Local band sets sail for folk scene

By Sonny Sachdeva, November 27 2014 —

Hailing from the small Alberta town of Drayton Valley, folk-rock band Sail With Kings have wasted no time making their presence known since moving to the big city.

Tyler Stang, Devin Hutchinson and Spencer Ciesielski moved to Calgary in January. They’ve spent 2014 playing shows all over town, including a recent opening gig with Shred Kelly at The Gateway.

With honest, evocative lyrics the trio’s music drips with folksy vibes reminiscent of Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers, but with more bite.

“The main factor that brought us all together was our love for music and this genre in particular,” says Stang, the group’s lead singer. “Growing up in a such a small town, we were actually best friends before we were bandmates.”

The trio’s camaraderie shows in both their music and swaggering performances. Though the band is young, their natural unison has them sounding like folk veterans.

One of the group’s unique qualities is the nautical theme running through their songs. Stang says it isn’t always present, but it’s a valuable writing tool.

“In most cases, when we’re writing, we have a story to tell,” Stang says. “Having this ‘sailing with kings’ theme seems to make it easier to write within the means of that time and era, but it doesn’t outline every tale we tell.”

The band released their first studio-produced single, “Where You Wanna Go,” last month. They also recently announced they will work on a full-length album in the new year.

Despite big things on the horizon, Stang says the band hasn’t forgotten where they came from and are excited for the future.

“We’re touring in the summer and from there we hope to find where we’re meant to be,” Stang says. “We just have to take it one step at a time and remember we’ll always need the help of our friends, family, and fans to get us to where we want to go.”

Sail With Kings play the Blind Beggar Pub on Dec. 5.