Ken Yates

Ken Yates at Songbyrd

Tuesday April 27th

Ken Yates is an award-winning singer-songwriter known for his introspective storytelling and signature blend of folk, indie, and rock influences. His latest album, Total Cinema, explores themes of gratitude and self-awareness and has drawn acclaim from NPR Music, Rolling Stone, Audiotree, The Toronto Star, and No Depression, with Atwood Magazine calling it a “bright, cathartic reckoning.” The album follows Yates’2022 release, Cerulean, which earned a Contemporary Album of the Year nomination at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. With recent support dates opening for Medium Build, Madison Cunningham, Kathleen Edwards, and others, Yates continues to assert his place as one of the most incisive voices in rising indie music.

"I feel like there are songs on this record that I had to live my whole life so far to write," reflects Ken Yates on his forthcoming album Total Cinema. "That's a cool feeling after doing this for a while—to have songs that still surprise you and feel like you had to earn them."

This atmospheric depth permeates Total Cinema, an album that captures an artist who has found clarity in making "the exact record I wanted to make." After years of determined evolution and a creative breakthrough with 2022's Cerulean, Yates has crafted his most immersive and dynamic work to date—a widescreen vision that embraces both the shadows and light of human experience.

“Can’t quite put my finger on why I’m obsessed with this song by Canadian troubadour Ken Yates, ‘Cataclysmic End.’Or maybe I can…” -- Ann Powers, NPR Music

“That all-consuming magic of escapism that happens in a darkened movie theater? Ken Yates harnessed it with his 2022 album Cerulean, and with its aptly named follow-up Total Cinema, he’s bottled it.” - Maeri Ferguson, No Depression

“Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music… Ken Yates, ‘Sidewinder’” - Rolling Stone