With a pair of local concerts scheduled this weekend, Roberts Creek singer-songwriter Daniel Wesley plans to leap the threshold from his pandemic-enforced live performance hiatus to a high-velocity comeback tour.
The self-accompanying vocalist is scheduled to perform on March 4 at Powell River’s Forest Bistro and Lounge before taking the stage for another solo show the following night in Gibsons at The 101 Brewhouse and Distillery—the first two stops on a road trip that will include more than 20 gigs at venues across B.C. and Alberta.
Wesley, who plays acoustic and electric guitar, describes his trademark “beach music” genre as an easy-going combination of rock and reggae. Beach Music is also the name of his ninth studio album, which was released in 2019.
“It’s happy music, that’s what I’ve always called it,” Wesley said minutes after a radio interview to promote an upcoming performance at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. “I really love travelling and I love nature. It just seems like the more that I am in a positive space and I’m enjoying my life, [music] comes from those moments. I don’t really write songs by starting with ideas in my head. For the most part, I usually just start playing something, which gets parlayed into something else. And then—suddenly—I’ve got a song here.”
After 15 years in a full-time musical career, COVID-19 restrictions shut down Wesley’s regular live shows and opened the door to a new opportunity in the real estate industry. “[Realty] is something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “With loss comes opportunity, right? I had time on my hands. So I took the course and became a realtor with RE/MAX City Realty in Gibsons.”
“I’m a big believer in doing new things and trying to push yourself to change and not just being the same person year after year. I think we’re supposed to be learning and developing. That was a good thing with the pandemic. And I hope other people have those things, at least a little bit of change.”
Wesley’s repertoire of original songs has had a laid-back lilt since his 2007 debut album, Outlaw, where even the most plaintive tracks—like Miss You, which opens with a funereal organ progression, resolve into determined and optimistic grooves. The darker cuts on his self-titled 2009 release—like Drunk + Stoned or Time for Leaving—are stolid tributes to the power of self-determination. Jagged themes get smoothed by a warm tide of Jamaican-influenced rhythm, summoning doleful listeners to the dance floor.
Toronto-born rocker Neil Young has been a consistent polestar for Wesley’s career. “[Young] has got to be the coolest Canadian of all time,” he said. “I just like his attitude. He’s thinking about the big picture, he’s in the moment, and he’s following the path of his life, and that’s something I’ve always taken to heart.”
Wesley’s return to The 101 represents a heady homecoming of sorts. In 2020, the brewhouse released a signature lager in honour of the performer. Daniel Wesley’s Easy Livin’ Pilsner, which retails at Sunshine Coast liquor outlets, is described by its makers as a classic pilsner “designed for casual quality time and low-key lifestyles.”
Although tickets for Saturday’s concert sold out a week before the show, additional tour performance listings are available at danielwesley.com.
