Scott Nolan is a songwriter, poet, multi
instrumentalist from Winnipeg, Manitoba Treaty
One Territory. His songs have been recorded
by Hayes Carll, Mary Gauthier, Watermelon
Slim, and Corin Raymond among others. He
has recently produced albums for William
Prince, Lynne Hanson, and Watermelon Slim.
In January 2015 he started
writing poetry,
approximately three weeks
after his 40th
birthday. The plan was
to replace smoking
cigarettes with walking
eight to ten kilometres
a day. He is a songwriter
by trade and often
discovered melodies and
rhythms in the shuffling
of his feet. He spends
most of his time thinking
about words, music, and
language. Nolan found
myself writing short poems
based on people
and places in his neighbourhood,
trying to
capture a bit of what was
happening around
him.
An older cousin of his
discovered a gift
and passion for poetry
while serving time
in Folsom State Prison.
He was an early influence
on him, sending books and
letters from prison
and encouraging the younger
Nolan to read
and write as often as possible.
This relationship
was the subject of a documentary
last year
called Visiting Day, produced
for the CBC
by filmmaker Charles Konowal.
He was invited
to perform and host writing
workshops in
the very same prison library
his cousin wrote
to him from all those years
ago.
The late Winnipeg poet
Patrick O’Connell
was also a dear friend
and mentor. Patrick
is one of his favourite
contemporary Canadian
poets. His was a lyrical
style that had a
strong impact on his early
songwriting. One
of the many benefits of
working in the arts
community in Winnipeg is
the quality of work
of his peers. It’s consistently
encouraging
and inspiring. After more
than a decade of
relentless touring, he
decided to take a
year or so away from the
road to collaborate,
produce records, and enjoy
his life in Winnipeg.
A play was produced through
Manitoba Theatre
Projects based on the nine
albums he has
released since 2003. The
play, I Dream of
Diesel, enjoyed a two week
run of sold-out
shows and critical praise
from both the community
and critics
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