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We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.
For Ariel Posen, songwriting and guitar playing have always gone hand-in-hand.
He’s spent a decade building a bridge between those two worlds, balancing his work as a hotshot instrumentalist — including collaborations with everyone from John Mayer to Tom Jones — with solo albums rooted in melody and autobiographical storytelling.
The result is a career that’s every bit as diverse as his music. With performances at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival, his own Fender Stratocaster signature model, and a powerful voice that matches his fretwork, Posen explores uncharted territory, blurring the lines between genre and generation along the way.
On his latest release, Bannatyne, that exploration leads Posen back to the place where everything began. Named after an avenue in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, it’s a record about reexamining one’s past in order to appreciate the present fully. Woven into the album’s 12 songs are larger-than-life riffs and upbeat tempos (a nod to the 1990s rock music that soundtracked Posen’s childhood), along with the syncopated grooves and explorative, unexpected textures that have always steered his work. Equally influenced by the raw energy of his live shows — where Posen has been known to plug in and stretch out, showcasing the chops that prompted Rolling Stone to call him “a modern-day guitar hero” — and the tight craft of his songwriting, Bannatyne is a full-circle snapshot of an artist in evolution, chasing down new horizons while still honouring his musical roots.
“This is an album about coming home,” says Posen, who played guitar for hometown pals, The Bros. Landreth — earning a Juno Award along the way — before launching his solo career with the critically celebrated debut How Long. “It’s about looking back and appreciating where you come from, even as you’re heading somewhere new.”
“Heading somewhere new” has been Posen’s focus for years, ever since How Long introduced his blend of soulful rock & roll, R&B, and amplified Americana in 2019. Follow-up releases like Headway and Reasons Why widened that sound considerably, while the Mile End project — a trio of records filled with improvised guitar instrumentals — highlighted a different form of expression. Bannatyne covers new ground, too. There are appearances by fellow Canadian exports City and Colour (who appears on the gritty, grooving Empty-Handed) and Kathleen Edwards (who shares vocal duties with Posen on the sparse, slow-burning love song More Me With You). There are seize-the-day anthems like Future Present Tense, punctuated by layered harmonies and bursts of fuzz guitar. There are alternate guitar tunings, smoothly sung vocals, and lyrics about the homes we all leave behind, delivered by a road warrior who’s been carving out his signature sound with every album. It’s a powerful mix, and while Posen has never been shy about honouring his influences, the album sounds like him.
“Every record is the sound of me finding myself, more and more,” he says. “I’m not just a songwriter and I’m not just a guitarist. I’m both of those things. I’m taking these worlds that I feel very connected to, and I’m combining them together, leaning in either direction whenever I want. With Bannatyne, the idea was to be a little dirtier, rawer, and unpolished in my performances. I didn’t worry about chasing absolute perfection and cleanliness. I just stuck with whatever felt right.”
Co-produced by Posen and longtime collaborator Murray Pulver, Bannatyne certainly feels right. This is Posen’s unique vision of electrified roots music: song-driven, fretwork-fueled, and unmistakably his own.
SPECIALTY PROJECT | Ash Soan & Ariel Posen
When two world-class musicians with distinct yet complementary voices come together, something truly special happens. Ariel Posen, the Canadian slide guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter known for his soulful tone and genre-bending style, joins forces with Ash Soan, the legendary UK drummer whose grooves have shaped hits across generations and genres.
Together, they form a dynamic duo blending cinematic textures, raw musicianship, and infectious rhythm. What began as a remote collaboration evolved into a powerful creative partnership—melding Ariel’s melodic sensibilities and songwriting chops with Ash’s iconic drum feel and rhythmic innovation.
Their music blurs the lines between rock, soul, ambient, and modern instrumental music, offering something both deeply musical and emotionally resonant. Whether it’s an instrumental journey or a vocal-driven track, the Posen &Soan duo brings a fresh sound rooted in feel, tone, and chemistry. This project isn’t just a meeting of talent—it’s a groove-based conversation between two master storytellers. Click on the image for the show’s profile page
Responsible Agent
NICOLE ROCHEFORT