Steve Marriner: Hear My Heart and the Sound of a Life in Music
By Ken Wallis | The Sound Cafe Journal
From a radio interview with Ken Wallis
When Steve Marriner makes an album, some of Canada's finest Blues and Roots musicians aren't far away. His album, Hear My Heart, won the JUNO Award for Blues Album of the Year in 2026. Since then, Marriner has not rested on his laurels.
“He’s been busy as a producer, a writer, a singer and a multi-instrumentalist and has guested on multiple recordings,” Ken Wallis says in the interview. “He plays with bands like MonkeyJunk and Colin James and he can play just about any instrument on the planet.”
A Title With Meaning
The name Hear My Heart didn't come out of nowhere. Marriner explains that the title is borrowed from a song on his previous album, Hope Dies Last, inspired partly by Led Zeppelin naming a record after a track from an earlier release.
But the meaning runs deeper.
For Marriner, Hear My Heart marks a turning point.
“I just feel like this album is maybe the most personal album I've made,” he says. “The song content is very close to my heart… I became a father for the first time since the last time I made an album, and that brings up all kinds of feelings.”
Fatherhood reshaped his writing. The result is a record that allows him to explore a wide range of emotions while remaining firmly rooted in the musical traditions that have shaped his career.
Steve Marriner's Blues, Roots and Beyond
Though Marriner is rooted in the blues, Hear My Heart refuses to stay in one genre.
“An eclectic mix of roots music by someone who enjoys many different styles,” he says.
Blues is the foundation, but the album branches into country, rock ’n’ roll, Tex-Mex and traditional roots music, drawing on the broad musical vocabulary that has become a hallmark of Marriner's work.
He tips his hat to John Prine on “No More Nashville,” moves through the blues and roots-rock territory of “Straight Line,” and closes the album with “Shootin’ Off,” a straight-ahead blues number featuring guest guitarist Rick Holmstrom.
“At some point, I stopped trying to put whatever I created in a box,” Marriner says. “We just made the songs the way we think they should go and hope other people like them.”
That freedom is one of the defining characteristics of Hear My Heart. Rather than forcing the songs into a particular genre, Marriner allows each track to find its own direction.
A Cast of Heavy Hitters
The album's lineup reads like a who's who of Blues and Roots music. Marriner is quick to credit the musicians who helped shape the sound:
Gary Craig and Adam Warner on drums
Darcy Yates and Ian McKeown on bass
Jim Bowskill and Rick Holmstrom on lead guitar
Jesse O’Brien on keys
Horns from Steve Hillam and Doug Woolverton
Guest vocals from Terra Lightfoot
“I’m very lucky to have talented friends like that,” Marriner says.
Together, these musicians create a rich, expansive sound, with each bringing their own experience and musical personality to the record.
A Track For Our Times: “Gotta Be An Answer”
One of the album's emotional anchors is Marriner's cover of Lonnie Mack's “Gotta Be An Answer.” Its central message, that there must be an answer for the bad things in the world, feels particularly relevant in the present moment.
“It just seems fitting,” Marriner says. “I think it's just a plea… that there's got to be a way forward, and let's keep trying to find it.”
It is a simple sentiment, but one that carries considerable weight. In the context of an album Marriner describes as his most personal, the song becomes another reflection of where he finds himself as both a musician and a person.
Where to Buy the Album
Ken Wallis asked: “Where can fans buy the album? And I do mean buy.”
“You can buy from my website, stevemarriner.com” he says. “You can send me an email and I will return your message with a CD.”
The album is also available through Cordova Bay Records.
A Special Night in Ancaster
Fans in Ancaster have a special evening ahead when Marriner brings Hear My Heart to the Voortman Studio Theatre at the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre on October 1, 2026.
Marriner's 2026 touring schedule includes dates across Canada before his European appearances later in the year, continuing a busy period for an artist whose work extends well beyond his own recordings.
“We’re going to play songs from Hear My Heart,” he says, “and there’s going to be a little sneak peek at some upcoming songs as well.”
Marriner has a soft spot for Ancaster and Hamilton.
“I loved playing there,” he says.
And there is another reason the area holds a special place for him.
“And of course, the Junos were held in Hamilton this year, so I'm still feeling a bit sentimental about the area.”
Tickets are available through the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre box office.
As the interview wraps, Marriner leaves with a smile:
“Thanks so much. I'm really looking forward to it.”
The Sound Cafe Journal
Where the story behind the music matters.
Find Out More About Ken Wallis HERE
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