derek kehler

Derek Kehler grew up in a small town in southern manitoba. His father taught him how to enjoy the art of music through artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, and Gordon Lightfoot. Derek did not inherit his musical talent from his father - for there is none to inherit but rather from his mother, who also became his teacher and critic.



At the age of 13, Derek began to form his own taste in music. He turned to bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Bleach, Big Wreck, and Radiohead for inspiration. At around this time he also started to write his own music, and play with other musicians.



In 2003, after many bands, and substantially more lessons learned, Derek decided to go it alone. He knew that he had to go back and find his roots, so he started his self-titled solo folk project.



In 2005 he released his first EP titled "Kill For Fun", and then packed up and moved to Vancouver. Vancouver wasn't very welcoming at first, but after struggling for spots at open mics for almost a year, things started to fall into place. He can be found regularly doing shows all over the city, including a monthly event at Backstage Lounge that Derek co-hosts along with the talented Adrian Glynn.



Although you can see the different influences in his writing, derek has grown his own form of meloncholy music. Lyrically, He connects intuitively with his listeners, aptly expressing a range of human experience with simply poetic words. His honesty and sarcasm will leave you unsettled, and maybe even a little bit awkward but always wanting more.