Steve Coffey & The Lokels
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Steve Coffey & The Lokels

Band Folk Singer/Songwriter

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"Steve Coffey & The Lokels (2007)"

Steve Coffey keeps the honest, down-home tunes coming with his latest offering Same Boy, packed with 14 acoustic guitar-driven cuts tapping into accessible 'paintings' of the human experience.
Coffey is no slouch at offering up songs rich in images from the meandering title track to the melancholic, classic country strut of My Hometown.
As is noted on his web site, Coffey was clearly influenced by his dad who was a 'on the road' steel guitar player for many years and "instilled in him the notion of originality through self-teaching as the vehicle of expression."
Originality certainly bursts out at every turn. Coffey is simply not influenced by those elements which could propel him closer to potential commercial notoriety.
Tunes tend to be low-key and staightforward. The simply-structured Old Loved Man continues to unveil Coffey's skills at creating insightful, compelling stories, as does Past.
Rounding out The Lokels are Lance Loree, Pat Phillips, Russ Baker and Dave Bauer, and fans can get an up-close look at the band in an accompanying DVD featuring six new videos and the guys in a studio setting.
Those who like Folk/country tunes minus the extraneous clutter could find themselves in sonic heaven.
- Mark Weber - Red Deer Express


"Steve Coffey & The Lokels (2007)"

Steve Coffey & The Lokels
same boy
Independent
Steve Coffey is a singer-songwriter, painter and sculptor from southern Alberta, and with his band, The Lokels, released their third album, same boy: 14 (plus) tracks and a bonus 30-minute DVD containing six videos.
same boy is a brilliant collection of prairie roots-folk-rock-fusion. Steve Coffey backed by the Lokels - individually known as Lance Loree, Dave Bauer, Pat Phillips and Russ Baker - has put together a strong and honest set of honky-tonk balladry. In Coffey's bio, he notes his influences are varied, "ranging from Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard to Michael Stipe and Tom Waits (with a sprinkle of Flatt & Scruggs)". same boy is more twang than rock: a cohesive collection of fascinating stories about life on the Alberta plains.
Coffey's Dylan-like deep voice growl and the Lokels' rich instrumentation and brilliant harmonies have produced one of the best Alberta singer-songwriter records I've heard in awhile!
- By Philip Harries- Penguin Eggs - Penguin Eggs


"prairie staple's Same Boy set to hit the airwaves (2007)"

Steve Coffey is one of those artists who wears the world he sees upon his sleeve, an artistic output poignant and striking, filtered through his own personal interpretations and emotions. He’s not alone, as there are other musicians fitting this description as well. But Coffey is a little different in that, as many Albertans already know, you’re just as likely to see him painting on a canvas as writing as song.

Coffey laughs when it’s suggested that he’s likely getting tired of having to talk about his acclaimed paintings when he’s actually being interviewed about his music — but if he hasn’t come to terms with it yet, he should. Those who’ve both heard his music and seen his art tend to agree; neither takes a back seat to the other.

“It’s pretty much different tools and then just what’s around me,” says Coffey from his home in the small town of Vulcan, AB. “The inspiration that sends me into the studio to paint... I’m pretty influenced by the landscape, especially down here. It sort of generates stories and ideas, and I think what it does beyond my painting is maintain a real Canadian approach to my writing.”

Viewing his art, of which there are countless examples on his website, and listening to Same Boy, Coffey’s latest CD, one quickly recognizes the similarities in approach. A landscape painting might depict the scantest amount of horizon and the thin line of a train, the rest of the canvas filled with swirling brush strokes that make a massive sky swell and breathe, visually overwhelming in its simplicity.

A song like “Past” isn’t much different. The framework of a concept is established through Coffey’s terse, emotive rasp with plenty of space left for his band, The Lokels, to create an ebbing, flowing Neil Young-styled western soundscape that is wordless yet still fraught with meaning. And when it comes to what inspires all this, well that’s something Coffey is still trying to figure out.

“As far as what I write about, I don’t know,” says Coffey. “Something strikes you and you just get an idea in your head. I just wrote a song about a caboose. I mean, who knows where that stuff comes from?”

OK, perhaps the caboose song’s origins aren’t too mysterious — digging into Coffey’s past, one learns that he spent a sleep-deprived youth beside the train tracks, with his father’s country band playing simultaneously in the basement just outside his bedroom door. But regardless, one thing about Coffey’s music, more often than not: “It’s real personal stuff.”

Same Boy is very much proof of that. Take, for example,” the song “Lydia’s Land.” Lydia is one of Coffey’s two daughters, visible in the accompanying DVD that comes with Same Boy.

“Bravo [the television network] first aired that on September 11, and my daughter Lydia was born on September 11,” explains Coffey. “Of course, the world stopped and mourned and it was a real heavy day, but that day was also a real celebration for my wife and I, so I wanted to write a tune reflecting that. I tried to get into the melancholy of that day and at the same time contrast it with the birth of this child.”

Another tune that shares those qualities is “Two Brothers.” It’s also the one most meaningful to Coffey.

“That’s the actual story of my brother and I going out and burying my old man,” he recalls. “We went and got him out of Winnipeg and took him to Brandon and put him in the ground, just the two of us. We drove across in this big oil truck and it was this cowboy and me. I was a long hair, smoking.

“We buried my Dad beside his sister,” Coffey continues. “She died when she was a child, and it was real interesting as two brothers coming together and learning a lot about each other because we weren’t as close until that time.”

It’s emotional stuff to be sure, and those who watch the DVD when it next airs on Bravo will intuitively register this even more than when they hear the music alone. Not that the DVD, mostly segments of the album’s recording process interspersed with rural and small town vignettes, is literal in any way, but the impact of Coffey’s muse comes through and to some degree the video is a triumph because Coffey has attempted to fuse his visual and aural expressions in the past.

“But I didn’t really follow through,” he says. Nor is he necessarily in a hurry to do so again, despite continually being inspired on both fronts. “Both worlds are also kind of separate, and I’ve got to pay them each their due.”
-Rick Overwater- Dec 2007
- Beatroute Magazine


"'Twirlin' Girl Boogie' (2008)"

RedDeer Express; Sunday, Nov 9th.

Twirlin’ Girl Boogie
Steve Coffey & The Lokels
(Independent)
Featuring 10 new tunes by this superb band, Twirlin’ Girl Boogie follows right along in a fine tradition of country-flavoured, folk tunes.
Those with a love for simply-crafted, honest songs will appreciate what Steve and the guys aim for with their records – lots of great storytelling, songwriting and melodies melded into warm, textured works that blend seamlessly.
Things get off to a rollicking start with Five Kids, continue with a feisty freshness with Follow Her and the title track lives up to what its moniker suggests.
Woman in You shows a more personal, reflective side to the band whereas the Johnny Cash classic I Got Stripes shows their willingness to have fun with a tune and do a bang-up job covering a tune at the same time.
Of course, most of their material is original and that’s something those with a love for folk-oriented tunes can be thankful for.
There’s no question these guys are having a hoot putting these pieces together. That joy in unrestrained creativity inevitably shines through to listeners.

Rating: 4 out of 5

-Mark Weber - RedDeer Advocate


"Review: 32 Below Sessions (2004)"

"Slick production can be the death of a good album. Sometimes all you really need is a bunch of finely tuned players who are kindred musical spirits to make a piece of good music. 32 Below Sessions rides the rusty edge of the blade between classic country and new world traditional. The boys in the band know both sides well.
Steve Coffey is in the Southern Alberta roots music catalogue right along side plaid wool jackets and Sorrel boots. His latest offering is as warm as a wood stove and welcoming as country bar on a Saturday evening. In fact if you could catch the band in a foothills tavern on a wintry night you would find these songs and their players at home in true form. Let the music play in the background as you visit friends or work on the car and you will be doing the art justice. It won't float by unnoticed. It will sink in, and before long you'll know these songs like you know Good Hearted Woman, Abilene, or Bobby Magee.
-Chris Martin; Penguin Eggs (winter issue, 2004/5)
- Penguin Eggs


"Bistro Brings big talent to city (2007)"

"With word awareness reminiscent of Fred Eaglesmith, Central Alberta native Steve Coffey drops his third disc with the Lokels, and fans of literate singer-songwriters should take note. Same Boy is a keeper, and should make those who appreciate Tom Russell, Dave Alvin and their ilk quite pleased.
Multidimensional, on My Hometown Coffey pulls togther foreboding prairie images of a community slowly choking. On Skates, he captures a warmer glow of freer times. Roads, leading to and from, are prominant on the disc, serving as a ready metaphor for situations both bleak and hopeful.
Lance Loree and Dave Bauer are co-stars of this disc, playing a dizzying array of stringed and fretted instruments. Coffey never takes the easy way and Same Boy is the creation of a lyricist, musician and artist come to fruition. The production is professional but grounded, with a handpicked band of Southern Albertans serving as the Lokels. The generous 66-minute album is packaged with a DVD that provides insight into the recording process while illustrating several of Coffey's loosely narrative songs."
Donald Teplyske- Red Deer Advocate 10/17/2006 - Red Deer Advocate


"Bold Coffey boasts deep Lokel roots (2004)"

"In a city notable for its proliferation of fine country-roots songwriters, Steve Coffey has emerged as one of the most seasoned. His latest CD, 32 Below Sessions, recorded with his band The Lokels, confirms that. From the working man's lament Corns, with Coffey's pained moan of a vocal fitting the lyrics like a miner's gloves, to the harp-dog country boy blues of Someday, the disc consistently finds its mark. Other highlights include Raising Grace, Cottonwood Road and the honky-tonkin' Fondly Remembered- every one rich with wood-smoked, prairie soul." Heath McCoy; The Calgary Herald; Oct 14 2004 - Calgary Herald


"Review of East of East Coulee (2002)"

"This record blows in from the Canadian prairies with dust on it's boots dragging in ballads, honky-tonk, hillbilly sentiments and the evidence of a life clung to, in the grit beneath its fingernails. Recorded live to tape, you can almost feel the splinters from the rough-hewn floorboards. It has an immediacy of a hoe-down, you wouldn't be surprised to hear feet stomping in the background. It celebrates life in small towns in the middle of nowhere, the people, the customs, the music. 'Beggar's ballad' is as exactly as it suggests, Steve Coffey has a gritty nasal voice to carry these songs, world weary but happy to be alive. This would be sung as the dance came to end and everyone is clinging to someone in the hope that we're not alone. This is one for those of you who like the folk-roots sound of The Gourds but find them a bit too radical."-Americana UK; March 2003 - Americana UK


"2004 Calgary Folk Festival"

“..It was tough pulling one’s self away from this one, but it was worth it to have attended the This land is Our Land workshop where a group of Alberta’s finest roots-country musicians, Corb Lund, Rae Spoon, Steve Coffey and John Wort Hannam, jammed on each others songs.” - Heath McCoy; Calgary Herald


"Home-brewed hooks (2009)"

Home-brewed hooks;
Prairie renaissance man Steve Coffey releases earthy, toe-tappin’ triumph.

"...They’ve played together for years, and their compatibility and cohesiveness permeate every lick and groove. Throughout Twirlin Girl Boogie, bassist Russ Baker and drummer Pat Phillips hold down massive grooves that are loose and comfy, yet rock-steady and solid. Nothing ever seems forced or contrived. Without straying far from their roots, Coffey and the Lokels manage to cover a wide swath of terrain, serving up various brands of danceable country that sweep you up and carry you along through the good times and the bad."
-Mark Stewart



- FastForward Magazine


Discography


STEVE COFFEY & THE LOKELS: Twirlin' Girl Boogie -2008/9 Producer; An InOURHouse Production
STEVE COFFEY & THE LOKELS: Same Boy CD/DVD 2 disc- 2007
producer: CD-Steve Loree DVD-A.Thomas & Steve Coffey
STEVE COFFEY & THE LOKELS: 32 Below Sessions- 2004
producer: Russ Baker & The Lokels
STEVE COFFEY & THE LOKELS: East of East Coulee- 2002
producer: Russ Baker & Steve Coffey
TALKLIKEJOE: TalkLIKEJoe - 1997
producer: Jay Bigam, Steve Coffey & Dave Mockford
THE KITCHEN BOYS: Passion Town- 1994
producer: Bill Bourne
THE KITCHEN BOYS: The Kitchen Boys- 1993
producer: The Kitchen Boys

COMPILATIONS:
100 YEARS FROM THEM/ FRANK SLIDE-2003-Hijinx records- contibuted song-'My Life Unwinds'
COALDUST GRINS- Cambria Publishing-1999- contributed song- 'Shovel Operator'
producer: Tim Williams

STEVE COFFEY PRODUCED:
HELEN HIGHWATER, MAINSTREAM- 2002
STEVE RELF, SPIRITS MALFUNCTION- 2001

Photos

Bio

Steve Coffey & The Lokels - Prairie Roots Music.

"The framework of a concept is established through Coffey's terse, emotive rasp with plenty of space left for his band, The Lokels, to create an ebbing, flowing Neil Young-styled western soundscape that is wordless yet still fraught with meaning." BRMag

"Steve Coffey is one of those artists who wears the world he sees upon his sleeve, an artistic output poignant and striking, filtered through his own personal interpretations and emotions." -BRmag

Born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba,
Steve was raised on Traditional Country music, much of which was unwillingly pounded into his head through the walls between his bedroom and his father's rehearsal space (his dad was a honky-tonkin', beer swillin' steel guitar player). When he was eight his mother decided that this life just wasn't suited for raising kids and up and hauled him and his four siblings off West on a train to a small town in Alberta. For a few years Steve flourished (likely due to more sleep- filled nights) but eventually began to pine for his dad, or more precisely, what drove him musically. Living directly across from the railroad tracks (which became a catalyst for Steve's future) He kept imagining jumping an East bound boxcar but settled on a Greyhound and headed back to Manitoba. He went on the road with his dad's band at fourteen discovering a life both celebratory and lonely and decided then and there that he needed to write and play music but with a different set of rules, one that would leave room for family. At sixteen he headed back West...on a train. To this day the prairie train plays an important role in his muse; as a symbol, as a nomadic entity that passes through many towns with many stories, some tragic, some beautiful and uplifting. It passes through our heads and our souls in Canada and connects us, both physically & romantically today as much as it did in the past just like a song. Unless he can hear it's late night whistle sleep comes hard.
Bands & songwriters Steve listened to growing up: Cream, Creedence, Lightfoot, Buffalo Springfield & The Band, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Leonard Cohen & Bob Dylan. One noteable influence of all combined: Their immediacy and 'off the floor' expression.
Some Thirty years later Steve's catalogue consists of over Two Hundred original songs many of which have been recorded and released and heard on many an airwave. Steve was raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Innisfail, Alberta but now makes his home South of Calgary.

Russ Baker brings a range of influences, noteably a ska/jazz approach to his bass playing and his electric guitar playing rides the fence between the ethereal to an all out roots rock sensibility . Russ Baker is also a music producer and engineer. Russ has worked with bands such as Cone of Silence and Wafer Thin Mint and has worked with Steve on a number of projects outside of the Lokels. He makes his home in Edmonton, Alberta, but was raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

Dave Bauer is a songwriter in his own right. His band Deep Field South wanders into a concise, poetic acoustic world. An extremely versatile player Dave plays Mandolin and electric guitars with not only THE LOKELS but also the Foothillbilly, Canadiana sounds of Dave McCann & The Ten Toed Frogs. Dave lives in Calgary, Alberta.

Lance Loree (Uncle Thirsty) has worked with all sorts; Washboard Hank & Junior Gone Wild to the infamous punk rockabilly sound of the Alien Rebels. Lance is well known as one of the foremost tele players around and a great pedal steel/ dobro player. He's also a songsmith that can crack smiles in the darkest halls. Lance works his farm in Southern Alberta.

Toby Malloy is as pure a singer/songwriter as you can get! She joined up with The Lokels on their new "Twirlin' Girl Boogie" CD and brings a true refreshing sound. Toby has sat in with many a musician and outside of The Lokels, performs as a solo artist. Toby hales from Ontario but now makes her home in Southern Alberta.

Finally the youngest member of THE LOKELS: Pat Phillips; a huge range of musical tastes but most particularly; Jazz. Pat steps into the role as percussionist with wide open ears and an uncanny ability to interpret and respond to any given tune. Pat has worked with Matt Masters & Tim Hus to name a few. Pat hales from Ontario but now lives in Calgary, Alberta.

other LOKEL members that they work with on occassion:
Matt Herne is an amazing banjo player from Australia that has been with The Lokels on two albums and will be with them again. A kindred spirit Matt brings a Flatt & Scruggs design to The Lokels sessions but also weaves and swerves into unchartered banjo brilliance.

Stu Mitchell is from Edmonton. He's a very well known drummer; guitar & bass player & piano man.
Stu has worked with Steve on two prior albums ('94 & in '97) before stepping in on The Lokel's 32 Below Sessions in 2004.

Steve Relf; also from Edmonton, is a singer/song