Saskatchewan Country Closeup – Jeff Michel

Jeff D. Michel  is a CFMA‐nominated singer‐ songwriter, multi‐instrumentalist and producer living and working in Estevan, Saskatchewan.  His latest single, Cabin in the Woods, is released  to Canadian markets and all digital streaming services .  Jeff has recently wrapped up production of his new album, Back to the Moon due out in September 2021. Back to the Moon will be Jeff’s second full‐length release, a follow‐up to his 2006 debut The Seasons, 2014 single Love You a Little While, and his first collection of new music since the 2018 Hook & Nail album Ghosts of Taylorton.

Cabin in the Woods follows the successful release of Jeff’s first single, Just Another Winter (Oct2020).

Jeff’s forthcoming 13 track offering, Back to the Moon, contains contributions from friends/bandmates Mike Davis & Lindsay Arnold (Hook & Nail/Last Birds) as well as Nashville pedal steel legend Steve Hinson.  It is an eclectic mix of country‐tinged folk/roots songs, and explores themes of aliens, loss, winter whimsy, dragons, prairie storms and the wisdom gained as one grows older.  His latest single, Cabin in the Woods takes inspiration from time spent with family at his parents’ summer cabin, and reminisces about the fond memories that often accompany a summer hideaway.

Album tracks include Never Outrun the Storm, a cautionary tale of the nature of summer prairie storms, and features Hinson on pedal steel, while Two Kids Dressed as Dragons tells the fantastic story of The Dragons and the 7‐Horned Monster, based loosely on events that took place at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.  The title track, Back to the Moon, featuring Davis on slide guitar, ponders if we’re truly alone in the universe  ‐  and perhaps by choice.    The Only Thing, inspired by a comment from a coworker, laments the loss of a wife and mother in childbirth, and the opening track, Professor of Intuition cleverly ventures into the world of the sixth sense.  Jeff’s song writing style has matured to reflect the influence that folk music has had and embraces its storytelling nature, yet retains the edge and drive of his blues/rock roots.

In addition to his solo efforts, Jeff is a member of the folk/roots trio Hook & Nail, whose debut album Ghosts of Taylorton earned them a 2020 Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for New/Emerging Artist of the Year, and tied for the #4 spot in the SaskMusic Best Saskatchewan Albums of 2018.  When Jeff isn’t doing music‐related things, he relaxes with his cats and enjoys growing hot peppers and various fruits in his backyard which he combines to make a hot jam with a slow, sweet burn.

Listen to the interview