I met Dylan Menzie in person about a week ago in Charlottetown, PEI. It was the day that he released his new album, Adolescent Nature. I, along with some other delegates, were at a songwriter challenge listening session. Dylan came up to present one of his songs, and admitted that he had written (along with singer songwriter KASHKA), and recorded it in only 2 hours. He played it in that listening room and then performed it in a theatre later that night, and each time, it hit me in the face. Like, it ‘got to me’. This dude’s voice is something else. Team members Steve and Emma also agreed. Then I set out on a mission to nab him before anyone else did. Success! We got Dylan Menzie, and we couldn’t he happier.
While he often draws comparisons to Atlantic Canada’s own Joel Plaskett (which I understand), and Ron Sexsmith, this guy also has written some tracks here that Paul Simon would be proud to call his own. His music is both very honest and very catchy (which is another way he reminds me of Simon). He’s already won over a large Canadian audience by landing in the top 4 of Canada’s CBC Searchlight Song Competition. Rich Terfry (aka Buck 65) calls his song ‘Kenya’, “completely irresistible” and tells of how one of the Song Competition judges “said that it seems as though this song was pulled from the future pages of the Canadian song book, which I think is a great compliment.”
Anyway – I could go on forever, but I’ll let you see for yourself. Instead of posting a track and a video, I’m just posting this video so you can see his live vocal chops for yourself. This kid’s got something real special. Agreed?
