THUNDER BAY -- It’s been trial-by-fire year for Thunder Bay’s Coleman Hell.
His career took off in 2015 with the release of hit single Two Heads, and continued on its upward spiral this year with release of Summerland, a hometown-inspired debut, full-length album that spawned yet another hit, Fireproof, and reached No. 13 on the Canadian music charts.
Hell and his crew have spent much of the past year on the road, honing their on-stage skills as they criss-crossed North America, playing to crowds of thousands at Canada’s WayHome Festival and the Hangout Music Fest in Alabama.
Along the way he opened for the likes of Robert DeLong and 21 Pilots, which taught the 27-year-old singer/songwriter he belonged.
“It really helped with exposure in Canada and it also helped me kind of meet their fans, see their show every night and see the sort of world they created and showed me that I could do the same thing too,” Hell said on Friday, after spending a portion of the afternoon on CKPR Radio reconnecting with his Thunder Bay base, a day ahead of a sold-out performance at Lakehead University’s The Outpost, his alma mater.
Spending so much time on the road has been an eye-opening experience, he said.
“I hadn’t really toured too much extensively before the release of Two Heads, so now I’ve been on tour for a year-and-a-half almost. I’ve packed in a lot of experience in a short amount of time.”
The result is the show has gotten a lot more theatrical since his successful homecoming last December. Even long-time fans are in for a surprise, Hell said.
“The show includes all the old classics along with most of the songs off the record. This time around is a little bit different. I’ve tried to make it a little more theatrical. There are underlying themes within the record and I’m trying to tell that story on the stage,” Hell said.
“I think even people who have seen me before are in for a bit of a treat, because it’s a bit different this time.”
Being back in town, with a little home cooking and surrounded by friends and family is always fun, he added.
“It’s always exciting to come back, and I think this time in particular,” he said.
“It feels a little bit more special to me because I’m supporting this record called Summerland and it’s really influenced by my time and the relationships I’ve had here.
“I think a lot of Thunder Bay is in those songs, so to come back to such a warm welcome from the city and to be playing those songs that are inspired from growing up here feels a little surreal, almost.”
