Trevor Tchir

Spring 2026 – What Fools Endure is the sixth album from Canadian singer-songwriter Trevor Tchir [cheer], a tasty blend of folk, rock, blues, and country, delivered with both humour and gravitas.  Several of the songs explore what fools endure in matters of the heart, including “Hope,” “Too Much To Lose,” “Drumheller,” and “Favourite Dreams,” from which the album title comes.  In other moments, Tchir turns to the political: “Heartless Man” is about the resilience of people living under authoritarian and violent rule, while “Crying Rock” is informed by Tchir’s experience as a teacher in a former residential school.  The album begins with a return to Tchir’s musical roots.  “The Place On The Corner,” part dream, part happy hour, is a tribute to the pub in Sandy Hill where Tchir played his first shows.  Track two, “Summer Country Lady,” originally a live pre-production track targeted for the album November (2001), has been reimagined, re-recorded, and finally released 25 years later.  Two of the album’s songs are performed solo acoustic: “Dear Ste-Anne,” a love song to reconcile the French and English Canadian solitudes, and “There I Go,” inspired by Alberta folk legend, Bill Bourne.  The other eight tracks feature a talented supporting cast of Canadian musicians, centered around Edmonton, Ottawa, and Sault Ste. Marie, the three places Tchir has called home.  Perennial collaborators include Trevor’s brother, Stephen Tchir (Provincial Archive) on electric and slide guitars, Pierre Chrétien (Atlantis Jazz Ensemble, Souljazz Orchestra, Cinephonic) on Hammond organ and Rhodes piano, Sheldon Jaaskelainen (Wild Turkey) on violin, and Michael John Disanto on bass.  Also featured are the late great multi-instrumentalist, John Steele, on pedal steel guitar, and Ken Coulter on drums.  The songs are further coloured by a rich cast of supporting vocalists: Nancy Sylvestre and Josée Lachance Yule, Sault favourites Frank Deresti and Jay Case, Rebekah Moran, and Edmonton’s first couple of folk rock, Jeff Stuart and Lindsay Pratt (The Hearts, Holidays in Canada).  Many of the songs from What Fools Endure were developed in a dynamic online songwriting workshop started during the pandemic, hosted by Todd Merkley, which gathered musicians from across Canada and beyond.  What Fools Endure is the follow-up to Sun & Moon (2021), and, like it, was recorded and mixed by Michael John DiSanto in Sault Ste. Marie.  Additional tracking was done by Stephen Tchir and Craig Schram in Edmonton, and Jay Jaknunas in Ottawa. The album art design is by Brent Charbonneau (Planet Pulse Media) and Trevor Tchir.  Mastering by Philip Shaw Bova.    What Fools Endure will be released officially for streaming services May 22.  It is now available here, exclusively, in CD and digital download.  Vinyl will be available soon through Elastic Stage.