From an Acadian village in Nova Scotia and a long line of lobster fishermen. Kicked out of the house at a young age, graduated high school at an old age, grandfather drowned, and father shot to death. Basically doomed. Also has a band called Sleepless Nights and likes long walks on the beach.
For the last two decades, AA Wallace has cultivated a reputation for being a prolific, genre-hopping songwriter. From the blistering guitar-wielding rock outfit Sleepless Nights to his eponymous French house inspired nudisco act, Wallace’s output has garnered critical acclaim, dedicated fans, and deserved industry nods. His latest project, however, takes us back to the place where it all began.
Cheval is the moniker the fisherman-turned-musician donned upon his arrival on the Halifax music scene in the late 90s, bringing with him a brand of twangy folk-infused alt-country that owed its allegiances as much to Big Star and CSNY as it did to Paul Westerberg and Teenage Head.
In 2022, Cheval returned with Singer Songwrecker, his first album in nearly 20 years. Drawing on his deep knowledge of genre and form, Singer Songwrecker also makes use of Wallace’s extensive rolodex recruiting some of Canada’s biggest heavy hitters - Loel Campbell (Wintersleep), Joel Plaskett, Nils Edenloff (Rural Alberta Advantage), Thomas Moffett (Sloan, Camilla Cabello), etc. - as contributors. And, despite his lengthy career and dozens of releases, the album earned Cheval a New/Emerging Artist(s) of the Year nomination at the 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards.