Doug Folkins

“Sometimes It Feels Good To Punch Someone.” The Words Sound Strange Coming From Such A Soft Spoken Man. “Well I Mean When I’m In The Boxing Ring Of Course.” He Says With An Easy Laugh. Canadian Doug Folkins Is A Celtic Rock Singer/songwriter And Storyteller And Amateur Boxer! With A Modern Pop Twist. He’s Perfectly Happy To Sing Down At The Local Pub Tonight But He’s Also Set His Sights On Becoming A Fixture On The Festival Stage In The Very Near Future. Folkins Has Spent The Last 10 Years Writing Playing And Producing His Own Material. With “Another Last Call” Folkins’ 5th Album He Returns To His Folk Rock Past. You’d Think This Return To His Roots Would Appeal To A Small Local Canadian Crowd But Ironically “Calico Girl” And “Park The Car” Have Gotten Worldwide Airplay In Austria France Israel New Zealand Australia Germany And The Netherlands. Perhaps Less Surprisingly It’s Also Getting Play In Los Angeles And New York. Folkins Is Able To Blend Traditional Celtic Influences Country Twang And Pop Jangle To Create A Fresh Sound That Is As Comfortable As Your Favorite Pair Of Jeans. He Is A Serious Musician Who Takes Time To Whittle Down Each Song To The Most Essential Elements. The Challenge Now Is To Take That Warm “down At The Pub” Intimacy And Translate It To A Much Larger Audience. Folkins Is Up To The Task. Musically Folkins Was Influenced By Tom Petty Blue Rodeo The Pogues Bob Dylan Bruce Guthro And Gordie Sampson. Lyrically He’s Inspired By The People He Meets In His Everyday Life From His Sparring Partners At The Gym To Vinny The Logger Who Won The Lottery And Blew All Of The Loot In Just 8 Months. Folkins Didn’t Start Playing Until Late In College When He Forced His Roommate To Teach Him Some Songs. He Immediately Started Playing Open Mics Coffee Houses And Folk Clubs.
He Says “I Developed A Real Love Of Celtic/Maritime Music. Funny Thing Though As I Was Previously Really Into Old School Punk Like The Ramones Sex Pistols The Damned And The New Your Dolls. My First Band Was Called “The Chaotic Cesspools Of Sin” And Yes The Name Was The Best Thing About That Band.” Folkins Has Taken That Outsider Rebel Angst To The Boxing Ring. When Asked Why He Enjoys The Sport So Much He Says “I Work Out At The Boxing And Fitness Club In Campbell River About 4 Hrs A Week. I Do This Mostly As A Way Of Blowing Off Steam From My Day Job As A Forester And Life's Stresses. It Is Also A Great Balance To The Creative Side Of My Songwriter Brain As I Can Really Shut Down And Focus On Physical Activity While I Am At The Club.” Prior To “Another Last Call” Folkins Released “Black And Brown” In 2000 “Signs Along The Way” In 2001 “Touchstone” In 2003 And “Roots” In 2004. Folkins Proudest Moment To Date Was Opening For Julian Austin At The Morfee Mountain Music Festival In 2008. Although Being Nominated For Songwriter Of The Year At The Vancouver Island Music Awards In 2002 Was A Pretty Big Great As Well. Folkins Is All About Showing His Audience A Good Time. He’s The Guy In The Room Who Can Make Friends Just By Pulling Out A Guitar And Strumming A Few Chords. This Proved To Be A Valuable Survival Skill When He Was Working With Some Super Tough Loggers In The Remote Town Of Zeballos British Columbia. The Song “Logical” Was Inspired By Vinny A Life Long Logger Who Wore Greasy Baseball Caps And Always Seemed Wear A T-Shirt With A Wolf On The Front Of It. One Day Vinny Had The Opportunity To Change His Life. He Won One Million Dollars In The Lottery. But Instead Of Quitting His Job And Packing Up To Move To An Easier Way Of Life He Kept His Logging Job And Said “I’ll Have This Money Spent In 8 Months” And To Everyone’s Shock He Actually Lived Up To That Promise. In “Logical” Folkins Sings “A Sad Sad Man Found A Lot Of Money More Money Than He Had Ever Seen But The Money Slipped Through His Hands Like Honey And The Honey Couldn’t Stop His Leaky Dreams” Some Might Question Vinny’s Need To Blow All That Cash On 1970s Muscle Cars And Wolf T-Shirts But Folkins Sees It As Someone Who Is Just On His Own Journey. It Isn’t Right Or Wrong It Just Is What It Is. He Sings “Who Said That Life Was Logical? I’m Not So Good At This At All Who Said That Life Was Practical? Logical.” Folkins Is Currently Playing Gigs In Support Of His Latest Release “Another Last Call” Which Features The Super Bouncy Pop/Folk Song “Calico Girl.” “Calico Girl” Just May Catapult Folkins Onto That World Stage. This Song Is Part Tom Petty’s “American Girl” And Part Paul Westerberg’s “Dyslexic Heart.” Of “Calico Girl” Folkins Says “Calico Girl Is Really A Composite Of Real Life Stories And Imagined. I Am Probably Reaching But Calico Historically Has Been Known As A Poor Woman's Fabric. In Ireland For Example Cleaning Ladies And Factory Girls Had To Wear Calico Dresses. The Metaphor Is Related To The Fabric In That A Couple Is Just Starting Out Their Lives But Come From Very Diverse Backgrounds. He Is Bringing Her To The City Or Suburbs To A Better Life But He Cautions Her That It Is Still ‘not A Bed Of Roses’. Change Is Good But There Are Still Bumps In The Road Ahead.” Folkins Could Be Talking About Himself Here. He’s Going From Singing Down At The Pub About Salt Of The Earth Loggers To Singing About A More Universal Person The Poor Small Town Girl Who Goes To The Big City Looking For A Better Way Of Life. But Is Doug Tough Enough To Take On The Music Industry And Make It As The Next Folk/rock Troubadour? We’ll Have To See How He Does When He Gets In The Ring With The Major Labels. And Judging From The Long List Of Countries Playing “Calico Girl” It Won’t Be Long Before We See Who Wins This Fight. read less