CREDIT: DREW REYNOLDS
Ken Yates performs in Forwell Hall on October 3 for a free noon hour show.

I write about random things a lot. I write a lot about random things. You don't have to tell me, I know exactly how it is — September is already over, midterms are just around the corner and staying up to keep up with school work is far more difficult and less gratifying than it once seemed.

You don't have to be counting down the days to Thanksgiving to be a little stressed at school; it's easy to become overwhelmed trying to keep the momentum you had in those first few weeks of class. While I won't pretend to be an expert in time management, I can offer a suggestion for a brief recess from responsibility this Thursday.

London singer-songwriter Ken Yates is familiar with the pressures of school, too — he travelled long and far from home to discover his musical direction among songwriting courses at Boston's Berklee College of Music, where he fell in love with folk music and honed his craft.

Yates will perform in Forwell Hall on October 3 at noon as part of the Fanshawe Student Union's Thursday Music Nooner series — just what the doctor ordered if you're starting to feel the pressure of your school workload.

When we last checked in with Yates, he was touring in Ontario with fellow troubadour Peter Katz and nearing the independent release of his debut full-length album twenty-three, a crowd-funding album backed by a successful Kickstarter campaign that wrapped last year. Since then, the album was picked up and re-released in August on American label Mishara Music.

Yates spent the summer touring the eastern American coast in support of the album, recently capping a five-date stint with Nashville based singer-songwriter Liz Longley with a performance at The Rivoli in Toronto not two weeks ago.

Produced by Joran Van Der Voort, twenty-three masterfully blends acoustic folk with pop sensibilities, flirting with country and bluesy tones. Yates demonstrates his chops well, guiding listeners through infectious sing-alongs like “In The Middle of Heaven and Here” and “The One That Got Away” or delicate, vulnerable songs like “I Don't Wanna Fall in Love” and “New York Rain” in ways that would appeal to fans of Jack Johnson or Joshua Radin.

It's little wonder this album got signed so soon after its independent release, and Yates has proven time and time again in London to deliver a performance that surpasses the album. Drop by Forwell Hall on October 3 at noon, give yourself some time to hang out and listen before you have to be somewhere. You won't regret it.

Yates will also return to London later in the month, performing at the SARI fundraiser at London Music Club on October 25 with Dave Bradstreet, Mike Hagarty and Roseville Fair.

For more on Yates and his album twenty-three, visit online at kenyates.com or follow along on Twitter @ken_yates. Released most recently on August 20, the album is available on Amazon, iTunes and your preferred streaming services.

And for more on the latest music news, views and coming concerts, consider following this column on Twitter @fsu_bobbyisms. Only two weeks left until Thanksgiving! I'm out of words.