What a night. Old Hallow's Eve. I've just looked out the window and seen three witches and a warlock getting into a 4x4 carrying a huge amount of alcohol and a large broom. I wonder where they are going? To sit on some hilltop somewhere and sing ghoulish songs to each other and cook up pots of broth? I doubt it. The weather isn't conducive to outdoor pursuits such as this.
I've recovered from the Festival Club Flu. It took a while. Celtic Colours in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is a festival and a half – but the flu which gets passed around is a scunner. At least it's on its way out now. I had a great time with the concerts – Carlos Nunez' and his band, with the addition of the Cuban pipers and the Blue Engine String Quartet in a huge hall/ice rink in Port Hawkesbury. What an opening night though! He is such a showman – it's hard not to be caught up in his majestic flamboyance. With the girly trio (Karine Polwart and Annie Grace) we played in Sydney's Big Fiddle, Membertou (Celtic Comedy with Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison – whose acts were exceptional, especially her Mary Morrison!), and Cheticamp (the windiest place on Cape Breton I am sure). All fine concerts, run in close-knit communities with their attention to detail and their desire to make sure all the visitors have as good a time as possible. You just can't fault it – it's a dream to meet everyone, and get to know even just a little about the place and the people. I would recommend this festival to everyone. And the colours on the trees, just turning as we were there. Joella and Max, the Festival Directors, have such great vision, and that's what powers the vibrancy of the festival. I love it.
And that's just a small part of the festival. There is also the drivers and their humour, energy, constant smiles, attention to detail, tablet in the office, and their stamina! I love them all too. Hmmm, this blog is becoming sycophantic and I don't mean it to be. It's a bloody good time, that's it.
I had a lovely Sunday. It started with me going to see a gig! You can read all about it in Karine's blog. The Coming Home show with a host of singer-songwriters, having been living together for a week, creating a beautiful selection of new songs, all deeply moving in their own way, all sung with heart (and probably some fear due to them being so new) and an incredibly moving experience to behold. I then went on to Louisbourg Fortress on the East of the island, to help create a show with the Quebecois band Genticorum (ah what a superb band!), and Cape Breton's own Mary-Jane Lamond, Wendy MacIsaac and Patrick Gilles. I don't know – maybe it was where I had just been that put me in such a good place, but I had a lovely, lovely time here. Okay it was cold (mittens on in between numbers…) and there is no electricity (it having been built in the 1600's), so no light, but the candles and the atmosphere in the chapel made for a magical event. I have done this a few times in past visits to the festival, my first being where I met the inimitable Laoise Kelly, (which I'll never forget), and one where Maggie McInnes broke her arm through not seeing too well in the darkness (again, I'll never forget – mainly because I fretted about her all night and had to go to bed through worrying, and when I woke the next day it turned out she had been dosing up on whisky, and had conga-ed her way through the club all night…). Ha! Good times.
I spent a lot of time with Annie Grace – we had French Onion soup in Baddeck which surprisingly had half a pound of cheese in the bottom of it, which proved a tad difficult to eat! But they did a perfect soya latte which I adore (having only found out recently I am allergic to dairy I'm still finding out what and how to manage to eat when on tour). And we bought shoes in the Outdoor Shop, which proved easy, with a couple of visits! And we spent time at the Festival Club, which again proved easy with a bit of energy (helped by breakfasts at 4am with Cuban pipers playing in the pancakes…) And had a tune with Liam O Maonlai one night, but was so spaced out with the flu by then, I can hardly remember what went on. Good craic though. And on the last Sunday, I was driving precious cargo consisting of Lori and Innes Watson, John Somerville and Annie to a Thanksgiving Dinner and nearly running out of petrol while getting lost driving around Bouladerie, but being saved by Jim's lawnmower. Man, that was a tad worrying. But no need. The dinner was superb, the pumpkin pie was magical, and the company too. We had to go then, to head for the airport. Ach, none of us wanted to leave.
Oh yeah, and the trio did some recording at Sound Park Studios – with Jamie Foulds engineering. And it will be hard to go anywhere else again after that. He is magic, doing edits which are done while you are still breathing in to tell him about. So we may have something for you in the future. It was a learning experience as all recording is. I enjoyed it – we created some beautiful music. And I think we will do more. But no promises as to when it is out. It'll take a bit more time. But worth the wait I think.
Hope your Halloween is a good one. Have fun. I'm off to watch a scary film now.
I've recovered from the Festival Club Flu. It took a while. Celtic Colours in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is a festival and a half – but the flu which gets passed around is a scunner. At least it's on its way out now. I had a great time with the concerts – Carlos Nunez' and his band, with the addition of the Cuban pipers and the Blue Engine String Quartet in a huge hall/ice rink in Port Hawkesbury. What an opening night though! He is such a showman – it's hard not to be caught up in his majestic flamboyance. With the girly trio (Karine Polwart and Annie Grace) we played in Sydney's Big Fiddle, Membertou (Celtic Comedy with Bette MacDonald and Maynard Morrison – whose acts were exceptional, especially her Mary Morrison!), and Cheticamp (the windiest place on Cape Breton I am sure). All fine concerts, run in close-knit communities with their attention to detail and their desire to make sure all the visitors have as good a time as possible. You just can't fault it – it's a dream to meet everyone, and get to know even just a little about the place and the people. I would recommend this festival to everyone. And the colours on the trees, just turning as we were there. Joella and Max, the Festival Directors, have such great vision, and that's what powers the vibrancy of the festival. I love it.
And that's just a small part of the festival. There is also the drivers and their humour, energy, constant smiles, attention to detail, tablet in the office, and their stamina! I love them all too. Hmmm, this blog is becoming sycophantic and I don't mean it to be. It's a bloody good time, that's it.
I had a lovely Sunday. It started with me going to see a gig! You can read all about it in Karine's blog. The Coming Home show with a host of singer-songwriters, having been living together for a week, creating a beautiful selection of new songs, all deeply moving in their own way, all sung with heart (and probably some fear due to them being so new) and an incredibly moving experience to behold. I then went on to Louisbourg Fortress on the East of the island, to help create a show with the Quebecois band Genticorum (ah what a superb band!), and Cape Breton's own Mary-Jane Lamond, Wendy MacIsaac and Patrick Gilles. I don't know – maybe it was where I had just been that put me in such a good place, but I had a lovely, lovely time here. Okay it was cold (mittens on in between numbers…) and there is no electricity (it having been built in the 1600's), so no light, but the candles and the atmosphere in the chapel made for a magical event. I have done this a few times in past visits to the festival, my first being where I met the inimitable Laoise Kelly, (which I'll never forget), and one where Maggie McInnes broke her arm through not seeing too well in the darkness (again, I'll never forget – mainly because I fretted about her all night and had to go to bed through worrying, and when I woke the next day it turned out she had been dosing up on whisky, and had conga-ed her way through the club all night…). Ha! Good times.
I spent a lot of time with Annie Grace – we had French Onion soup in Baddeck which surprisingly had half a pound of cheese in the bottom of it, which proved a tad difficult to eat! But they did a perfect soya latte which I adore (having only found out recently I am allergic to dairy I'm still finding out what and how to manage to eat when on tour). And we bought shoes in the Outdoor Shop, which proved easy, with a couple of visits! And we spent time at the Festival Club, which again proved easy with a bit of energy (helped by breakfasts at 4am with Cuban pipers playing in the pancakes…) And had a tune with Liam O Maonlai one night, but was so spaced out with the flu by then, I can hardly remember what went on. Good craic though. And on the last Sunday, I was driving precious cargo consisting of Lori and Innes Watson, John Somerville and Annie to a Thanksgiving Dinner and nearly running out of petrol while getting lost driving around Bouladerie, but being saved by Jim's lawnmower. Man, that was a tad worrying. But no need. The dinner was superb, the pumpkin pie was magical, and the company too. We had to go then, to head for the airport. Ach, none of us wanted to leave.
Oh yeah, and the trio did some recording at Sound Park Studios – with Jamie Foulds engineering. And it will be hard to go anywhere else again after that. He is magic, doing edits which are done while you are still breathing in to tell him about. So we may have something for you in the future. It was a learning experience as all recording is. I enjoyed it – we created some beautiful music. And I think we will do more. But no promises as to when it is out. It'll take a bit more time. But worth the wait I think.
Hope your Halloween is a good one. Have fun. I'm off to watch a scary film now.
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