Praise for the Prairie Poets
It was an easy move from they Hyatt and the Teachers' Convention a couple of blocks to the home of my good friends at the Cantos Music Foundation - freshly named The National Music Centre. They had taken advantage of my presence in Calgary to put together an amazing show called Songs of the Prairie Poets - a great concept with six different acts doing a mix of original material and classics from the Canadian prairie canon.
After a delightful VIP reception, I began the evening with a shortened version of the presentation (though, as usual, I got so relaxed telling stories I know I went a little long - not that anyone seemed to mind). The musical portion of the evening kicked off with Scotty Hills, whose selections included an absolutely brilliant song about Gimli, Manitoba and tied it in nicely to the Lucky Stone on the 7th fret. The Travelling Mabels' sweet harmonies weaved through their set - including the honorary prairie tune, Lightfoot's "Alberta Bound". Prashant John wound up the first set with a stunning cross-cultural rendition of Buffy Ste. Marie's "Starwalker".
The second set started with the extraordinary Cam Penner (pictured) - an amazingly soulful voice and a genuine poet - a real find for me and great guy. SAVK offered up a brilliant original along with one of the most impressive covers of Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight" I've ever heard and another by one of my all-time favourite Canadian artists, John K. Samson. And finally, Tim Hus brought the classic Canadian country cowboy-song to the evening with a pedigree that includes multiple connections to Stompin' Tom and Alberta charm as genuine as his boots. He also lead the all-cast finale in the ultimate prairie closer, Ian & Sylvia's "Four Strong Winds".
Each artist brought out something different in Voyageur and it was nothing short of an honour and a pleasure to be part of this incredible show.
A leisurely nightcap at the wonderful new home of the Ironwood Stage & Grill in the gloriously renovated Garry Theatre brought a perfect close to a great day in Calgary (good to see you again, Pat!). Thank you all.
Special thanks to Ian Menzies, Candace Elder, Andrew Mosker and all the amazing staff at Cantos/NMC. I'll be back on Tuesday to be part of some of their excellent work with school groups. Looking forward to it!
Posted at 3:00 PM
Calgary Teachers Convention
I have to admit, it's a tough slot to fill: the last keynote on the last day of a large and busy convention... at the start of a holiday weekend....AND following Dr. David Suzuki. But, as usual, I was deeply moved by the responses expressed by the audience that stayed for something a little different.
Earlier in the day, I also had the great pleasure of reuniting with Kevin Wright & Holly Arntzen whom I last encountered at the show Cherelle Jardin pulled together in Richmond BC a couple of years ago.
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of all was the musical performance today. While anyone who hosts the Six String Nation presentation is welcome to bring in professional talent to bring Voyageur to life at the end of the show, it's especially gratifying when talent is drawn from the ranks of attendees. Schools, businesses and communities often have extraordinary talents hidden in their midsts and I was delighted today by teacher Shawn Kingston (pictured) who came up to play an instrumental at the end of the presentation. A deft touch and a flawless performance.
Very special thanks to conference programmer Dan Grassick. Logos Books, Christy de Couto and the rest of my wonderful team at the National Speakers Bureau.
BTW, next time in Calgary, try the "breakfast bowl" at the Blue Vinny Diner on Stephen Ave. Yum-a-rama! BYODefibrillator.
Posted at 5:03 PM