Greg MacPherson

April 29th, ‘11

Until May 8th, over 500 Manitoba and Saskatchewan artists representing all disciplines will be performing on various stages in Ottawa|Gatineau. Prairie Scene, presented by Canada’s National Arts Centre, is the fifth in a series of festivals showcasing our country’s finest established and emerging artists. This reviewer will be critiquing four events, each featuring multiple artists.

On April 29th, Greg MacPherson opened for Luke Doucet. These guitar-playing singer-songwriters are both Halifax natives who now call Winnipeg home. Doucet, who regularly backs up Sarah McLaughlan and has a 2006 Juno award nomination, attracted a full-house crowd. The less-known MacPherson, however, stole the show.

Humbled and awed to be opening for Doucet, MacPherson had voice, talent and an “aw shucks” manner that made us fall in love with him by the second song. Long before the two did a duet near the end of the show, many agreed that MacPherson was, indeed, the better performer. In a clear, powerful voice, he moved us deeply with authentic songs that made us want to listen. Mesmerized by the sound quality and appreciative audience at the National Art Centre’s Studio theatre, MacPherson was like a kid in a candy store, repeatedly thanking us for having him there. It was truly the other way around. We considered ourselves lucky to enjoying him. He humbly apologized for his “caveman” guitar-playing style, comparing himself to Doucet, the “virtuoso” who was to follow him, but he was selling himself short. Despite Doucet’s superior guitar skills, MacPherson was the hit of the evening.

Luke Doucet’s first number knocked us flat. He does indeed wield a fine instrument. He and his trademark $12,000 Gretsch White Falcon guitar dazzled us. Wow, we thought, what a performer! What a guitarist! And this impression continued for about five songs. Then people started nodding off. We wonder whether he noticed! Doucet has a few great “tricks”. He plays a bass run on the guitar then does fancy finger work on top of it. Amazing once, perhaps twice, maybe even three times... but give us a break! Although the playing was intricate and sparkling, the technique became redundant. He then added a second technique, using a recording system to play back the lines he had just recorded while he did another track over it. By repeating this four or five times, he created an entire band with only one guitar. Fantastic once, maybe twice, but yet again… Luke, this is not original. Many people do it.

Luke kept mentioning that he had just finished performing with Sarah McLauchlan. Unlike the humble McPherson, Doucet seemed a little taken with himself, and I believe that influenced his performance. His voice is neither clear nor strong, and his words fail to move us because we can often neither hear nor make sense of them. After having been moved by the depth and intensity of MacPherson, we were disappointed. Doucet’s show is tired. If he wants to hold his fan base and continue to be more that a back-up guitarist for Sarah McLaughlan, he needs to develop more breadth - Otawa Arts Review

Moncton's Paramount recently hosted one of the best live shows of the year. Sadly, only a few dozen people witnessed it.

In truth, I only made it out to see Greg MacPherson thanks to a last-minute invite. And selfishly, I'm often pleased when crowds are thin in smaller watering holes. But man, the turnout for MacPherson's truly fantastic performance was friggen sad. Great for those in attendance, but a shame for so many who missed out.

Talk about a mega-talented, yet unassuming little guy. MacPherson was apparently born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, but was raised and developed his voice in Winnipeg. But trying to describe his sound by his roots would prove useless. His trembling intensity doesn't resemble anything from the Canadian coast or the flatland.

MacPherson was in the midst of an East Coast/Ontario tour promoting his latest album, Mr. Invitation. I wouldn't give MacPherson (an uber-normal looking dude) or his band (a token bespectacled hipster nerd bass player and hippie Jesus drummer) a second look on the street. But holy crap, can those guys play. Chords and drum patterns were intricate and frantic, yet oddly melodic and calming. MacPherson's pipes are equally impressive - his voice carried through the bar even when he stepped away from the mic.

Ever been hung over and want to sleep through the day, but have to stay awake for various bullsh*t obligations? MacPherson's tracks are like lullabyes on speed. Do yourself a favour: go out and grab one of his albums And please, the next time he's in town - GO. - CanadaEast

By Jason SchneiderFrom the opening lines of "First Class," this latest effort from MacPherson feels almost like a Tom Clancy thriller. The Winnipeg singer-songwriter has always been noted for injecting political intrigue into his music, but Mr. Invitation may be the first of his four albums to musically match the power of his pen. Although sonically sparse, MacPherson and his trio zero in on the core of each track, and extract meaning from each note. These are not songs that can be easily ignored, even when MacPherson dials down the drama, as on "Travelling Style." The end result is an artist in full command of his creative faculties, and knowing it. It would be easy to compare Mr. Invitation to the best work of the Weakerthans or the Tragically Hip, but that would be doing MacPherson a disservice, since many moments on this album are better. Now is the time when MacPherson needs to be considered amongst the best Canadian singer-songwriters on the scene today.
(Smallman) - Exclaim Magazine

"With nothing but an expertly-played acoustic guitar, a legitimate, advanced social concious, and a thick, convincing Thompson-esque voice, the 30-year-old MacPherson covers The Clash's 'Bankrobber' and makes it sound like it was written in the midst of the labor strife of 100-120 years ago, rather than in West London in 1980. But like Woody Guthrie and Billy Bragg before him, he not only can put a human face on such sociopolitical anger, but he can write sweet and involved love songs too ... he really needs to be better known ..." - Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover

"It's almost impossible to get through Maintenance without sparing a thought to some of the subjects that are closest to MacPherson's heart. Moreover, it's impossible to listen to MacPherson's music without feeling emotionally moved by it. Those two accomplishments make the EP an unqualified success." - Splendid

"What if Bruce Springsteen had cut his teeth in the hardcore scene rather than playing bars? MacPherson borrows some of the best aspects of the Boss: smooth storytelling set to bubbly four-four rock, all delivered with an affable, world-weary grin. MacPherson owns both the heart and the balls to pull it off." - Skyscraper

"Greg MacPherson is one of the most captivating performers and songwriters working in Canada today. This five-song EP sheds the smoke and mirrors, and demonstrates that when his songs are put to the test (with only acoustic in hand), MacPherson gets an A."
- OttawaXPress

"[Greg MacPherson] has bridged that extraneous gap between political punk rock and singer-songwriter rock 'n' roll, and done it with a punch in the face. This is one of the freshest albums to come out so far this year." - Wonka Vision

"Winnipeg sunger/songwriter Greg MacPherson has definitely been compared to all kinds of workingman's heroes, but he definitely has a style all his own. MacPherson writes clever, literate songs about hard-luck cases, and sang them passionately, accompanied by just his hand-slamming and electric guitar." - Toronto Sun (Mary Dickie)