It's been more than two decades since he used to come up to Whistler on a whim to play to the town's many tourists, but this Saturday (Aug. 13) Canadian blues-rock icon Colin James returns to play his signature brand of tunes in Whistler Olympic Plaza.

As part of the free Whistler Presents Concert Series, James will perform to locals and tourists alike and will have a little more of a catalogue to offer than what he may have been playing some 20 years ago.

"Years ago we used to go up and play Buffalo Bill's in front of major tourists so we could hone up our chops," said James of the time when he used to live on Howe Sound prior to his career taking off. "We would go up there and play for the week really early on, we would just go up there and kick back and just have fun."

Since then James has gone on to become one of Canada's best known musicians, making waves with his bluesy rock feel and later for his acoustic work. So far in his career, James has released 12 studio albums and two greatest hits compilations, the most recent of which was released earlier this year.

But just because he's been around the music scene for a while doesn't mean he's seen it all.

In fact, James recently took the helm of his own radio show on CBC Radio 2 for a nine-episode stint, something he says was completely different from what he's used to.

"I really enjoyed it — it was something brand new for me," he said. "At this point in my life to try something completely new is really interesting and I'm really glad that I did."

He said hosting his own show took a bit more time and effort than he thought it would, but the experience was a new way for him to be creative.

"I thought I could just show up and bang them off," he said with a laugh. "But it took a lot more time than I thought. It's kind of a whole day thing, putting together a show."

It was particularly difficult balancing the show with his ongoing gigs and taking trips to focus on songwriting, but despite the commitment it required, James said he would do radio again.

But for now, James is focusing on his next album. His recent songwriting trips have resulted in enough material and excitement to get going on a new release.

"This will be my first original with EMI coming up and I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I'm really excited to be getting onto this next record — that's really where my head's been at these days."

James didn't say when the new album might be released.

"Most of the writing is in the bag, and I'm going to be working with my old buddy Joe Hardy down in Houston, Texas," said James. "He's the one who did Just Came Back with me years ago and did Little Big Band 2. I just got off the phone with him this morning and I'm really excited to be working with him again."

When asked if he was aiming for a more of a rock sound much like his earlier albums produced by Hardy, James indicated he's hoping to recapture that sound.

"It's fair to say that this will be a rock record, for sure," he said. "There's been a lot going on with the Black Keys and Adele mining the soul thing, so there's a bit of room for a rock album out there. We're bringing lots of guitar and very strong backbeats."

As for his take on the current state of music, James said while it's nice to hear genuine artists still making it work, things like auto-tune don't seem to be doing the industry any favours.

"The whole robot voice thing is getting pretty tiresome now," said James about auto-tune. "That's what's so refreshing about Adele, her voice is fantastic. Amy Winehouse too — they're both so good. Then you get into these other people. It's not like I hate (auto-tune) but man, it gets pretty tired."

And while you'd be hard pressed to catch even a whiff of auto-tune at one of his shows, James said the crowd in Whistler this weekend can expect a rock 'n' roll show.

"I've got my full band with me, my A-Team," he laughed. "It's a rocking band and we're excited to get up and rock."

Colin James plays Whistler Olympic Plaza on Saturday (Aug. 13). The show starts at 7 p.m. with an opening set by the Gonch Messiah. James is due to take to the stage at 8:15 p.m. Admission is free.