WCMA ‘19 Winner- Urban Artist of the Year
QC, SK, CANADA.
Artist Contact: LOAflomusic@gmail.com
Representing: @TrifectaSoundCo

Canadian singer-songwriter-pianist Jeffery Straker performs over 100 shows per year. He’s recorded for CBC radio’s ‘Canada Live’, and has toured internationally playing pianos in places such as Mexico, Chile and The Netherlands. His performances range from house concerts to theatres and festivals, and collaborations with symphony orchestras while film, TV, and theatrical productions have also showcased his work.  Canadian Musician Magazine has said, “Very much an artist to watch” while the Chicago Free Press has written, “Rufus Wainwright, as well as k.d. lang are among the Canadians making essential and beautiful music. Add the name Jeffery Straker to that list”.  Listeners at home and abroad are indeed taking note.
Jeffery was the winner of the Vina Del Mar International Song Competition (Chile) in 2014, representing Canada.  He earned a Latin American fan following performing to a live audience of 20,000 as well as a TV audience of 150,000,000 viewers around the Spanish speaking world. 

His 2017 album, Dirt Road Confessional, reached #5 on the iTunes Canada singer-songwriter charts and saw over 200 performances across Canada and abroad. The 12-song collection has been played on CBC Radio 1 and 2 and has been featured on several CBC music playlists. Straker regularly draws comparisons to Harry Chapin, Kris Kristofferson as well as a young Billy Joel or Elton John, but his personal storytelling style stands out distinctly as his own. 
That storytelling style is evident on the first single from his forthcoming 2020 album. “One Foot on Main Street” (Sept 2019) is a nod to the small town life he experienced growing up on the Canadian prairies. Evolving from his past folk-pop recordings, the song hints at the “roots” flavour the new album will present.  A second single “Light a Fire” was released in Mar 2020. Co-written with Royal Wood, the track has been payed across Canada on CBC radio.
The classically trained pianist was raised by a church organist mother and auctioneer father. He swears he was born under the piano on the family farm. All this might explain his incredible ability to share songs with audiences.

Close Talker is an indie rock band from Saskatoon, Canada. The band has toured throughout North America and Europe, and has gained the attention and praise of notable publications such as NPR, Billboard, Clash, Spin, Q Magazine, COS etc. Having recently won Alternative Artist of The Year at the Saskatchewan Music Awards, the band is poised for a breakthrough 2019. Beyond Close Talker’s recordings and videos, the music comes alive with the band’s iconic live show, leaving audiences around the world satisfied, having left all inhibitions behind. The band works tirelessly on evolving every aspect of their craft, which has led to their strongest and most confident album to date: How Do We Stay Here?  

In so many ways How Do We Stay Here? marks a new chapter for the band. The three members leaned into the trust and foundation built over countless years of friendship to pursue a record that would be sustainable and timeless for them. Choosing to self-produce allowed the band to hold this album close to their chest while it developed organically over the course of 2018 at RMS Labs in Regina, SK. At its core, the album is laced with a quiet confidence that invites the listener to dig in, finding new appreciation with each spin. Close Talker, now more than ever, is interested in music that is timeless - music that won’t force the listener into feeling a certain way. To achieve this, the band approached each song following a code of instincts and honesty, including a list of 10 commandments by which all decisions were filtered through. Some were practical like: “Start with what you know” while others were more attitude checks or wholistic like: “No ego” All catering to the music coming first. How Do We Stay Here? is a testament to the band’s integrity and a desire to produce music that is original and pure. It is an album the band wrote for themselves, in hopes that the songs would carry the same meaning in 10 years, as they do today.

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