Oct. 17, 2012 - Issue #887: Dedfest
Peter Karp and Sue Foley
His and hers
» Heading in a new direction
A shift from introspective to outgoing has been the start of a new chapter for the dynamic blues duo Peter Karp and Sue Foley.
Karp and Foley, both formidable musicians in their own right, became a package deal of sorts when a series of events led to the pair keeping in touch via email, which opened the flood gates to a wealth of inspiration for He Said, She Said, Karp and Foley's deeply personal release.
Two and a half years of touring later, the twosome are back with Beyond The Crossroads, a much more outgoing take on the world around them, with songs tackling themes of positivity, renewal and absolution. Where He Said, She Said was born out of loneliness, Beyond The Crossroads is a celebration of life, playing off the blues rock style Karp and Foley have become known for.
"He Said, She Said was getting to know each other and this record is getting to work, and this is really the two of us sharpening our blades as songwriters and guitar players and instrumentalists," Karp says over the phone while on the road from New York City to Kingston, ON. "We're trying to write about how we see the world and how we'd like to see the world and the broad perception of things."
The album is a combination of solo writing efforts as well as Karp and Foley taking a stab at co-writing, something neither had a great deal of experience with. However, they found they were able to feed off one another's styles and inspiration to get their ideas across.
"We were both able to draw from our strengths. Peter has a really creative writing style, sort of a fearless style I like to say, because he's not afraid to just use great concepts or words and throw stuff in," Foley notes, adding she's an instrumentalist first rather than a songwriter. "I'm kind of more of a straight shooter, more conversational I guess ... but these two things mesh together really well."
"Songwriting I think is my first trade, but when you write and you work with Sue Foley you better have a pretty sharp blade for your guitar too. I think we both set the bar for each other pretty high in respective areas," Karp adds. "You're going to hear really great songs and you're going to hear some really fiery guitar playing and I think that's what happens when you put two people together who are competitive by nature and have a great deal of respect for each other who really love to play music."
Fri, Oct 19 (7:30 pm)
Horizon Stage, Spruce Grove, $5 – $30
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