Fred Eaglesmith is Ontario's roots-country original! There are other songwriters who populate their creations with small-time crooks, small-town loners, and working-class heroes. But Fred Eaglesmith's songs stand out for their edge of desperation and their raucous yet bemused humor—and for the incredible energy and on-the-edge quality of his live shows. Circulating on tour from his Ontario farm, Fred harks back to an earlier era of roots music with his raw, driving country soul. Best of all, Fred's 20th album, "Tambourine," draws on the spirit of pure 1960s rock and roll. He comes to town with his band The Traveling Steam Show, which has lately jelled as a unit to a degree reminiscent of his great band of yore, the Flying Squirrels.