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John Jenkins’ Small Town Revival hosting Golden CD release concert

Jenkins’s latest album, Green, includes songs with lyrics about fatherhood and being a parent
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John Jenkins Small Town Revival performs at the Farmer’s Market on Saturday Apr. 23.

Since the release of his last album, John Jenkins became a father for the first time. That life-changing event has had an impact on various aspects of Jenkins’s life, including his music.

Jenkins’s latest album, Green, includes songs with lyrics about fatherhood and being a parent.

“A few of the songs are very parental and change-driven,” he said.

Green is the second album from John Jenkins’ Small Town Revival, which features Jenkins and bassist Jackson Baker. The title track is a politically-driven environmental message that Jenkins hopes will make a difference in the ongoing Site C Dam issue.

“That’s kind of the most directly political and environmental song I’ve ever written,” Jenkins said.

Green, which was made possible through a grant from Columbia Basin Trust and other organizations, came together quickly, Jenkins says, and features 11 songs and a special cameo from one of Golden’s rising musical talents.

Jenkins has been teaching guitar to 14 year-old Slade Coffman for the past two years and the pair co-wrote two songs on the album, with Coffman playing lead vocals and guitar on one piece and background vocals on two other tunes.

“Collaborating with him has been really fun…he’s incredibly talented and I wanted people to hear that and I wanted to help him get that out there,” Jenkins said.

One of their collaborations is called Stop, which features the harmonica and the cajon.

“It’s not what you’d expect from a teenager…lyrically and vibe-wise it feels and sounds like kind of an older song, which I think is really cool,” Jenkins said.

In fact, this latest project has been about much more than simply putting out a new album, as Jenkins explains.

“It was a lot more about my whole role as a person and a community member. I’ve been teaching guitar for nine years and hosting a lot of jams and with that comes a lot of teaching and mentoring and bringing those aspects into the project…it’s been really significant growth for myself,” he said.

John Jenkins’ Small Town Revival will be hosting a CD release concert at the Civic Centre on May 6. Tickets are $20, including a CD, and are available at the Art Gallery of Golden and Plain Wayne and Jane.