IN CONCERT

Leeroy Stagger and The Wildflowers

When: Thursday, 8 p.m. (doors at 7:30)

Where: Upstairs Cabaret (1127 Wharf St.)

Tickets: $16 at Lyle's Place, Ditch Records and hightideconcerts.net; $18 at the door

Leeroy Stagger measures his success incrementally.

That's not a bad way of looking at a career as an independent Canadian act, where money doesn't flow like water and successful tour stops can be a tricky proposition, especially in the winter months.

Stagger, who turned 28 in October, has gleaned plenty from doing it his way. The Shawnigan Lake native first came to playing music in his teens, back when he and his friends in the Victoria punk scene were strictly DIY. He learned the ropes on his own and out on the road, and certainly failed a time or two.

"It's been a long process for me," Stagger, whose real name is Lee Starck, said this week. "There has been a lot of work, a lot of ups and downs, great things and disappointments."

It was in honour of his ongoing metamorphosis as an artist that Stagger chose to name his new album Little Victories. Each day he can afford to play music is a personal and professional victory for Stagger, who cut the record at his home studio in Lethbridge, Alta., with the Wildflowers, a stellar band of friends and collaborators that includes Kevin Kane (Grapes of Wrath), Bob Egan (Blue Rodeo, Wilco), and Daniel Lapp.

"I took a step back last year and looked at all the great things that have happened over the last couple of years. The fact that I'm able to make a living, the fact that I'm able to pay a wage to a couple of guys, and the fact that I'm not blowing it."

Stagger, whose talent was never in doubt, did have some troublesome years. Knowing that his career would fail to progress if he continued on such a reckless path, Stagger ultimately chose art over excess. His decision to cut the extra out of his extra-curricular activities was preceded by a move to Lethbridge in 2006. That saved him. Within a year, he was dried out completely.

"The past decade has been a purple haze," Stagger said. "I only really recall the last three years, since I've been sober. It's been really fun. . . . It takes a thick skin to make it in this business. You have to be happy doing what you're doing, and if you're lucky enough to make a living and pay the mortgage, which in some stroke of luck I am, then you have to be content with that."

Fans expected his new southern Alberta digs would result in a greater country music influence, which is not the case, according to Stagger. Though his albums were considered alt-country by critics and fans, he never thought of himself as anything but a roots musician. Tom Petty, Townes Van Zandt, Neil Young, Ryan Adams — these were his reference points on Little Victories.

"I never got it, to be quite honest," he said of the country tag. "Just because something has pedal steel doesn't mean it's country. I'm not really into country music. I'm into rock 'n' roll."

By touching equally on country, folk and rock 'n' roll, Stagger has laid a foundation for himself which allows for ample exploration. That's the only way he does business these days. To be pigeonholed would be a nightmare, Stagger said.

"I want to be able to do a bluegrass record, a heavy rock record, or a slick pop-rock record. I'm a singer-songwriter. I write songs and I'm not afraid to go out on the edge. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the song. I want to write a song that people can understood. I don't want it to be a mystery."

His songs have been the subject of great acclaim in years past, thanks to a solid following in the U.S. and U.K. established through tours of his own and with fellow folk songwriters Tim Easton and Evan Phillips (having his music placed on Grey's Anatomy doesn't hurt, either).

Stagger plays the Upstairs Cabaret in Victoria tonight, a week prior to the launch of more than a dozen dates in the U.S., a schedule which he hopes will elevate his profile even further.

There's no reason to think it won't. Little Victories is Stagger's best work to date, and with support south of the border via California label 00:02:59, everything appears to be in its place, business-wise.

Stagger heard recently from former Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg, who represents Steve Earle, among others. Goldberg said he was eager to catch the performer during his March 1 stop in L.A.

Years ago, a similar opportunity would have been a big-time source of stress for Stagger. While he's overjoyed at the potential of working with someone such as Goldberg, the former Atlantic Records president, Stagger is not banking on anything.

"I have set myself up to not be attached to outcomes. There's no point in getting your hopes up. This is the music business. It's full of ups and downs."

That said, a growing interest in Stagger's music, at least from an industry perspective, couldn't come at a better time. Expenses are higher than ever — he recently outfitted his Ford F-350 diesel truck with a Bigfoot camper suitable for him and his two bandmates — and the road never gets any easier to inhabit.

Is this a make-or-break year for Stagger? Not entirely. But he does hope, having put all the pieces in order, that change is forthcoming. He isn't asking to be a star. He simply wants to work.

"Some people hear the name Steve Earle and think, 'That was the guy in the '80s who did Copperhead Road.' But he has put out an amazing body of work and can fill theatres and has a long-term career. That's all I want. To be able to do it forever."

mdevlin@timescolonist.com