There is a sound that exists in this world that is beyond the popular but familiar, provocative yet simple, complex although embracing. There is a space that exists with instrumental artists such as these, and there are many of them.

Toronto’s phenomenal freestyling, award-winning guitarist, Jason Fowler occupies much of this space. What you don’t see but what absolutely astounds with talent and aura. We can’t wait to have him create his sonic space at The Cove Inn on Thursday, February 26, 2026. Details and reservations here.

Seamus Cowan: The first time I heard about you was when I was driving my son to a hockey game after I left the special celebration of life for Oskar Graf (renowned luthier and founder of Blue Skies Music Festival). I know he and his guitars were very special to you. My father told me that you tore the place down with your fingers. I suspect you have this ability to do this wherever you go? Sorry, is that a loaded question?

Jason Fowler: I first discovered Oskar’s guitars when I was working at a boutique guitar shop in Toronto in the early 90’s. A fellow brought one in to sell that he’d had for 10 years and never really played. It still had what looked like the original strings on it. I gave it a strum in the case and knew right away that it was something special. It was exquisitely built and light as a feather. The store owner bought the guitar and then I ended up buying it from him when I left the store a few years later. I wasn’t online yet and had no way of getting in touch with Oskar, who lived sort of “off-the-grid”, but amazingly I got his phone number and the rest is history. He ended up making me 6 guitars over the past 25 years and I bought a few more on the used market.

I don’t know about tearing the roof off anywhere, but if I ever do I’d like to think it’s because I’m communicating something deeply felt, and that it’s resonating with other people in a personal way. Certainly playing at Oskar’s memorial was very loaded for me, so perhaps that emotion was what your dad felt in the room. Oskar’s guitars, more than any others I’ve played, have allowed me to express myself musically due to their dynamic range, clarity and responsiveness, given my particular way of plucking the strings. This is very personal and someone else might play my guitar and not be able to make it sound the way they want. That’s the mystery of guitars and their makers: they each have an identifiable quality which doesn’t work for everybody. But Oskar’s guitars always work for me. 

Q: Creating this hybrid sound of yours between modern, folk and classical seems to be your wheelhouse. I’m really interested as to how you hear the music the way you do and translate it so vocally to your guitar.

Jason: I grew up playing country and bluegrass music at home with my dad, cousin and older brother. Then I discovered rock and roll with some friends and started a band in grade 8. At school, I played percussion in the concert band, orchestra and marching band. That was a great education in rhythm and time. I also had a gifted teacher named David Hayes. He got me going on the Berklee guitar books (from The Berklee College of Music), plus theory and classical guitar. I was already using my fingers to pick alternating bass-style guitar tunes like Doc Watson and Bruce Cockburn, so the classical technique really expanded my abilities.

I went on to do a degree in classical guitar performance at McGill University in Montreal. While I was there I played in coffeehouses, blues bars and got my first taste of the recording studio, because McGill offered the Tonmeister Sound Recording Program, and the students in that stream needed people to record. I met a lot of great musicians at McGill, many of whom I’m still friends with and still play and record with. All of those studies, interests and people I met along the way inform what I do to this day. I’m very interested in the music behind the guitar’s role in it. Which is to say, I try to play music as opposed to playing the guitar. 

Q: Starting out and growing up, did you ever feel like Music might come and Music might go? Was there an artist or something you studied along the way that really made you feel like this was your path? We are fellow McGill music alumni!

Jason: A lot of people talk about having a "Plan B” (parents mostly!), but I never did. Things seemed simpler in the 90’s when I got going. There was no Internet or social media, no wide-scale adoption of cell phones, and you could live pretty easily as rent was cheap. I had my own apartment at 22 years old and I was still able to make my student loan payments. I didn’t live large but I also never took cabs or ate out. No Ubers or Skip The Dishes back then. There was much less distraction back then, so looking back, it seems there was more bandwidth to pursue music in a singular way. So it just never occurred to me to do anything else.

And in the early 90’s I could play a bar on Queen St. on a Monday night and get paid $150 and get fed and have a couple of pints. That scene doesn’t really exist anymore and that’s too bad; it’s all "pass the hat" which I think is a travesty for live music. So I really feel for younger musicians just starting out. Comparatively speaking, we had it pretty good. 

Q: You have written, recorded and produced so much music. How would you describe the evolution of your style and career throughout all of this time?

Jason: Well, to quote Ry Cooder, I’m now in search of “The Big Note.” I play way less notes than I used to, but with better tone, and an awareness of articulation and musical line, in a way that my younger self wasn’t even aware of. I’d like to think that I’m always making modest gains in my playing, writing and singing, but it’s harder won than it used to be. The more you know the more you realize you don’t know, so that keeps you humble. 

Q: The list of great Canadian artists that you have backed and performed with his staggering! I wonder who you would still love to work with if a big tour was to arise and what did you learn from all of those artists that has benefited you and really stuck with you?

Jason: Well, I would’ve loved to have played with Gordon Lightfoot or John Prine, but they’re both gone. Among the living I’d love to play with Jackson Browne sometime, as his music has meant a lot to me over the years. But there are so many great artists, so it’s less about wanting to play with them than to just enjoy and be inspired by their musical offerings. I did get a call recently about subbing into The Lightfoot Band (note: Gord’s original band is on tour performing with a new singer) so that would be a nice gig sometime.