The spirit of B.C. will always pound hard in the heart of Sooke musician Adam Dobres.
After starting a career as an accomplished guitarist at a young age, Dobres played with countless musicians, both from Sooke and abroad, including Barney Bentall, Kendel Carson, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) and Ruth Moody (from the Wailin’ Jennys).
Dobres didn’t stop there, and while he’s now technically a Pender Island resident, where he lives with his wife, Sooke is still home for family, inspiration and fellow musicians.
He certainly keeps busy.
While working in his recording studio, Dobres recently released his first solo album, Adam Dobres, featuring 13 instrumental guitar pieces inspired by Celtic music.
“It was a big goal of mine, and through much procrastination, I managed to get it finished,” he laughed, adding the content is all original composition that took him more than a year to put together.
Just in time, too, as he went on tour with two other musicians in Ontario and Quebec, starting at an accordion festival.
Before that, Dobres said he recorded the songs in several different places, which only added more colour to the album.
“I sat on the couch with my phone, played for hours and then recorded it. I picked out the sounds I liked and started on those bits,” he said, adding bit by bit it came together with its own natural B.C. theme, involving sounds about the Salish Sea and orcas.
One particular song, titled Frita’s Journey, tells the distinctive story of his great grandmother who came over from Russia as an orphaned teenager. With nothing, she worked in the sewing industry and built a life and family in Canada.
“It’s a sad song, but has a hopeful element to it as well about her journey as a young, brave girl,” Dobres said, adding that even though there’s no vocal narration, it still gets you to imagine her story.
Like always though, Dobres keeps moving. He plans to return more regularly for concerts in Sooke, and has two shows – one on Pender Island and another coming up in Vancouver on Jan. 21.
As for what he’s got planned next, he wants to keep growing his recording studio, and one day do a solo act around the country.