From fiddle to folk to rock music with Dan MacDonald.
Savoy concert dedicated to a friend of the local Celtic music scene
I managed to take in a fair bit of music over the past few weeks, starting with a trip to Governor’s on March 11 where I caught Colin Grant and Jason MacDonald entertaining the crowd.
As expected, the music was great and it continued when they managed to get some steps out of Arichat native Janelle Boudreau and then she took a turn at the fiddle for some tunes.
Don’t forget that there’s fiddle music at Governor’s in Sydney every Saturday afternoon and an Irish jam session every Wednesday evening.
On March 14, I was at the Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay for the Coast Radio’s Celtic Serenade Concert, a celebration of Donnie Campbell’s radio show, the longest running program with the same host in North America.
The concert included the presentation of the Tic Butler Award to Brenda Stubbert. The evening was also dedicated to the late John Gillis, a performer, writer and organizer who was a friend to most on stage.
The concert had an outstanding lineup of talent that included great performances from singers Donnie Campbell and Jinks MacNeil, Jason MacDonald and Colin Grant, Darrell Keigan and Nipper MacLeod, along with fiddlers Kyle MacNeil, Brenda Stubbert, Chrissy Crowley and Dawn Beaton. Doug MacPhee provided an excellent piano solo along with backing up all the fiddlers.
I also want to comment on three of the vocal acts that were present. I was familiar with Richard Schaller but had only heard him live once before. Very impressed.
Backed by bassist Ben Young, Schaller is a good writer with a John Prime feel to his music.
Wendy Markey and Joan MacNeil also caught my ear. Again, I’ve heard them live but never enough times. Great voices and harmonies.
Finally, the Bisson Sisters, a duo that I last heard live far too many years ago. It may have been years but Marie and Bernadette haven’t lost a note and their sisterly harmonies are still incredible.
Last Friday I took in the annual St. Paddy’s Day Bash at the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre put on by current and retired Nova Scotia Power employees.
Entertainment included singers Donnie Campbell, Jinks O’Neil, Roger Burton, Alan Gale, John Charleton and John Lee, along with Rock-It, Port Hawkesbury’s Grandville Street Project, and a local rock quintet making their first appearance by the name of Bad Kitty.
While all involved were great entertainers, I do want to mention two that stuck in my head.
John Lee is from South Korea, a Dalhousie student doing a placement at the Point Aconi Generating Station. A quiet young man with a good voice who did a nice version of “The Eagles Take It Easy,” he also did a lovely Korean folk song, which went over well with the audience.
Also, Carrie Sutherland, the lead singer for Bad Kitty really caught my ear. With a Janis Joplin voice designed to crank out bluesy-rock, this gal can belt it out.
This past Saturday night I
was at Sydney’s branch 12 Royal Canadian Legion to catch some tunes from Howie MacDonald and Hilda Chiasson. They were both right in the groove.
The next dance at the Cedars Club is on April 1 with music by Donna-Marie DeWolfe, Janelle Boudreau and Joel Chiasson and there is another dance planned for the same location on April 22.
I know that there has been
reconstruction going on at the Ashby Legion for the last while and now I’m told that the work is almost done and plans are in the works for regular entertainment to get underway before long in the most up to date venue in Sydney.