Pick of the Day: Royal Wood

In his preview of this Regina Folk Festival Concert Series gig in our Nov. 19 issue Rosie suggested that there wasn't likely to be a stampede of people heading to the Exchange tonight to catch Royal Wood. Having seen him back-up Canuck chanteuse Jill Barber at the same venue last November I have to disagree. That night, Wood won over the capacity crowd with his folksy charm and between song banter. Expect more of the same tonight when he takes the stage following a back-up set by Halifax-based bluegrass/folk artist Rose Cousins.

As Rosie also noted in his article, which he wrote despite a failed attempt to secure an interview via the Toronto-based singer/songwriter's management, Royal Wood is his real name. I can believe it. In fact, we used to have a sales rep in the office named Royal (as in the bank, he used to joke, or a royal pain-in-the-ass) Watson. True, Royal Wood stretches the bounds of credibilty a bit more than that, given that "wood" is a slang term for an erection. Nonetheless, he's a top-notch performer. To prove my point, here's the video for his song "Juliet" (YouTube)