Bryson makes huge impression with Falcon Lake

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"I wonder if I can leech some fans off them," laughed Ottawabased singer-songwriter Jim Bryson over the phone. He was talking about The Weakerthans, with whom he recorded The Falcon Lake Incident in the dead of last year's winter.

It's a beautifully crafted popfolk collaboration between the two camps, Manitoba's favourite indierockers The Weakerthans and Bryson, one of the country's besthidden gems. Having performed for several years as a solo artist and a guitarist-for-hire with Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards and The Weakerthans themselves, it was time for the tables to turn. Now, with his friends providing the backing tracks, The Falcon Lake Incident has shaped Bryson as a figure in Canadian music.

"I know the reality of it is that (The Weakerthans) are a much more popular group than I am as an individual solo artist. It certainly wasn't the reason for doing the project, but I'd have to be fairly ignorant to suggest that it wouldn't open any doors."

Bryson and The Weakerthans are now touring the album, and they'll be at London's Aeolian Hall on February 8 with friends Daniel Romano and Daniel Ledwell. But it's the making of the album that has intrigued fans and critics alike.

It all started with a visiting artist grant, Bryson said, which allowed him and the band a week's accommodations in a resort east of Winnipeg. Staying off-season, they found themselves in barren, snowcovered lands where few dared to venture. It was an isolating experience, but to Bryson, it was just what they needed to stir the creative juices.

"I think the fact that we were removed from the city ... enabled us to just sink our lives into this for a week. The day-to-day distractions weren't the same, so we just worked and worked and worked (until) someone said 'Oh my god, it's two o'clock. I can't do this anymore.'"

Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing outings took place around the long recording sessions, but the bitter cold temperatures and solitude provided unique experiences, especially when troubleshooting power issues.

"There were some electrical things at night on the grid or whatever. Because we were on a lake, the guitar amps would start making these weird sounds at night and we had to do this thing where we ground ourselves. We'd put a little clip on our hip and then clip it to the guitar to lift the ground. (It was) this weird cycling hum that was going on, only at night."

Falcon Lake is also well known to UFO enthusiasts, the site of an alleged encounter with aliens. The event is the namesake of Bryson and The Weakerthans' album, and though they remain skeptical about the account's validity, he does admit "there was a little bit of eeriness to it."

Regardless, their week of recording (with additional instruments done later) has paid off, and The Falcon Lake Incident has received rave reviews, even making it to a number of top 10 best-of lists for 2010. But though the boys are happy to receive praise for their work, at the end of the day, Bryson asserted, the whole project was never designed with critics in mind.

"I don't want to make this sound small, but I think the idea of (The Falcon Lake Incident) was just making music with friends and not having any kind of grand illusions about it. Just going somewhere and recording and enjoying each other's company and seeing what we get."

That simplistic passion for music and collaboration has bore fruit in the form of "Jim Bryson and The Weakerthans," an act well worth checking out. They play at Aeolian Hall on February 8. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.