Frederick Squire

Long a secret weapon within the Maritimes, Fred Squire has been wowing audiences with his intense, endearing one-man show, and March 12 captures his unique energy over some remarkable songs. Beyond his home in Sackville, NB, Squire's name may resonate with fans of his work in indie rockers Shotgun & Jaybird (where he actually operated as "Dick Morello") or his collaborations with Julie Doiron, including Calm Down It's Monday and Daniel, Fred and Julie. The folk sounds of the latter have most infiltrated Squire's state of mind lately; his husky baritone is well-suited to the plaintive guitar and piano he employs on riveting songs like "You Sing Low and We Will Sing High," the gritty "Old Times Past New Times" and the heart-stopping "The Future of Tradition." If Neil Young seeps through Squire's aesthetic, it's within the pure honesty and grit of what he's up to, the kind of punk indifference that propels the heartfelt passion of March 12.