Author: Brooke Christie
Let’s Slide Guitar into Lake Time.The incredible, talented, and sexy host, Matthew Kennedy and his co-host Lyndon Froese, (just a guy from around) spent some time in the studio with singer songwriter Richard Inman to talk about some Kenora shows coming up, a new album that LOWBrewCo is getting behind, and life as not just any folk singer.
Lake of the Woods Brewing Company is contributing to the recording of Richard’s next album, and hosting a fundraising show at the Taproom on June 29th. Working with Richard is part of our artist series, much like our recent featured beer release with the band Red Moon Road. The show will also be a birthday celebration for LOWBrewCo, and promises to be a top-notch evening. So, why Richard Inman? Listen to this episode of Lake Time to get to know the artist we decided to showcase on our 6th birthday.
Richard’s Story
Richard was adopted and grew up on a dairy farm in Southeastern Manitoba. His adopted parents were Mennonite and his Grandparents were Mormon. He is First Nations of the Blackfoot Nation, and his traditional family name was Strikes With a Gun.
In his formative years, Richard listened to country gospel music and Mennonite hymns at church, with both styles influencing his writing to this day. Richard shares with listeners his musical path, from the womb to piano lessons at age 5, to “all hell breaking loose” when a girl gave him a Townes Van Zandt album at age 20.
Richard dives into lessons learned from “hero worshiping” and the difficulties of wanting to mimic the life of Townes Van Zandt and other artists who live hard lives and write good music, but aren’t necessarily good people.
Presently, Richard lives in a country home by a river with his VHS tapes, and some plants on his deck. He works with a friend in Winnipeg at Red River Siding and Eavestrough… “for all your exterior needs.” Yes, that was a plug, straight from Richard’s mouth.
“How much of what you do is consumed with music?”
“I was consumed with the music industry for a long time. I played between 120 and 150 shows per year for the last few years. I wasn’t taking care of myself, and I was falling out of love with what I was doing. That sucks, ’cause I love playing music… It’s not fun when the one thing you really love is becoming a chore. This year, I’m taking it easy and focusing on other things. ” -Richard Inman
The Conversation Beer for this episode of Lake Time was: Nautical Disaster.
What can we expect with Richard’s Album?
Richard’s new album will have a similar feel and mood to his previous albums, however he feels strongly he has grown as a songwriter. This album demonstrates that he can now write by observing other stories, rather than sabotaging his own life to write about the mess he is in.
Richard plays two songs in this episode of Lake Time including the title track off his upcoming album, called Hasta La Vista. If his album ends up sounding as good as this live recording, then it’s certainly worth getting your hands on.
Where can you find Richard’s Music?
Picking up physical copies of the albums at shows is the best, says Richard, but if you’re making a digital purchase, then consider looking him up on band camp… as he gets slightly higher margins on the purchase. His albums are also available on Google Play and Spotify, with the latest album coming soon!
Listen to this fun episode of Lake Time for your chance to get to know Richard Inman in advance of the birthday party on June 29th! As Richard says in the Title Track;
“Goodbye is too good, or at least that’s what they say…
Hasta La Vista, I’ll see you someday.“