It’s all about the face-to-face connection for touring folk artist Scott Cook.
Hailing from the Canadian province of Alberta, Cook is tuning the strings for his first-ever trip to Queenstown, where he’s playing Sherwood tonight.
It’s part of a 12-date New Zealand round-up showcasing his 2020 album, Tangle of Souls, and accomanying his hard-cover book of ‘liner notes’, which is 240 pages long.
Cook says he always loved the little booklets that came with hard-copy CDs growing up, and enjoyed records that added a little more to the experience.
His 2017 album, Further Down the Line, was his first go at something similar, creating a record and 130-page soft-cover book.
It was around the time his mates were saying ‘no one’s buying physical albums anymore’, but Cook was selling more than he ever had, he reckons.
“People were curious to look at them and had a reason to take a physical one home.”
The musical part of Tangle of Souls, recorded in Australia, is entirely string band – no drums, just all acoustic instruments.
The creative process chugged along well, the timeline extended by the arrival of Covid.
Cook says the written part, beginning in late 2019, was originally envisioned as about 160 pages, but got longer as the pandemic continued.
For the Canadian, singing songs and connecting with people is his favourite thing to do.
He says over the year’s he’s played in people’s houses, gardens and living rooms, and found smaller venues with more direct connection with the audience is what he loves most.
“I’m close enough to see into their eyes,” he laughs.
“It’s really an honour that people give you their attention and just show up.”
Cook’s last visit to Aotearoa was in early 2020, when he got a bit of insight into the Kiwi folk music scene – he says it’s akin to the culture in Canada and Australia, and “charming”.
He especially fondly recalls big circles of unaccompanied, acoustic singing at the Auckland Folk Festival where the last tour finished.
Cook’s first trip to the Whakatipu is short, following a show in Invercargill on Friday and before a show in Dunedin tomorrow, but he’s keen to return.
He plans on bringing his partner over next year and build in a little bit more time to explore.
For now, though, the audience at tonight’s Sherwood show can expect some mellow, acoustic, folk music with a focus on storytelling.
“Hopefully you’ll hear songs you can relate to and go home feeling hopeful about the world.”
Scott Cook 2023 Aotearoa Tour, tonight, 7pm, Sherwood Queenstown. Tickets $20 via undertheradar.co.nz
