Photo Credit: N. Buchaski
With a guitar in his hands and a story etched deep in his bones, Damn Coyote Chris returns with “Bethy’s Gift”, the soul-stirring fourth track from his 2025 album Departures — a record he describes as “an honest and personal collection of comfort-food songs from my Private Reserve.” “Bethy’s Gift” is a love letter, a farewell, and a reflection all at once — a gentle lullaby for those learning to live with loss.
“Stars out tonight / Dreams in my eyes / Wishin’ I could fly up to that cloud and give it a bite…”
From the opening lines, “Bethy’s Gift” floats like a whisper across the night sky, full of memory and moonlight. The song is sparse but rich, tender but grounded — a snapshot of grief, wrapped in practical philosophy and unshakable human warmth.
For over 35 years, Chris Nikiforuk-Rhyason — a.k.a. Damn Coyote Chris — has been a fixture in Alberta’s cultural scene, whether fronting Them Damn Coyotes in the ‘90s, making award-winning tattoos, or creating visual art that resonates just as deeply as his music. With Departures, he turns inward, writing what he knows: mortality, resilience, and the quiet strength of enduring love.
“The end of the line / A celebrated life / And I could do worse than using a song for saying goodbye…”
Chris doesn’t dramatize loss. He honours it. “Bethy’s Gift” is not a mourning — it’s a moment of presence. “It’s about accepting that we’re all heading for the same horizon,” Chris explains. “And if a song can help us make peace with that — even for a moment — then I’ve done my job.”
The road to Departures was not easy. In 2015, after a year of heartbreak, near-death experiences, and months of homelessness, Chris found himself living in his truck with his dog, searching for a spark. He booked studio time with longtime friend and producer Stew Kirkwood. What came out wasn’t what he expected — it was something new. “Does this sound like Blues or Outlaw Country to you?” he asked. “That’s Outlaw Country,” Stew replied. “Shoot. That’s what I was afraid of,” Chris laughed.
Listen on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/album/436Y4kLS10GaEfDAFe1DnI?si=-JU_k-g7QS2JGbHlEo90-g
He embraced it. Departures became a patchwork of lived experience, laughter through tears, and stories you tell to keep going. Every track was built piece by piece, often recorded between long stretches of real life. “When I run out of reasons not to take the next step,” Chris says, “I take it — whether I’m ready or not.”
Bethy’s story is tucked gently into this larger mosaic. There’s no explosive chorus, no theatrics. Just lines like, “Pinholes of light / Burn in my mind / It’s a beacon that’s leading me safe off the edge of a knife.” The song walks the fine line between vulnerability and hope, carrying listeners toward the light without rushing the darkness.
Chris calls his songs “100% human generated” — a tongue-in-cheek nudge at AI trends, but also a serious declaration of intent. There’s no algorithm behind “Bethy’s Gift.” Just one man, a guitar, and the will to remember someone dearly through melody.
With tour dates on the horizon and a growing community of listeners connecting with his blend of folk, blues, outlaw country, and quiet philosophy, Damn Coyote Chris offers something rare: music that feels lived in. And “Bethy’s Gift” is his offering to anyone learning to say goodbye with love instead of fear.
Because sometimes the greatest gift is a song that lets you hold on — and let go — at the same time.
https://damncoyotechris.bandcamp.com/album/departures