John Southworth debuts first double album Niagara at The Palace Theater

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: CORY BRUYEA
Canadian singer/songwriter John Southworth is coming to London to showcase his new album, Niagara, at Palace Theatre on October 10.

John Southworth is as ambitious as he is talented. The Canadian singer/songwriter released his first double album Niagara – with Canadian and American sides respectively – on September 30, no small feat for an artist who already has a dozen albums spanning over a 15-year-long career.

“I didn’t want to just release another 10- or 12-song CD, I wanted to push myself to make a record that was unique in its experience of listening,” he said. “It wasn’t going be a self indulgent thing, there was going to be a real reason for it... so a lot of work has gone into it, and I’m hoping its a new experience for those who are still listening to records.”

Southworth said Niagara is a story, and has to be thought out as such.

“Once you sort of have a record and you finish one side and take a break, you realize the second side is a direct conversation with the side you’ve just listened to,” said Southworth. “There’s characters, there’s musical motifs, there’s lyrics that are connected to each side.”

With London’s Palace Theater hosting the opening show in support of his new record, Southworth talked about the decision to play in the Forest City.

“Well I suppose it just chose me,” he said. “The promoter of the show, an old friend and fan, offered the night – I think it worked out that London would be first by chance... I think it should be fairly apropos [the venue] for the music.”

It’s hard to define Southworth’s style. It ranges from contemporary jazz and ‘70s easy listening to ‘80s pop and folky ballads.

He knows it’s sometimes work for his listeners to be involved, but instead of being afraid of alienating his crowd, he thrives on that interaction.

“I’m asking them to come along with me on a musical journey with each record. You’ll find the journey’s completely different from [one record to the next] it’s a lot to ask of people, but I feel artists don’t ask enough from their audiences these days and to me that’s really what its about.”

He still lends these ideas to his visual aesthetic. The director of all his music videos, Southworth talked about Niagara’s video premiere “Ode to the Sky,” filmed in nearby Orangeville, Ont.

“Orangeville was chosen for several reasons,” he said. “It’s relatively close to Niagara Falls, it has an amazing water tower; it has the word ‘orange’ in it and this synced well with [aspects] of the video. It was also close to Brampton, where I shot all the amazingly surreal Hindu temples.”

Real and made-up locations deeply inspire Southworth, with albums titles like Mars Pennsylvania and Banff Springs Transylvania.

“I’ve always been attracted to places and things that are real but feel unreal,” he said.

Opening for the show is Valery Gore, a Toronto indie-pop synth pianist, who released her third album Idols in the Dark Heart on September 9.

Southworth will be playing at Palace Theatre located at 710 Dundas St. on October 10. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.