| Islands of Song |
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| 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." |
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| 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. He was like a mother hen with the younger performers that night. |
| He really floored me on the choice of his first song - When Johnny Came Back From the War. The song was deep. 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 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. |
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| Colleen Power & Niall Connolly |
| Clare has the strongest woman's voice I've heard in a long time. It was commmanding. You HAD to listen! Go here for a listen. She may have been only five feet tall but she sounded like seven feet worth of voice! It was clear and distinct and there 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." |
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