Islands of SOng

Islands of Song 2

We settled ourselves down in front at the Triskel Arts Centre, a cozy venue with a capacity of maybe 100. We would have the same seats each night, with our new friend Siobahn saving them for us. She is an art student who was videotaping the performers up close for the DVD that will be produced.

Darrell was a sight for sore eyes with a guitar slung around his shoulders. He came over before the show and asked me what I'd been doing in the three years since I last saw him and admitted that he was really nervous. He needn't have been, he was received well. I knew he'd be great.

As the Triskel Art Centre publicity info said:

"Darrell Power spent ten years touring relentlessly because he believed in the power of the music of his own back yard. He was a founding member and a driving musical force of GREAT BIG SEA. By the time he had finally laid the guitar down in 2002, he had seven platinum and multi platinum albums, countless accolades and awards, a million miles logged in North America and Europe and a loyal legion of fans earned one show at a time. Now he has something to say, having found his voice when he least expected - only after he put down his guitar. It is a voice of a man in love once again with language
and groove and home. Although it has the echoes of his family's heritage, it does not ever want to be constrained by form and style."

He really floored me on the choice of his first song - When Johnny Came Back From the War. Sobering thoughts for these times. Being an American in a foreign country these days is a cautious thing. I don't agree with George Bush's policies. But people don't know that when they see me on the streets. I must say, I was met with friendliness here every time I mentioned where I was from. So the tension does not always extend to individual Americans, but I remain wary. The song was deep.

The next song began with a short explanation:
"I'd been on the road for 10 years, missing home more than being at home. When it all ended, it was nice to come home and find that my wife was still my best friend." *sniff*

Darrell's song about his wife still being his best friend was simple but touching. It really affected me and I maybe better understood his reasons for leaving Great Big Sea after I heard this. It has to be terribly hard on a marriage especially when you have kids and are away two thirds of the year. I still think of Vic as my best friend after 32 years of marriage, so I guess I could identify.

I was kind of glad that Darrell yielded the stage to Clare O'Mahony at that point. I was getting teary. Clare was a whole foot shorter than Darrell and had trouble adjusting the mic for her size. Darrell finally had to come out and do it for her. There was also a problem with the sound on her guitar plug-in. She claimed she was cursed for having Darrell fix the mic for her. Darrell's guitar was obviously working so everyone ended up using his that night. This posed somewhat of a problem since he had tuned it differently. So while Clare was retuning Darrell's guitar for her songs, he entertained the audience by step dancing on the side of the stage. He was hilarious, trying to make sure all was going well with the evening. Like a mother hen with the younger performers.

Clare has the strongest woman's voice I've heard in a long time. It was commanding. You HAD to listen! Go here for a listen. She may have been only five feet tall but sounded like seven feet worth of voice! It was clear and distinct and it was not hard to figure out what she was saying or singing.

Clare opened with a song called No Tomorrow. It was a great song. I wrote down a phrase that caught my ear as she sang:

"Looking for rivers of attention and mountains of solitude."

Wow! I love the picture that puts in my mind.

Vic loved her voice too and commented that it was "real." She seemed a tad nervous but got over it quickly and got us into her music in short order. I cannot wait for her CD to come out!

I think the other song I really liked was called "Keep on Trying."

Each artist got up to do two songs. After Clare came Niall Connolly. Niall's publicity photos did not do him justice. He was much cuter in person! He introduced his set with the comment that he'd been having fun hanging out with his new found friends. None of the Irish performers seem to be able to say Newfoundland the "proper way." They insisted on pronouncing it as "NewFOUNDlund." It surprised me that none of the fiercely proud Newfound-landers in the bunch had taught them. Just remember the phrase "Understand? Newfoundland!" and put the accent on the same syllable.

Also using Darrell's guitar, he swept the audience off their feet with his thought-provoking lyrics. The first song was a quiet song that evoked images of Cork and the surrounding area.

"You are the seagull who insists we can have a room with a view if we gotta live here
along these windswept cliffs."

His second song was a sobering one. Again with the theme of war. It was called "Cost of Living." He said it was going to be "very bleak, about someone just trying to get some perspective on the world and failing."

Some of the lyrics:
"This is not Fallujah, Ramadi, Darfur.
No one here knows what we're fighting for.
We've all got our worries and still,
I'd like to carry yours."

At the end, Niall announced, "We wrote a song together yesterday and it sounds like it...but we'll sing the song we wrote together later - it's more cheerful!"

Colleen Power was up next and so enjoyable! Her songs are upbeat and real. I had seen her a month ago at the ECMA's Songwriters' Circle, hosted by Bruce Guthro. She had the audience wrapped around her little finger then, too.

Her first song was about not having a car. She commented that she was glad she didn't have one here in Cork as she couldn't get used to driving on the opposite side of the road. It was called If I Had A Car, I Wouldn't Need You. She told us "All my friends wonder which one of them it's about."

The next song was called, "No Greater Queen." I won't go there. She is a panic and her songs are about real life as seen in a humorous vein.

During the intermission we chatted with Siobahn and talked about what to do after graduating from Art college.

Darrell had to retune the guitar for his songs since everyone else had been using it in another tuning.

The second portion of the evening had the backup band and sometimes the other songwriters participating in the fun also. I felt sorry for the band because they had to work with 13 artists and triple the combinations of artists on songs the band were hearing for the first time in the afternoon rehearsals. God bless 'em! They were troopers.

Darrell's first song in this set was a Newfoundland song if I ever heard one.
don't know what it was called - either "We Know What We're Fighting For" or "Home Boys, Home."
"Words like 'can't' and 'never' won't be around for long...tell those naive patronizers we've been pulled apart forever, now it's time to pull together."

Colleen joined Clare for her next song after Darrell fixed her mic again. He joked about it to her.

Niall sang a song called "The Long Weekend." He introduced it by saying it was a song about meeting up with friends who had moved away and spend a weekend together. �they leave as friends but something's changed and things won't be the same again.�

Alan, the band's bassist, joined him on the melodica (it's a cool instrument)while Darrell joined the band to play bass.

Colleen sent a song out to Roger "who came over with me." It was Lucky You Are from her CD of the same name. It's good - Get it.

Darrell and the gang sang a song, "Old Friend," about a stranger in a foreign town killing time. Could have been any day in the life for Darrell while he was a member of GBS.

Clare did a song called "I'll Be Here" sung in a clear strong voice. She probably wouldn't have needed that mic if the show wasn't being recorded. Can't wait for her to finally have a CD out. I'll make sure to tell you when she does! She's a musician to watch, that's for sure!

Niall sang about "spring making its appearance after a dreary winter bus ride." Called "Last Page of Winter."

Colleen did one of my favorites of hers, called "I'm Not Leaving." She had explained in the Songwriters' Circle in Sydney, Cape Breton, that it was written when she was moving between Cape Breton and Newfoundland.

The song they wrote the day before was the last one performed this night. It was truly a collaborative song, with each one taking a lead vocal and backing up the others in voice and instruments. Niall introduced the song and I can't for the life of me remember the title! He mentioned a quote from Jim Fidler though, about how Newfoundlanders don't tan, they rust. Don't ask!

After the show, we waited around for Jim and Lillian while the performers and crew had a short meeting about how the evening had gone. We were basking in the glow of the new music we had discovered and very happy we had made the effort to come. After the meeting Darrell asked me if I was going to tell the world how wonderful these young Irish musicians were via my website. It was a tad disconcerting to realize that he had been there, but I had no trouble assuring him anyone who read my site would know about them. He told me to watch out in the late Spring when Clare would finally have a CD done and ready for public consumption. No problem there! Her voice is magnificent and her songs meaningful. I told him I'd be in line right after him to buy it.

Anyone who says the Irish don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day the way we do in the States is barking up the wrong shamrock bush. We wove our way through the crowded streets crowded with revelers. Everyone in town was out on the town, including the out-of-towners. Many had come from elsewhere, Dublin included, to celebrate in Cork. It was a happening place with so many shows and events going on, you couldn't count them.

We ended up at the Bodega, a happening place that used to be a big warehouse or something. The place was huge with tables all over (occupied) and a very high ceiling. We wove our way to the bar and Darrell pointed us in the direction of the corner where the group was hanging out. I ordered a ginger ale since I was really tired and the lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with me. Vic wasn't happy with the loud music, so he bugged out early. Jim was disappointed he couldn't have a Smithwick's - no ale at the Bodega.