/Tentrees returns to Minden in August
Gordie Tentrees is playing the Dominion Hotel Aug. 5. /Photo submitted

Tentrees returns to Minden in August

By Grace Oborne

Gordie Tentrees is set out to perform at the Dominion Hotel, in Minden, on August 5.
Tentrees has been a musician for about 15 years. He grew up in a family of writers and was encouraged to write down most of what he thought about. Then he moved to the Yukon, from Ontario, at 23 years old and has been surrounded by music since then.

“When I moved to the Yukon 23 years ago, I was surrounded by a bunch of people that were playing music,” said Tentrees. “After dinner, it was very common to clear the table and pick up an instrument. I started writing songs as well. I grew up in a family of writers, so it was common in my house to write everything we wanted to say down. It was a calming thing to do, to grab a pen and paper and write everything down.”
Tentrees has performed at Dominion Hotel multiple times over the last decade or so, “I’ve always come back to the area, I grew up there,” he noted.

“The folks at the Dominion, they’ve always had concerts, and have always let me come there and play. I’ve just been thinking that I should do it again because things are opening up. I’ve got a new record that I haven’t played there yet, so I’m excited about it.”

Tentrees’ own life events, or the lives of others, is what inspires his music, “If I can write about something that’s affected me or happened to me personally, or something that’s happened around me through another person that I know, or an event, then that’s something I can get behind to sing,” said Tentrees.
Tentrees’ style of music is what he calls “Yukon roots music.” It stretches anywhere from country to blues. “To me, my music is a reflection of the music that is around me a lot. That goes from country to blues, and everything in between. Country folk, bluegrass, blues. Every kind of blues, whether that’s country blues, but I’d say there’s a folk storytelling element to it as well. There’s definitely a performance element to it. No show is the same,” he said.

He is putting out his eighth record in September and recalls the many memories he has made from producing records and travelling to perform them.
“Every record you put out, you tour for about two years, so I think my favourite memory, honestly, has been travelling.”
“It’s an amazing experience to show up and everyone’s just really happy to see you and is really nice to you. Then you leave to go to a different country or community and the same thing happens again. I’ve always wanted to travel everywhere, and I have bucket list of places I want to play music. Music has allowed me to do that,” he added.

As his concert date nears, Tentrees is built up with excitement. He looks forward to sharing his love for music with an audience once again.
“They’re going to hear a lot of songs that they haven’t heard in a while. They haven’t seen me in about three years, and since then I’ve put out two records. It is going to be fun for me and fun for them to hear my new material,” said Tentrees.

Tentrees looks forward to sharing his music with the people of Haliburton County, “I’ll probably be more excited than the audience. They might have to peel me off the stage because I’ll just want to continue performing.”
To learn more about Gordie Tentrees and his work, visit www.tentrees.ca/, or to buy tickets for his upcoming concerts, visit www.tentrees.ca/tour.