Toronto folk music fans will gather downtown in the coming weeks for performances by the local singer-songwriter Ken Whiteley.
Whiteley, a Toronto-based folk music icon, released a new studio album, titled Unseen Hands, earlier this month. The 12-track record features Whiteley performing on the 12-string guitar.
"The recordings all speak to place in one way or another — from the little patch of ground in downtown Toronto where I live, a conversation with the moon, April in Paris, looking at the stars, the soil, the planet, and how we all connect," Whiteley said in a statement.
The album opens with the track Hole In The Clouds, a dreamy lullaby-like tune that shows Whiteley at his best.
"It is an invitation to open wide," Whiteley, 73, said of the song.
Unseen Hands, recorded and mixed by Whiteley and Nik Tjelios at Toronto's Casa Wroxton Studio, "speaks to simple truths of love, nature, and life in these somewhat trying times with political turmoil, the climate crisis, and people seemingly wrapped up in technology around every corner," as described in a press release.
"Fans of any great folk musician or singer-songwriter from Bruce Cockburn to Ron Sexsmith, Bob Dylan to James Taylor would be wise to seek Unseen Hands," said music publicist Eric Alper.
Whiteley has shared the stage with musicians Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton and John Hammond Jr., among countless others.
His solo music has earned Whiteley seven Juno Award nominations in blues, roots and traditional and children's genres. Whiteley has also scored two Grammy nominations and 22 additional Juno nominations for his various collaborations.
Whiteley is scheduled to show off his new music for fans across several upcoming Toronto tour dates, listed below:
Nov. 24: Hugh's Room Live at 2 p.m.
Dec. 7: Metropolitan Community Church at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Dec. 21: Hugh's Room Live at 2 p.m.
