s u o r u t n e v Ad troubadour LIFESTYLE
INTERVIEW
Text by DUNCAN ROBERTS
entlessly riter Rob Moir tours rel Canadian singer-songwourg for a fifth show in December. and returns to Luxemb
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ob Moir’s third solo album, Adventure Handbook, showcases the Canadian’s exquisite turn of phrase and ear for a great melody. The singer-songwriter completed the record when he returned to his home town of Toronto after a relentless two years of touring, which included a 3,000 kilometre trek from Paris to Berlin on a bicycle over the summer of 2014. He describes that as “a great personal accomplishment” packed with wonderful memories, even though he was initially nervous about announcing such an outlandish adventure. “The reaction was everybody embracing and supporting the adventure completely. It’s definitely December 2015
something I am planning to do again.” The touring pays off in many ways. Moir loves meeting new people and will often play shows in private homes as well as music clubs. And it provided material for the songs that would come to form Adventure Handbook. “The new album themes would be vastly different had I not taken on two years of nonstop touring, it was completely inspired from the roller coaster highs and lows,” he explains. Not that he had much time to write while on the road, travelling most days and playing gigs at night. “I did get in this habit of taking nights off, locking myself in hotel rooms so I could put thoughts and melodies together, and I found I had to focus a little more
ROB MOIR: WWW.ROBMOIR.COM
than I ever had to before with the constant changing surrounding. When I got home to Toronto and my band, we put the rest together with ease and general excitement.” Now he is in the midst of another marathon European tour, which includes a show at Konrad Café & Bar on 9 December. Fans appreciate his authentic sound and the passion he has for music, as well as the lyrics and the emotions they conjure up. “Northern Europeans are much more conservative [than north Americans] with their praise. If they are complimenting you, it comes from a real place not just a customary one. It is incredible to know what I do can translate beyond my familiar surroundings.”
Jeremy Lewis
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