SMOKY LAKE SIGNAL, OCTOBER 11, 2006

Tim hus a pumpkin Fair Highlight

by Karen Pedlar

Spider Bishop and Tim Hus at the Smoky Lake Inn. Hus played a set on Saturday afternoon as well.

Cowboy singer/songwriter Tim Hus wore his best "squash coloured" cowboy shirt and apologized for not knowing any pumpkin songs as he played for an enthusiastic crowd at the Smoky Lake Inn Saturday night during Smoky Lake's 18th Annual Great White North Pumpkin Fair.

Instead, he came up with the next best thing and sang a song about Saskatoon berries, written by Calgary's Tom Wilson, and one about potatoes, penned by Canadian music icon Stompin' Tom Connors.

Hus was joined by multi-talented sideman Spider Bishop on lead guitar, bass fiddle, and back-up vocals. Bishop also added percussion to the mix by slapping the neck of his stand-up bass as he accompanied Hus through a virtual storybook of original songs as well as cover tunes by artists like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Ian Tyson, and Corb Lund.

The musicians paused briefly to watch the final few minutes of a Flames vs. Oilers hockey game playing quietly on a TV in the far corner of the room, then shouted: "We won!" (Hus is from Calgary) and broke into Stompin' Tom's "The Good Old Hockey Game". Needless to say, the crowd went wild.

Meanwhile, a pair of Thelma and Louise clones rolled into the lounge and amused the crowd with their crazy dance antics and boisterous song requests. "I don't tell you what to drink!" said Hus to the rowdy crew, but relented and sang his song Rumrunner again for someone who told him she liked to drink rum, and Hurtin' Albertan for one of the truck drivers in the crowd. He also made reference to how Inn proprietor Leesa Jones couldn't keep staff around because "all the girls are going up to Fort McMurray to drive bulldozers". Of course Hus had a song about that as well, and broke into his song Pipeline from his latest CD Huskies & Husqvarnas.

The amiable Tim Hus took the time to chat with the crowd during his breaks and was described by lounge patrons as someone who sings "simple songs with a lot of heart" as well as "a nice guy". He came across as a hard-working, road-wise musician who, as he sang in his song Great Plains Tour, is making friends across the country, one table at a time.

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