Colin Rink is a folk musician in the deepest, truest sense of the
word. His trembling portraits of humanity conjure up the kind of folk
music that speaks to a part of everyone’s soul; the part that has seen
struggle, and learned from it.
His musical career began when he scraped together enough money to
buy himself an acoustic guitar, and this hard-work ethic shows through
in every note he’s played since. Rink’s charismatic voice hints at a
life of odd jobs, cross-country travels, and long nights piecing
together a living with a guitar, a harmonica, and a head full of
stories.
While Vancouver turns its ears to a new voice rising up from its
bars and nightclubs, Colin Rink continues to impress new listeners
across the country with the release of his debut album, “Bury me Deep In The Ground.”
This album makes it very clear what Colin Rink has been doing for the
last decade or so – honing his skill with an impressive breadth of
musical understanding and life experience. Then again, if you’re one of
the growing number of fans who have seen him perform in countless
venues across his hometown of Vancouver, you probably already know
this.
Rink’s humble beginnings have led to a compelling honesty in his
music that resounds with critics and listeners alike. A writer from Reviewyou.com
gushed that his “heartfelt stories” possess “a resonance with the
potential to inspire a new generation,” much like the iconic Bob Dylan
did in his day. “It seems Colin Rink is divining the future out for
those wise enough to listen,” he continues, referring to songs like
“It’s a Comin,” in which Rink prophesizes that “Terror is comin’/ It
will be swift/ Upon the hills of green/ These perpetrators will not be
seen.” These dark tales, set to an unpretentious backing of acoustic
guitar and harmonica, echo the fears of a generation raised among
constant predictions of global crisis.
In 2008, he recorded his first live album at the Yale Jazz Club in
downtown Vancouver, marking a significant milestone for Rink as an
accomplished singer/songwriter. His diversity as an artist became
apparent when, later that year, one of his paintings was featured in
the Port Moody City Hall as part of a professional exhibit featuring
Canadian artists. This diversity has been important in securing Colin
Rink’s status as a multitalented creator of independent works. Whether
he’s busking, painting, podcasting, gracing the pages of Canadian
Musician magazine, or playing gigs, his work manages to maintain an
unpolished honesty that brings this creative drive to an accessible and
inspiring level.
"This Vancouver singer-songwriter makes a lot of noise - that is, of
the enticing psychadelic folk kind,” wrote Stuart Derdeyn in a recent
article in The Vancouver Province. If you’re itching to hear the
talented young man in person, he’ll be packing up this noise and
embarking on a cross-Canada tour beginning in December of 2009.