It’s hard to imagine a better storyline for a young songwriter.
It’s also hard to imagine a more likeable young songwriter than Ottawa’s Kirk Ramsay.
The diminutive 22-year-old, who records under the ironic moniker Giant Hand, is without a doubt the envy of many a musician after he had the honour of opening for Daniel Johnston on Saturday night at the Mod Club.
But the story of how he got there is something else.
Ramsay only started playing guitar in January of 2008 after seeing the The Devil And Daniel Johnston, the riveting film which documents the outsider artist that at once entrenched him as Ramsay’s hero and sparked a desire to learn the guitar and write moving folk songs with it.
So how did Ramsay/Giant Hand go from just learning about Johnston and guitar to opening for him with one in his hands?
Well, self-releasing his self-recorded debut EP Please Like Me and debut LP Coming Home as well as playing Pop Montreal helped. But the difference maker was little more than a kindly worded email to Johnston’s brother that had him opening for his idol less than two years after he decided to pick up a guitar. Amazing.
Ramsay says he’s in no hurry to record a proper album and just wants to enjoy the process and keep playing shows when possible. His soft voice and simple delivery should allow for that.
Perhaps the only challenge is finding a new goal, now that the original one was so quickly accomplished.
“Do I just stop now?” Ramsay jokingly asked after his Mod Club set.
At this point it seems unlikely.
aaron.miller@citynews.rogers.com
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