen.com):
Teds Amongst Men is a collective of vagabond musicians that can usually be found scattered across Canada in local pubs and bar rooms. The group descended upon the interior B.C. area of Sunnybrae to record its first release, That Ol' Chestnut, in the winter of 2011. Hosted at the rustic and cozy country home of local coffee house organizer Joan Roberts, and recorded by long-time friend Rick Ruddock, the fellow Teds amassed forces to bring an energetic and casual feel to the project dubbed That Ol' Chesnut. Shortly thereafter, a live performance of the recorded songs were featured to an enthusiastic audience at the Sunnybrae Coffee House, a hidden B.C. interior gem that gathers local and traveling folk musicians together for a night of live music.
That Ol' Chestnut is a collection of ten songs written by songwriter and front man Denis Severino. The album draws upon Severino's folk/traditional-driven influences, spanning across a mix of folk, bluegrass and blues songs. A portion of the songs are tales relating Severino's years as a tree planter, while others are a reflection of experiences of life on the road. That Ol' Chestnut features Denis Severino on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica, Michael Shaver and Stephanie Webster as back-up vocalists, Leon Power on drums, percussion, mandolin and banjo, Jake Verberg on mandolin, steel, acoustic and electric guitar, Darrin Herting on bass, Chris Stevens on banjo, Ben Plotnick on fiddle and JR Adams on dobro.
Teds Amongst Men releases its debut album That Ol' Chestnut at the Amble Inn on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10, or $15 with a CD, and are available at Talisman or the Cash Store.