It was a sparse but appreciative audience who met vocalist Sean Hogan on Friday night at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum. But that allowed them all to get up close and personal with the singer-songwriter whose blend of musical genres includes a folk, rhythm and blues and a distinct country and western flavour along the way.
Now a resident on Vancouver Island, Hogan explained that, while he was born and raised in B.C., he fell in love with Saskatchewan. He and his wife settled down in Saskatoon and called it home for seven years, before the lure of family took him back to B.C., as they raised their family.
Years on the road, often as a single-voiced troubadour, Hogan said this current tour will take him through the Saskatchewan concerts, as well as a number in Ontario before he returns for a three-concert mini-tour in Alberta before heading back to the island.
Favoured with a number of radio hits and an ability to build songs that tell stories as well as sell, Hogan has made a solid name for himself in the musical world in Canada with songs such as Silver Lining Girl, I’d Rather Have You, Catalina Sunrise and Something Beautiful, which he shared with his Estevan audience.
Hogan’s reach over the 20-year career, has extended to the United States where he learned that he had a few fans among the celebrity crowd, including George Clooney, who heard his music through a mutual friend.
A cancer survivor, now going on five years, Hogan said he takes nothing for granted as he shared experiences and told tales from the road between selections.
“I like to play house concerts like these because the audience is right there and paying attention so a musician doesn’t mind trying out some newer stuff or ballads that would never get played in a bar,” he said with a chuckle.
Now working on an album to be released soon, Hogan said he still will sing a few cover tunes from other musicians, but his own repertoire fills a full evening, including several hits from his two Noteworthy albums.
Since his first trip to Saskatchewan in 1999, where he fell in love with the province, Hogan said he’s willing to come back to the province where he said his experiences have always been eventful and safe whether it be concert, bar or radio tours.
