It started out as an artist collective looking to give folk music a bit of a twist.

“It’s kind of making folk music kind of sexy, to tell you the truth,” said Tom Wilson of Lee Harvey Osmond, a band headlining for the Cochrane Valley Folk Club Nov. 27 at the  Cochrane RancheHouse.

Lee Harvey Osmond plays at the RancheHouse Nov. 27 for the Folk Club. Photo courtesy of Lee Harvey Osmond

Wilson, a veteran from Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and Junkhouse, has spent a lifetime in music. He decided to put together Lee Harvey Osmond, releasing the band’s debut album, A Quiet Evil, in July of 2009.

Lee Harvey Osmond, unlike most projects, was originally put together without a band. Wilson wanted to experiment with the idea of bringing the bottom end to folk music — putting the groove back in and giving the music an edge.

“There’s something interesting about playing music without showing off. It’s all about sitting in the groove,” said Wilson, who is making a cultural statement with A Quiet Evil rather than focusing on the performance value of the music.

Lee Harvey Osmond consists of seasoned Canadian players who’ve come to the table, bringing decades of experience to the songs on the album: members from Blackie and  the Rodeo Kings, Junkhouse, Skydiggers, Cowboy Junkies and longtime folk musician Brent Titcomb.

“The number one goal was to find people who’d lend themselves to the songs,” said Wilson, who is very excited about the success of the project.

He is pleased with the overall collaborative effort by all the players who have taken part.

The songs on the album reflect various themes that are integral to the genre of folk music:  men in jail who are worried about whether or not their families will still love them, native land disputes and the greed that tears communities apart.

Upon its release A Quiet Evil was referred to as dark and unsettling, but Wilson disagrees with this perception, defining the album as “acid folk.”

The album has been especially growing in popularity in the United States, where the group has been consistently touring since the spring release.

Even though Wilson is pleased with how A Quiet Evil is being embraced by our southern neighbors, it’s important to him to have support from Canadian audiences.

“Canada’s my home and it’s really where I want to be loved,” said the Hamilton, Ont., native. “I really want to be embraced by my own country.”

Lee Harvey Osmond is already getting booked up into the fall of 2010 for various Canadian and American dates, and Wilson is looking forward to more extensive touring — musing that one never knows what the reaction will be when a CD is released when he says with a laugh, “it’s endless.”

Future plans outside of Canada and U.S. touring include a possible European tour, as the CD has recently been released in France and England.

Tickets for the show in Cochrane are $22 and can be purchased online at www.cochranefolkclub.ca or at Cochrane Coffee Traders.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. at the RancheHouse.

For more on Lee Harvey Osmond, visit www.latentrecordings.com/leeharveyosmond/.

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