I spent the afternoon on the sofa (chesterfield here in Newfoundland), editing photos and checking emails. I washed my Festival T-shirt and hung it out to dry on the line, figuring the wind would dry it. But it was too cold and the lack of sunlight prevented it from drying. I had to use the iron to dry it!
I was a little nervous about the night, since I had to man the door at the Ship myself, no help from Lillian. We spelled each other last night but tonight was a solo effort. Everyone at the Ship was so kind and helpful! I cannot say enough about the staff there. They were great! Attendance wasn�t great though. The few who came, stayed, and enjoyed the sets. I think we may have gotten some walk-ins if we'd been able to keep the door open, like the night before. But it was way too chilly for that this evening. I can�t blame the people for staying home � it was cold and miserable outside. The weather here has been days of opposites. One day it�s so hot you have to keep the door open and the next day the heat is on. Go fig. Oh yeah � what is it that Colleen Power�s song says? � �You and me are like Newfoundland Weather, we�re hard to predict. Can it get any better? With thunder and lightning and a love turning sour, conditions are subject to change in the hour.� Yup, it�s true. You never know WHAT it�s going to be like since morning to night can represent several seasons in 12 hours.
Camera batteries were a problem again this evening so I just tried to take good notes. Put your own imaginary photos in as you wish, please.
Ger Wolfe opened this Sunday evening with a song called On the Banks of the White Rocks. Of course it was in Irish so I don�t now how to spell that title. You�ll have to be content with the English version. This evening Ger�s set was full of songs that I was not too familiar with. No problem though. It�s Ger � it�s got to be good! As Deep As the Ocean came next, from Ger�s current album, Heaven Paints Her Mantle Blue. He�s already hard at work on a new album he told us, so I�d better hurry and get the ones I don�t have! Darker than the Darkest Night �which is very dark� followed. During this song, someone leaned over to me and commented that Ger had played a session at Bridie Malloy�s that afternoon and played the fiddle!
This man is full of surprises! I know he plays a darn good guitar and he plays whistle and harmonica. And now fiddle. Wow!
The Irish lesson came next as Ger taught us to count to two in Irish � �in, do.� Those two words were the chorus for a song of the same name � In, Do. I enjoyed listening and participating. Hopefully I�ll hear it when I have the whole Ger Wolfe collection of albums. Carrying on a conversation with Ger is quite an adventure and an education. His accent is so thick you can cut it with a knife and in the middle of the conversation, he�ll throw out some Irish phrase. When you look blankly at him, he realizes he�s lapsed into Irish and goes on to explain what he said and what the translation would be. Often he apologizes profusely as he does this, but I personally love it. I learn a bit of a new language and the nuances of Irish grammar and idioms that I�d never otherwise get to hear and know. It�s a great reason to seek Ger out for a conversation.
Curra Road, the song that stuck in everyone�s head in March followed our �one, two� lesson. He mixed up the verses a bit from how it is on the CD, but who cares? It�s HIS song and it�s wonderful. I relished hearing it live and in person again. I don�t think I�ll ever get tired of it. It�s an example of how I�d like my students to write. I�m always telling them to write so it paints a picture in my mind. That�s just what this song does. I KNOW that Curra Road and I�ve never been there. In fact, my students drew their own Curra Road after listening to it in the Spring. They recognized right away what I meant about painting a picture in my mind. Here�s Geraldine�s version: |
