Press release –
Based in Victoria, BC, JUNO Award-winning roots troubadour STEPHEN FEARING launches a full-band tour of Ontario on October 16th, in support of his new album THE EMPATHIST, accompanied by a new video, for “Best Road I’ve Known,” out on YouTube on October 10th. The tour will include stops in Midland, Toronto, Guelph, London, Kingston, and a sold out show in Burnstown. Please see the full list of upcoming tour dates below. For more information please visit any of the links below or Fearing’s website.
This comes after Fearing has already completed both an East Coast solo jaunt, and a Western Canadian tour, joined by his Danish backing band and folk music pioneers The Sentimentals. It was during this Western leg that Fearing recorded a live version of his song “Best Road I’ve Known” in a hotel room , and shot a video for it as well.
“Bringing The Sentimentals to the Canadian West for the first time was unforgettable,” says Fearing. “The sweep of the Pacific coast, the sheer scale of the Rockies, and the endless prairies, all new to them. When a few days opened up in Alberta, we rented some gear and recorded impromptu hotel-room jams, one of which – “Best Road I’ve Known” – we decided to release, and for which we decided to shoot a video.
“We headed into the badlands south of Drumheller, filming ourselves cruising around East Coulee, lip-synching, while my drone tracked us overhead. It was a perfect, balmy, blue-sky March day; forty-eight hours later, we were crawling through a blizzard outside Regina. I just turned to them and said, ‘Welcome to Canada, boys.’”
The video for “Best Road I’ve Known” lives up to the title, balancing wide-open spaces with the tight confines of the touring van, as Fearing, and Sentimentals members M.C. Hansen (electric guitar), Nikolaj Wolf (electric bass), and Jacob Chano (percussion) ride the song’s mellow but insistent groove.
The best road continues for Fearing and The Sentimentals, as it winds through Ontario, coming to a venue near you in October. Don’t miss it!
Stephen Fearing is a celebrated musical troubadour, revered for his vivid, lyrical songwriting, masterful guitar work, and a voice described as melodic and cobalt. Over a career spanning decades, he has released 16 critically acclaimed solo albums, earned two JUNO Awards, and collaborated with legends of modern roots music. As co-founder of the Canadian roots-rock giants Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Fearing has released 11 albums and built a legacy of genre-busting music that captures the human condition in all its messy splendour. “I am a storyteller much more than a singer/songwriter,” Fearing reflects, “because I realized *my* story was less interesting than The Story.”
His latest project, The Empathist, embodies Fearing’s passion for crafting songs that are authentic, exhilarating, and entertaining. Each track draws from the truths he observes in the world, solidifying Fearing’s reputation as a masterful and relatable storyteller.
THE EMPATHIST TOUR DATES
w/ The Sentimentals :
https://www.stephenfearing.ca/tour
Sep 19 – Barton Upon Humber | UK
Sep 20 – Barnard Castle | UK
Sep 21 – Hepworth | UK
Sep 24 – Shrewsbury | UK
Sep 26 – (SOLO Performance) Scarborough | UK
Sep 28 – (SOLO Performance) Weymouth | UK
**Oct 16 – Midland Cultural Centre | Midland, ON
**Oct 17 – Hugh’s Room Live | Toronto, ON
**Oct 22 – Sonic Hall | Guelph, ON
**Oct 23 – The Aeolian | London, ON
**Oct 24 – Live Wire Music Series | Théâtre Le Sésame | Kingston, ON
** Oct 25 – Neat Cafe | Burnstown, ON SOLD OUT !!
Feb 21, 2026 – (SOLO Performance) Parkview Community League | Edmonton, AB
Visit: https://www.stephenfearing.ca.
