Shane Koyczan is a full-time spoken word artist. It’s almost a difficult sentence to write – “full time spoken word artist” is a rare phrase in Canada.
But Koyczan, from Penticton, B.C., has won fans across the country and beyond. Koyczan has headlined stages at the Edinburgh Literary Festival to the Winnipeg Folk Festival to Massey Hall, opening for the Violet Femmes. With all the bookings at festivals and one-off shows, solo or with a band backing him, Koyczan can live off poetry.
He’s bringing his emotionally charged poetry to the Drake Hotel on Tuesday night for a gig with his band The Short Story Long, the first time his band has played in Toronto. They recently released their first album A Pretty Decent Cape in My Closet.
Forget what you heard about slam poets only gigging with a microphone and a bucketful of courage. Koyczan has done the poetry slam thing before in Vancouver, and he’s nicely graduated to playing a key role in two bands, TOFU (Tons o’ Fun University, with Mike McGee and C.R. Avery) and Short Story Long. Formed two years ago, the Short Story Long also includes Maiya Robbie, Stefan Bienz and Olivia Mennell.
It’s tough to pin down how Koyczan extends spoken word’s reach to the folk music crowd. The transition feels seamless. As always, Koyczan’s words remain central to each song’s focus, a treat for both lyricists and poetry connoisseurs .
Speaking to me from the Hillside Festival, where he played to a standing ovation on Saturday, Koyczan says he’s coming out east to see if his art will translate here. “I know the West coast likes us, so now we can gauge how the east feels about our band.”
On Tuesday night, fans shouldn’t come with any preconceived notion of how the Short Story Long blends Koyczan’s words with melody. “We’re going togo really high and really low,” says Koyczan of the evening’s range. “But most of all, we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Koyczan’s friend and TOFU bandmate Mike McGee has called what they do “talk rock.” It means what it sounds like – spoken word put to some rocking tunes, and don’t think Henry Rollins. He’s got more depth, touching upon topics as tear-wrenching as losing a loved one to the funnier side effects of unrequited love.
There’s word that the Short Story Long will take a hiatus after their east coast swing. This is the kind of band you’d want to catch before they go their separate ways
Watch Shane Koyczan and the Short Story Long on Tues July 28 at Drake Hotel Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. 8pm. $10
