The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 1937 - 2012 · Celebrating 75 Years Orono Weekly Times - 5 Local musician Lambier gives back to Kendal Though he has been all over the world playing his music, Eric Lambier says his roots are very important. "I've always been a small town guy," Lambier told the Orono Times in a phone interview from his home in Oshawa on Thursday. "It is good to have roots," he said. Lambier says he will be going back to his roots for his performance in Kendal next Thursday. He will be playing selections from his brand new CD Better Day. The concert is a homecoming in more ways than one for Lambier who grew up in the Kendal area. He says he has returned to the music of his heart -- blues. These days' blues is an umbrella for all kinds of soul music, according to Lambier. "Blues aint the blues no mo," he stated. The new CD has some "old school rhythm and blues", some swing, a Cajun tune; songs he has written himself and one that was cowritten. While blues music was always in his head, Lambier said he "swung out a bit" for his first album released in 2005; a country album called Trains in the Rain. For this latest album Lambier says, "I went back to my roots, to what I want to do, what is in my heart." Lambier credits the great sound of this new CD to producer Alex Fraser, who has produced many albums over the years that have gone on to receive recognition and awards. Fraser produced Mess of Blues by the late Jeff Healy which stayed on the Billboard blues charts for months and was number one for three weeks. He produced Painkiller for Morgan Davis which was the Blues Album of the Year in 2004 and won a Juno that same year. "It is great working with someone with that level and depth of knowledge," Lambier said. He credits Fraser with shaping him as an artist -- someone who helped him to "focus on what is real and what is not." Fraser also plays bass guitar on all the tracks on Better Day. Through his industry connections, Fraser was able to get the Wexford Glee Club to perform the second track on this new album, the song called All God's Children, at the Show Choir Canada contest at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto on the weekend of April 13 and 14. The Glee Club from Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts in Scarborough placed second this year in the National Show Choir competition from among 13 high photo submitted Pictured from the back of his latest CD cover Better Day, Kendal native Eric Lambier returns to perfrom for his hometown fans on Thursday May 3rd. school choirs from across the country, last year they won the competition. The Glee Club provides the choral vocals for tracks on Lambier's CD. Having lost his sight at the age of three, Lambier plays everything by ear. "I liked listening to things," Lambier says. He started music lessons at the age of nine, though Lambier says he can remember playing piano at the age of six ­ his mom played the piano and Lambier says he was always around music. Trained as a classical pianist, Lambier says he developed a love for soul music at a young age. Lambier would spend his summers on the tobacco farm in Kendal while he attended the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind in Brantford from grade one to twelve. As the school was close to the U.S. border, Lambier says he was able to listen to some incredible music on some of the American gospel stations. The school had a huge music program Lambier says and claims he seemed to have an aptitude for music. "When other kids were out doing things, I was playing music," he stated. Lambier is grateful his musical training began with classical music. "I would never trade that," he says. Lambier feels the classical training gave him a great skill level and technical ability. ERIC LAMBIER see page 7