Musician and fisheries officer keeps loneliness at bay with music

When Jared Waterman venturedto northern Labrador to take a job as a fisheries officer, he took up the guitar.

"I didn't know anybody in the town, but you're never alone when you have a guitar and a song," said Waterman.

In addition to learning the guitar, Waterman started to listen to music by singer-songwriter John Prine, which led him to younger roots and alt-country artists such as the Avett Brothers and Jason Isbell.

Inspired by their songwriting, Waterman began to write his own material, which became his debut album, Up to You.

Chance encounter, musical push

Waterman grew up in Twillingate, Notre Dame Bay,surrounded by music, but by his own admission, he was more into sports.

On a visit to his hometown last summer, he got the final push to record from an encounter with a musical tourist.

"A lady from Ontario who's a singer-songwriter, she gave me a note after [I played a]show," said Waterman.

"And she wanted to cover some of my songs."

Songs of modern life

The songs onUp to Youtake on modern subject matter such as rotational work, long-distance commuting, and maintaining relationships.

Waterman writes from experience. His job as a fisheries officer has taken him to remote parts of Canada, andit takes him away to sea for two weeks at a time.

"In the evenings, instead of going to get groceries or taking my son to hockey, your job is done and you don't have any other distractions," said Waterman.

"It can be you and the music."

Waterman also draws inspiration from the beauty he finds at sea.

"When I get on land, I look back to the ocean, and when I'm on the ocean I'm looking in towards land," said Waterman.

"So I guess that space in between is a very good influence."

Do you have a new album of music that Weekend AM should know about for First Listen? Email us,wam@cbc.ca, and tell us about it.

You can hear First Listen on Sundays on Weekend AM from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. (5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in Labrador) on CBC Radio One.

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