Larry Foley reaches into 'pile of songs' to put out solo collection on CD

Singer-songwriter Larry Foley has released a solo album. While you may not recognize the name right off, if you live in St. John's, there is a good chance you have seen Foley before. It would be a near certainty you have heard his voice.

Playing on albums with The Punters and 8 Track Favourites, as well as playing live shows, Foley has been busy making a career within his chosen art.

However, Foley had yet to record a solo collection - until now.

"It's something I've been thinking about for a long time," Foley said of his self-titled, vintage, folk-country release.

"I suppose every musician, every songwriter, has that pile of songs that doesn't seem to fit in the group they're in, so (you say), 'OK, here's one for the solo album,'" he said, sweeping both hands to his right side.

Out of "20 or 25" songs he had set aside over the years, only six were used on the new album. The reason, he said, is he wanted to make sure the collection kept certain themes.

"I have an idea now of how to put together a cohesive record," Foley said of lessons learned from his past experience.

The other songs he has tucked away may yet make it onto future solo efforts, he said. That's not to say there are any guarantees on what Foley will do next.

As for his latest CD, "I just felt it was time to step out a little bit. It's a little bit risky. It feels a little bit daring because bands can be somewhere to hide," he said.

"I just hope people like it."

Recorded in May and June, the CD "Larry Foley" has five songs written by other musicians and performed by Foley. The rest are Foley's own creations, including "Old Smile," a song he wrote starting at age 17. He left the song behind, only now pulling it out of the drawer of "set aside" material.

The CD was produced by Foley with Patrick Moran and executive produced by Lyle Drake with Avondale Music.

The album is in stores now, and a CD launch party featuring a live performance by Foley is scheduled for Thursday night at Club One.

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