Jon Brooks is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter best known as a solo performer but more recently as leader of ''Jon Brooks & The Outskirts of Approval.'' Brooks’ music may be characterized as literary, allusive, emotionally intense and difficult to categorize, borne as it is from a broad range of influence and musical incarnations. His lyrics attend to, in Brooks’ words, ‘calming those who’ve looked into and seen what is in their hearts and terrifying those who’ve not.’ His albums, often thematic, fixate over love, fear, death, religion, war, post traumatic stress, technology, animal justice, ecology, esoterica, and the stars.

Biography

Born and raised in King City, Ontario, Brooks attended

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...

in the late 80s to study jazz piano before fronting a blues-rock Toronto based band in the early 90s as principal songwriter, lead singer, and Hammond organist. As a keyboard player, he played with ''The Norge Union, Days of You,'' and '' The Headstones.'' In 1996, Brooks relocated to

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, Poland to study Eastern European history and politics at

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

. He travelled extensively throughout Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, the Baltics, Croatia, and the recently war ruined Bosnia-Herzegovina. Upon returning to Toronto he attended

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

to study an aleatory range of interests including music, politics, theology, and architecture; eventually graduating with a degree in English Literature. Sometime around 2003 and at the urging of two of his literary heroes and mentors, Austin Clarke and

Barry Callaghan Barry Morley Joseph Callaghan (born July 5, 1937) is a Canadian author, poet and anthologist. He is currently the editor-in-chief of ''Exile'' Quarterly. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he is the son of late Canadian novelist and short story write ...

respectively, Brooks returned to music, this time with a

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) **List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Plac ...

615 acoustic guitar. In 2005 he released, ''No Mean City -'' his first of seven thematic albums noted as much for Brooks’ invented and percussive guitar style as his lyrics’ temerity, dark humour, and obsessive interest in violence, love, paradox and the unity of opposites. Brooks’ songs are universal in theme and particular in Canadian subject matter. His songs are often peopled by morally ambiguous and non-binary souls - in his words, ‘those on the outskirts of approval.’ He writes in a variety of forms including linear

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s, list songs,

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

s, cyclical coronas,

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

, and, at times, a more abstract and non-linear form of storytelling. Brooks cites Czeslaw Milosz,

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

Thomas Merton Thomas Merton (January 31, 1915 – December 10, 1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. On May 26, 1949, he was ordained to the Catholic priesthood and giv ...

Svetlana Alexievich Svetlana Alexandrovna Alexievich (born 31 May 1948) is a Belarusian investigative journalist, essayist and oral historian who writes in Russian. She was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suff ...

Mary Oliver Mary Jane Oliver (September 10, 1935 – January 17, 2019) was an American poet who won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. Her work is inspired by nature, rather than the human world, stemming from her lifelong passion for solitary ...

Simone Weil Simone Adolphine Weil ( , ; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. Over 2,500 scholarly works have been published about her, including close analyses and readings of her work, since 1995. ...

Alexander Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist. One of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism and helped to raise global awareness of political repress ...

Andrei Platonov Andrei Platonov (russian: Андре́й Плато́нов, ; – 5 January 1951) was the pen name of Andrei Platonovich Klimentov (russian: Андре́й Плато́нович Климе́нтов), a Soviet Union, Soviet Russian people, Rus ...

Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

, and

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

as his foremost literary influences. Songwriters and performers past and present Brooks most admires include

Blind Willie Johnson Blind Willie Johnson (January 25, 1897 – September 18, 1945) was an American gospel blues singer, guitarist and evangelist. His landmark recordings completed between 1927 and 1930—thirty songs in total—display a combination of powerful "ch ...

, Howlin Wolf,

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Ca ...

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

Gord Downie Gordon Edgar Downie (February 6, 1964 – October 17, 2017) was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its forma ...

, Sam Baker,

Iris Dement Iris Luella DeMent (born January 5, 1961) is an American two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and musician . DeMent's musical style includes elements of folk, country and gospel. Early life DeMent was born in Paragould, Arkansas, the 14t ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American Jazz poetry, jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician ...

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

Sanam Marvi Sanam Marvi ( sd, ) (born : 17 April 1986) is a Pakistani folk and sufi singer. She sings in Sindhi, Punjabi, and Balochi languages.Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...

, and

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

. Brooks currently holds the dubious record for most nominations at ''The Canadian Folk Music Awards'' for ''English Songwriter of the Year. '' In 2010 Brooks became the fourth Canadian since 1975 to win the esteemed, ''Kerrville New Folk Award'' at The Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.

Career

''No Mean City'' (2006)

Brooks's first full-length offering was re-released digitally by '' Fallen Tree Records'' in 2019. ''No Mean City'' is a 13-song ode to the modern urban disaster and is set in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

's multicultural past and present. Focusing on newcomers, refugees, and the dispossessed the songs are densely layered with biblical, literary, and historical allusion. The idea for ''No Mean City'' was inspired by the Toronto architecture historian

Eric Arthur Eric Ross Arthur, (1 July 1898 – 1 November 1982) was a Canadian architect, writer and educator. Born in Dunedin, New Zealand and educated in England, he served in World War I with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. He emigrated to Canada in ...

's book of the same name – which also accounts for why all the songs devote equal attention to their characters' surrounding architecture.

''Ours and the Shepherds'' (2007)

The title of Brooks's second release, ''Ours and the Shepherds'' (2007), was taken from

Dorothy Day Dorothy Day (November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980) was an American journalist, social activist and anarchist who, after a bohemian youth, became a Catholic without abandoning her social and anarchist activism. She was perhaps the best-known ...

's response to her own reflection, "Whose fault is it? It's ours and the shepherds." A collection of Canadian war stories dating from World War I to current missions in Afghanistan, the 13 songs were inspired by the lives of the Canadians including Sen.

Romeo Dallaire Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a pries ...

, Padre William Henry Davis, John McRae, Sgt.

Tommy Prince Thomas George Prince MM SSM (October 25, 1915 – November 25, 1977) was an Indigenous Canadian war hero and the most decorated soldier in the First Special Service Force or Devil's Brigade during World War II. He was Canada's most decorated ...

, and

James Loney James Anthony Loney (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Mets, and in Korea Baseball Org ...

. The album earned Brooks multiple awards, a place in the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (french: link=no, Musée canadien de la guerre; CWM) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in a ...

and the John McCrae Society, and his first ''Songwriter of the Year'' nomination at the 2007

Canadian Folk Music Awards The Canadian Folk Music Awards are an annual music awards ceremony presenting awards in a variety of categories for achievements in both traditional and contemporary folk music, and other roots music genres, by Canadian musicians. The awards progr ...

''Moth Nor Rust'' (2009)

''Moth Nor Rust'' (2009) was Brooks's third release. The songs were inspired by "all that neither moth nor rust" can touch – love, hope, trust, faith, memory, justice, inspiration, and gratitude. The ten songs were recorded live in studio, solo, and without overdubs in the effort to amplify the austere theme of human essentials. ''Moth Nor Rust'' enjoyed international chart positions and worldwide airplay, as well as his second ''Songwriter of the Year'' nomination at the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards. The lyrics of the songs were published by Canada's foremost literary journal,

Exile Editions Exile Editions is an independent literary publisher based in Toronto. It was founded in 1976 by poet, novelist and artist Barry Callaghan and is currently headed by Michael Callaghan. Exile has published over 320 titles to date, including a wide ...

''Delicate Cages'' (2012)

''Delicate Cages'' was initially released independently in November 2011 but was formally re-released by Borealis Records in May 2012. The album earned Brooks his third Songwriter of the Year nomination in 5 years from the Canadian Folk Music Awards. As in its three predecessors, the 11 songs on ''Delicate Cages'' reflect common themes, in this case love and fear and freedom and imprisonment. The title is taken from the

Robert Bly Robert Elwood Bly (December 23, 1926 – November 21, 2021) was an American poet, essayist, activist and leader of the mythopoetic men's movement. His best-known prose book is '' Iron John: A Book About Men'' (1990), which spent 62 weeks on ' ...

poem ''Taking The Hands:'' "Taking the hands of someone you love, / you see they are delicate cages." Another similarity with Brooks's other releases is the wide-ranging, topical and controversial song subjects: the Alberta tar sands ("Fort McMurray"),

Bill 101 The ''Charter of the French Language'' (french: link=no, La charte de la langue française), also known in English as Bill 101, Law 101 (''french: link=no, Loi 101''), or Quebec French Preference Law, is a law in the province of Quebec in Canada ...

and Quebec's language laws (''

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...

Girl''), Palestinian suicide bombers ( ''Son of Hamas''), a Bosnian child soldier turned Canadian mixed-martial-arts fighter (''Cage Fighter''), and so-called "honour killing" (''The Lonesome Death of

Aqsa Parvez Aqsa "Axa" Parvez ( ur, ; April 22, 1991 – December 10, 2007) was the victim of a murder in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. During the murder trial, Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno acknowledged the slaying as an honour killing, stating, tha ...

)''. Morally and politically ambiguous, ''Delicate Cages'' offered what Brooks has since called "necessary and alternative understandings of 'hope' and 'grief' that are neither sanitized, dumbed down, nor cheapened or degraded by the modern lie of 'closure".

''The Smiling and Beautiful Countryside'' (2014)

Brooks's fifth album, ''The Smiling and Beautiful Countryside,'' released by

Borealis Records Borealis Records is a Canadian record label, founded in 1996 by four Canadian musicians. It is notable as being focused exclusively on the recording and development of Canadian folk and roots music artists. History In 1996, Canadian musician ...

in November 2014, consists solely of murder ballads and was recorded in Toronto by David Travers-Smith. It draws on philosophical paradox, gallows humour, impossible love, titillating gore, serial killers, gun dealers, rampage killings, missing women, First Nations injustice and catastrophe, necrophilia,

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, and

. Throughout the record two distinct "murderers" terrorize society: the overt and alienated human killer and its psychotic double, the corporation – the "individual baptized by law". In this regard, ''The Smiling and Beautiful Countryside'' is Brooks's most overtly political and subversive album to date. The death count is 75. Nominated for ''Contemporary Album of the Year,'' the album also earned Brooks his fourth ''Songwriter of the Year'' nomination by the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

''No One Travels Alone'' (2018)

Brooks' 6th album, ''No One Travels Alone'', accomplished a first in modern songwriting: borrowing from the Elizabethan sonneteers, the album fulfils a ‘corona' of songs. Corona form interconnects each song by first and last lines; the last line of the first song becomes the first line of the following song, etc…until the final song completes a circle, or corona. In accord with the album's central theme of digital and atomic connectivity, Brooks' 2018 set of songs are interconnected, as are we; thus it is: ‘No One Travels Alone.’ NPR included the album among its esteemed ''Best of 2018'' list.

''Moth Nor Rust II'' (2019)

His seventh and latest album, ''Moth Nor Rust II,'' (Fallen Tree Records, 2019, September 13), revisits his 2009 solo acoustic set, ''Moth Nor Rust,'' with 10 years of artistic maturity and his new band, ''Jon Brooks & The Outskirts of Approval.'' The original ''Moth Nor Rust'' scratched the itch for an uplifting digression from darker earlier themes of urban disappointment in ''No Mean City'' (2006), by Canadian war and post traumatic stress stories in ''Ours and the Shepherds'' (2007). ''Moth Nor Rust'' became a fan favourite because it was the cadence that resolved his first two albums’ tensions by asking, what is it that makes us positively human? Brooks’ answer, borrowing from ''Matthew 6.19-20'': ''all that neither moth nor rust can touch.'' ''Moth Nor Rust II'' was engineered and produced by the original engineer, Jason LaPrade and co-produced by Brooks’ longtime friend and musical compadre, Neil Cruickshank. In Jon's words, “The song is an art form that operates in time and 10 years has a way of transforming the song in ways worthy of revisiting.” ''The Outskirts of Approval'' include Joe Ernewein (electric guitar and pedal steel), John Showman (violin), and Vivienne Wilder (upright bass and vocals).

Discography

* 2006 ''No Mean City'' - Independent/Fallen Tree Records * 2007 ''Ours and the Shepherds'' - Independent/Fallen Tree Records * 2009 ''Moth Nor Rust'' - Independent/Fallen Tree Records * 2012 ''Delicate Cages'' - Borealis Records * 2014 ''The Smiling and Beautiful Countryside'' - Borealis Records * 2018 ''No One Travels Alone'' - Borealis Records * 2019 ''Moth Nor Rust II -'' Fallen Tree Records

Awards and nominations

* 2015 - Nominated -

Canadian Folk Music Award The Canadian Folk Music Awards are an annual music awards ceremony presenting awards in a variety of categories for achievements in both traditional and contemporary folk music, and other roots music genres, by Canadian musicians. The awards progr ...

– English Songwriter of the Year * 2015 - Nominated - Canadian Folk Music Award – Contemporary Album of the Year *2014 - Nominated - Toronto Min Sook Lee Labour Arts Award * 2012 - Nominated - Canadian Folk Music Award – English Songwriter of the Year *2010 - Won - International Songwriting Competition * 2010 - Won - Kerrville New Folk Competition * 2009 - Nominated - Canadian Folk Music Award – English Songwriter of the Year *2009 - Won - ''NPR’s

Mountain Stage ''Mountain Stage'' is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio (NPR). Hosted by Larry Groce from the show's inception until 2021 and current ...

New Song Contest -'' Canadian Region * 2007 - Nominated - Canadian Folk Music Award – English Songwriter of the YearCFMA Nominees http://canadianfolkmusicawards.ca/past-years/results-2007/

Career Highlights

* Jon's 2007 album of Canadian war stories, ''Ours and the Shepherds,'' is part of the permanent collection at ''The

,'' Ottawa, ON; as well, the album was included in the permanent collection at ''The John McRae Society,'' Guelph, ON * Since 2012, Jon has had six appearances at '' The Bluebird Cafe'' in Nashville, TN * ''No One Travels Alone'' named ''‘Best of 2018’'' on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

’s ''

Global Village Global village describes the phenomenon of the entire world becoming more interconnected as the result of the propagation of media technologies throughout the world. The term was coined by Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan in his books '' ...

Radio'' * Since 2008, Jon has performed at major festivals throughout Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US. * 2007 '' CBC At 6'' Taped a Remembrance Day performance at Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton High School, Toronto, ON * 2007 ''Irish Famine Memorial Concert'' Jon performed for Ireland's President

Mary McAleese Mary Patricia McAleese ( ; ga, Máire Pádraigín Mhic Ghiolla Íosa; ; born 27 June 1951) is an Irish activist lawyer and former politician who served as the eighth president of Ireland from November 1997 to November 2011. She is an academic ...

, Toronto, ON

Biography

Career

''No Mean City'' (2006)

''Ours and the Shepherds'' (2007)

''Moth Nor Rust'' (2009)

''Delicate Cages'' (2012)

''The Smiling and Beautiful Countryside'' (2014)

''No One Travels Alone'' (2018)

''Moth Nor Rust II'' (2019)

Discography

Awards and nominations

Career Highlights

References

External links