Steve Lacey
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Steve is a transplanted Englishman who has lived most of his life in Canada, first in Saskatchewan and more recently in the Northwest Territories.
His first instruments were the trombone and the piano, both taught by his parents, who also taught him musical theory and gave him an appreciation of a wide range of musical genres. They bought him his first guitar, which he taught himself to play.
Living in rural Saskatchewan gave Steve the opportunity to direct choirs and school musicals, as well as continuing to play solo and family music. In high school and university, Steve played in marching bands; folk groups; choirs at school, university, and church; garage bands; night club bands, and country and dance bands. He also was performing as a soloist and got involved in the early organizational years of the Regina Folk Guild.
Arriving in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Steve got involved with Folk on the Rocks as a performer and as an organizer. Through protest events about the 1991 Gulf War, the group Ceilidh Friends came together.
Ceilidh Friends, including Steve, his wife, Dawn, Moira Cameron, and Steve Goff, have performed at many Yellowknife and other Northern venues. Group career highlights include an interview on CBC’s "Morningside", a performance during Queen Elizabeth's visit, and showcases at the Folk Alliance conferences in Toronto and Vancouver. The biggest event is the group’s two-week gig at EXPO 2005 in Japan as part of the Canadian pavilion’s cultural program.
Ceilidh Friends’ albums are
"Yellowknife Evening," named after a song Steve wrote, and "The Spirit
of Giving", consisting of Yuletide songs. Steve and the group have also
performed as guest musicians on other albums by Yellowknife musicians.
In January 2000, Steve’s solo
recording, "Habits of a Lifetime," was released.
Since 2004 Steve has also been a member of The Gumboots, a men’s folk group singing mostly original material about Canada’s North. With the Gumboots his experience and adaptability have increased widely.
Steve lists Händel, Gilbert and Sullivan, John Philip Sousa, the Beatles, Buffy Ste. Marie, Gordon Lightfoot, and Stan Rogers as his principal influences. His songs reflect this variety, showing jazz, blues, folk, and rock influences, and he performs in styles from many eras of music. He reads music well but can also play and sing by ear. He plays guitar, bass, mountain dulcimer, recorder, and percussion instruments.
For booking or album orders, email Steve at masked@theedge.ca