Steve Raiken
I am very pleased when audience members at my shows tell me that my songs and guitar playing evoke the images I was trying to create.
Sounds Like:
Tom Rush, Bruce Cockburn
Influences:
Tom Rush
Social Media:
Songs by Steve Raiken
A Father's Song
Autumn Walk
Hard Driving
Larry's Blues
Muskoka Morning
Region:
Toronto, ON
Level of Experience:
PROFESSIONAL
Genre:
Folk and Traditional
I Write:
By myself | For myself | For others
I prefer to write:
Lyrics | Melody | Chord Patterns
Songs Recorded:
“Stages” CD (2010): 1. A Father’s Song; 2. Muskoka Morning; 3. The Way; 4. Larry’s Blues; 5. Free Spirit; 6. Stages; 7. Autumn Walk; 8. Amazing Grace; 9. By The Lake; 10. Don’t Back Down
Albums Released:
“Waterfall” (2004) and “Stages” (2010)
Other Credits:
I am selected to appear annually at music festivals (e.g., Great Northern Exhibition/Songwriters Stage, September 2013, Collingwood, Ontario).
I am interested in:
Networking | Pitching Songs to Artists | Pitching Songs To Tv/Film/Etc. | Signing with a Label | Getting a Publishing Deal
Other Jobs:
I teach guitar privately.
Biography:
Steve Raiken has been playing guitar and singing for over 40 years. As a student at the University of Buffalo in the late 1960s, Raiken immersed himself in the folk music scene. Raiken began performing with a fellow student, Marc Cashman. Following graduation in 1971, Cashman & Raiken hit the road. They performed as headliners and as the opening act for Tom Rush, Hall & Oates, and George Carlin. The duo split up in 1973.
Raiken spent the next 35 years in management consulting and the public sector in Toronto. About 10 years ago, Raiken realized how much he missed performing. On his CD, Stages, released at Hugh’s Room in Toronto in October 2010, Raiken realized his dreams. Working with veteran producer Andrew Hermant, Raiken captured six instrumentals and four vocal tracks the way he’d known they were meant to sound.
From the parental advice on “A Father’s Song” to the reflections on life on the album’s title track, Raiken’s observations strike a universal chord. Raiken is a very skilled acoustic guitarist. His slide version of “Amazing Grace” brings the house down every time. The cinematic feel of the instrumental “Muskoka Morning” highlights his strength as a guitarist.
Raiken performs regularly at clubs and festivals in Toronto and other locations.