Born in Prince Rupert and a member of the Gitga’at community, Tsimshian folk artist Saltwater Hank has always had a major affinity for the northwest coast.
That affinity can be heard through his music, as he references stories, places and people from northern B.C. in his songs. Although Saltwater Hank’s real name is Jeremy Pahl, the name Hank carries a lot of meaning. It was the name of both his father and great uncle.
“Would I have loved to be the third Hank in my family? Probably, but I got stuck with Jeremy, so I get to be Saltwater Hank when I play now,” says Pahl.
His songs are reminiscent of old country, blues and folk tunes circa the 1930s, but with a progressive tone and centred on northwestern B.C.
“All of the songs they were writing were reflections of the places that these people lived in,” says Pahl of the early folk, blues and country musicians.
“I figured being in that genre and staying true to that tradition, it felt only natural to sing about home — home places and close places that I’ve been and heard stories about.”
He says there are not too many people coming out of northern B.C. who are writing and singing about northern B.C. specifically.
“I have had many times people come up to me and have some sort of connection to working in a fish cannery in the north coast or knowing the significance of the Simon Gunannot story in the Kispiox Valley in Old Hazelton, or hopping on freight trains and riding up the coast and back,” explains Pahl.
“It makes me feel like I might be doing a good thing seeing people’s responses to that and having a real connection to the songs that I’m singing,” he adds.
Recorded in the basement of a church in Prince George, his debut album Stories from the Northwest, also features some of the city’s best players, including fellow members of the retired folk-rock band Black Spruce Bog, Danny Bell and Amy Blanding, as well as Naomi Kavka, Big Fancy, Brin Porter and Chloe Nakahara.
“We’ve kind of become like a house band for each other in some senses. The Prince George music scene is definitely one that I brag about and talk about often in my travels,” says Pahl. “People outside of Prince George, who have either been there once or have never been, have a preconceived notion of what that city is like, but it’s a beautiful place with a vibrant arts community and a very supportive music scene.”
Pahl says he honed his interest in folk and country during a residency at the Croft Hotel in Prince George with local musician Corbin Spensley.
“He and I played there five nights a week for four weeks straight,” says Pahl. “It was a lot of seniors and they said their genre of music was old country tunes and so that’s what we played and that was my intro into that whole kind of genre.”
Pahl will be performing in Prince George during the 2019 Coldsnap Winter Music Festival.
This will be his first year performing as Salt Water Hank. He performed previously with Black Spruce Bog in 2014 and with Amy Blanding in 2017.
“It is at a perfect time of year when people have the midwinter blues, so it kind of brings all kinds of joy to the community. Audiences are excellent at Coldsnap; they really listen intently. It is really intimate,” says Pahl.
To find out more about Saltwater Hank, you can check out his website and bandcamp. You can also catch Saltwater Hank when he performs at the Ramada Hotel on Jan. 26 for Coldsnap’s Folk Rockin’ It at the Ballroom Part II.
Our Coldsnap Highlight helps you get to know the artists who will be performing during Prince George’s annual winter music festival. The festival takes place Jan 25. to Feb. 2 and features a diverse group of more than 20 artists from across the country and right here at home.
