Heading to Europe for a mammoth tour can be a daunting prospect for even fairly well established North American indie act, let alone a relatively unknown solo artist.

Multiple cultures, multiple languages, multiple currencies and the wildly differing costs of digs, booze and travel are among the difficulties that make a cross-American tour, while greater in bus miles, relatively straightforward in comparison.

Kudos then, to Jon Cohen of Montreal, who is bravely embarking on such a journey, taking in ten countries and the bright lights of Paris, London, Berlin and, ahhhh… Viitasari (that’s in Finland, kids).

So who he? Well, Cohen spent time in an early incarnation of the Dears and has managed to rope in former bandmate Murray Lightburn to assist with his debut album – under the name Jon Cohen Experimental – Behold. Also on there are members of Stars and the Stills, so it’s clear that Cohen can still pull the odd string or two in Canadian music.

The phrase ‘of Montreal’ was used above purely in a geographical sense, but it’s worth revisiting to gauge where Cohen’s from musically. While – mercifully – Behold lacks the ‘everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink’ approach of Kevin Barnes and co, it shares their playful sense of melody and there are vocal similarities too.

It’s a nice album and Cohen deserves a bit of support on his Scottish dates, details of which are below. You can sign up to tour dates on Facebook too. Let’s find out a little more about him, shall we?

So who the hell are you?

I’m a musical experimentalist, a one man band, a poet who knows it, a band leader, a multi-instrumentalist, a band, a professional adventurer, a free spirit, a seeker, a finder. I’m Jon Cohen from Montreal in the great big shire of Canada!

Describe your sound in ten words or less!

Music for your subconscious mind, body and soul.

How does it feel to strike out on your own?

It feels great, I love being on my own, I love the freedom it gives me to tour, to write and to avoid all the traps of being in a band. I feel proud of the music I’m making now, proud of the shows I put on, proud of the response, it’s so original! I feel like a new farmer with the little plot of land he just bought, harvesting his first crops, no better feeling in the world!

And having your own name at the forefront of the band name?

Well that’s the only name I wont forget or regret later on!

You recorded the album largely yourself – how exactly will you be bringing it live audiences?

Ahhh. that is a good question. I have a friend who built his own straw bale two-story house. It’s a work of art, took him three years. He never built anything like that before. It was the product of love, passion and ingenuity. Much like him I will weave layer upon layer of music on you. First the love, then the passion, and then the dazzling ingenuity. Close your eyes you’ll hear an orchestra, open them and you’ll see one man! You will dance, shake, shiver and be awestruck, yet you will feel sheltered and comfortable just like in a straw bale home. [So, ye olde loop pedal then? – Ed]

How did you get involved with the guests that played on it?

They are people I played with before in the past, past bands, people in the music scene, old friends, new friends and everything in between. Montreal is despite it’s aura of grandiose-ness, still a very small city and close-knit in terms of the music scene. It’s especially true of the English side of the city a Montreal is bilingual. The French side that is also very different but amazing in its own way.

Have you played Scotland before?

This will be my first time and I’m so looking forward to it. I feel a connection to Scotland, not sure what it is, a kind of kinship based on a feeling.

Tell us more about the tour – anything special lined up?

Well it’s a funny little tour; it’s called the Passenger Tour. I called it that because I think as opposed to the last tour where I was trying to stay on top of every little detail, where I tried to control every outcome, every scenario. I’m learning to let go and let the tour be the driver of all events, outcomes and scenarios; I will be an actor in its play. I think the music and the shows will be so much better because of it. In the end we are all passengers although we think we are driving our lives, we are not, we just have to look out and enjoy the scenery. So the scenery of this tour is what’s special about it, Scotland, France and Spain for the first half, some of the places I’m most looking forward to Germany, Amsterdam, then the end of it, Berlin will be a highlight as well sees me opening for a huge artist in Finland. Lastly my friend and talented filmmaker Alex Marshall will be filming a documentary for the tour, of the experience in 4 cities, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. It should be really interesting to see how this evolves. The big highlight for me is a full tour in Finland! Six dates in total in some remote places excluding Helsinki! I can’t wait! This whole trip is a highlight!!

Tell us a funny story…

What did the Zen Master say to the hot dog vendor?

“Make me one with everything.”

Details of Jon’s rather lengthy tour are below.

Jan 19, Blackpool The Cedar Tavern

Jan 20, Dublin Grand Social

Jan 21, Liverpool Lomax

Jan 23, Glasgow Pivo Pivo

Jan 24, London The MacBeth

Jan 25, Brighton Latest Music Bar

Jan 26, Stockton Stockwell Arms

Jan 28, Oxford Wheatsheaf

Jan 30, Manchester Castle Hotel

Jan 31, Glasgow Bloc

Feb 1, Edinburgh Wee Red Bar

Feb 2, Bristol Mother’s Ruin

Feb 3, London Bull and Gate

Feb 4, Bristol The Cooler

Feb 8, Paris Le Pop In

Feb 9, Paris Abracadabar

Feb 10, Reims L’excalibur

Feb 15, Bordeaux El ChiCho

Feb 17 Prague The Red Room

Feb 22, Brussels DNA

Feb 23rd – Hamburg Belami

Feb 24, Hamburg Live for Balcony TV

Feb 25, Chemnitz Subway To Peter

Feb 27, Amsterdam Dwaze Zaken

Feb 28, Berlin Madame Claude

March 2, Berlin Ex’N'Pop

March 3, Grottingen Wishful Musichouse

March 5, Trier Trash Lounge

March 9, Copenhagen KD18 Finnish dates

March 10, Viitasari Hotel Pihkuri

March 13, Helsinki The Liberty

March 14, Helsinki Arkadia (Bookstore performance)

March 15, Hamellina Suisto Club

March 16, Kyrö Ravintola Carina

March 17, Mänttä Morgan Kane

You can buy Behold here and sample some music below.