Recording artist Don Amero has come a long way since he quit his day job five years ago.

The former hardwood flooring installer will release his fourth album Heart On My Sleeve via an online, interactive house concert that will be broadcast live online at aptn.ca on Wed., Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. (CST).

The St. Boniface resident — who describes his style as a mix of roots, pop and country — is bucking the conventional trend and releasing the 12-track, self-produced and self-funded album at the end of his current tour cross-Canada tour, which is financially supported by Manitoba Film & Music.

The house concert will be held at a secret location in Winnipeg and feature special guests, the premiere of his music video for Turn These Grey Skies Blue and interactive Twitter chat and Facebook forums.

Amero — whose previous albums Change Your Life, Deepening and The Long Way Home garnered numerous awards and nominations — is excited about releasing the new album "in such a different and dynamic way."

"In essence, I’m putting my heart on my sleeve for the entire world to see," said Amero, who is nominated for three awards at the upcoming Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards, which will be held Fri., Nov. 2 at MTS Centre.

"My music has been therapy for me. It allows me to work through some aspects of my life, so I can vent. I can put my heart out there and everybody else can listen and share," he added, noting he grew up in Winnipeg’s North End and attended Sisler High School.

"When I look at my career so far, it’s been a lot of hard work to get here and there (are) so many days on the road. But when I think about it some days, I still can’t believe it. My fans have been so supportive."

A self-proclaimed cat lover, Amero’s song Life Gets Better has just be chosen as the official campaign song for Tuxedo Stan, the now-famous feline who is running for mayor in Halifax. Sales of the song have helped raise money for spay and neuter awareness and programming in Nova Scotia.

"Stan is a big cat and he’s also cool, calm and collected," Amero said, in light of his meeting with the political wannabe.

Amero’s sisiter-in-law, Kim Oost, has known him for the past 10 years and always saw the potential for commercial musical success.

"Knowing from where he came from, knowing he came from such a rough background, he always had the drive to do whatever he was involved in," said Oost, who lives in Transcona. "His love for music and the arts gave him something to dream about and hold on to."

Amero also helped push Oost — a singer and keyboard player whose stage name is Kimberly Jane — out of her comfort zone to record and release a six-track EP entitled Light Hearted earlier this year.  

Oost has also provided backup vocals on several tracks on Amero’s last three albums and the pair also enjoys writing songs together.

For details about the concert on APTN Webstage Pass, visit aptn.ca. To learn more about Amero, visit donamero.com.

 

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com