Steven Somers may reside in Vancouver but his heart and soul remain firmly planted in the small community of St. Georges, in eastern Prince Edward Island.
The depth of his attachment to that rural community is clear to anyone who has listened to his latest album, entitled Songs About St. Georges, which was released in 2021.
Somers has made a wonderful contribution to the history of St. Georges with the 12 original songs which honour his sense of place, family, and community.
His affection for St. Georges is evident in his lovingly crafted lyrics, pleasant melodies, and emotional vocal performance. Each song individually captures an emotion, a person, or an event. Collectively they create a feeling of community to which any rural Islander can relate.
Steven financed the entire project independently and recruited talented musicians from the Vancouver area to capture the essence of his music. He produced 150 compact discs featuring a graphic design that includes the stories of the songs in the liner notes. Despite his personal expense, he has not accepted a penny of compensation for the cost.
His intention from the start was to give these copies to the people of St. Georges and those who are interested in the stories the songs tell.
He has shared the songs online for all who wish to hear them, free of charge. In fact, Steven cares so much about the art and so little about accolades that his name does not appear anywhere on the album. Rather, the community of St. Georges is front and centre