#ArtistAtHome is a series of portraits and profiles of local artists by Christopher Edmonstone. Read all about it and see the archive HERE.
Today's #ArtistAtHome TJ Hermiston is a guy whose travels make me jealous.
Having run his own travel company Beach Travellers for more than 10 years, he has been fortunate to live the adventures that many people only dream of. The drive and determination to succeed in business taught him that you have to be 'all in' in life, which is why he decided to step away from the business last year and fully invest himself into his music. An awesome talent, he performs under the name Terence Jack. I got to know him a few years ago through common friends and he demonstrated early on what a solid guy he is by giving me a hand working the bar at my debut photo exhibition without even being asked.
Despite transitioning away from travel adventure as a business, TJ still loves life on the road and has a deep love for SE Asia. In fact, just last week he returned from three months traveling between Bangkok and Sri Lanka. In catching up with him the other day he noted that music is a huge part of life in Asia. In Sri Lanka in particular, the beat of the drum was a constant heartbeat or a metronome throughout the trip.
TJ Hermiston at home
He loves to travel by train and does so whenever the opportunity arises. The constant shimmying on the rails providing some sort of womb-like comfort. TJ says the best thing about the train in Sri Lanka is cutting through the tea fields with scenes of waterfalls, villages, colourfully garbed families and smiling kids. There was a moment on the train he said when a man was eating local food (with his right-hand) and offered him half of his meal while telling him with complete conviction that they were lucky to be in Sri Lanka, the most beautiful place on the earth. At the time, TJ thought about BC - the mountains and trees and fresh air - but he couldn’t argue with him.
Having spent so much time in Asia, TJ says it would be impossible not to have been influenced by the music there. He has a new EP dropping in just over a week titled 'Never Get Back'. It is a stylistic departure from his debut release, and TJ says this album has some feels and riffs that show the Asian influence, but he will leave it to the listener to recognize them.
He is gearing up to tour across Canada in support of the new album next month. Check out his Facebook page and his website for his music and show dates.
