Rankin, MacIsaac team up on stage at deCoste

As if seeing Jimmy Rankin perform on stage wasn’t enough, add Ashley MacIsaac to the mix and you’ve really got a night on the town.

The two will combine forces at the deCoste Performing Arts Centre in Pictou on Nov. 19.

Rankin, who has returned home to the Maritimes after an extended stay in Nashville, has released his new EP, appropriately titled Moving East, which encompasses a compilation of songs based on true stories, tall tales, bittersweet ballads and those classic folk-rock sounds that he helped pioneer.

Included are songs like Thin Ice, written about his brother John Morris, who was killed in a tragic car accident when his car plunged into the water at Mabou in January 2000. Another, called Highlander, is about a Scottish settler who came over on the Ship Hector travelling to Pictou, and the hardships to be dealt with.

As well as new songs, Rankin will feature favourites from past albums like Back Road Paradise, Forget About the World and Edge of Day.

MacIsaac has garnered international acclaim for his dynamic fiddle playing, pushing traditional Celtic music while incorporating rock, pop and everything in between. He received international radio play for his single Sleepy Maggie, and his performances are nothing short of electrifying.

The two have partnered on the song Dirt n’ Potatoes on Rankin’s latest CD, is described as a “meat ‘n potatoes” ode to the old style, hi-lo Cape Breton fiddle playing, that brings the party back to the kitchen.

Tickets are $45 and can be purchased by contacting the box office at 902-485-8848, toll free at 1-800-353-5338, online at www. decostecentre.ca/tickets or in person at 99 Water St., Pictou.