One of the most talented young traditional performers around today, Daniel Payne of Cow Head, on the Northern Peninsula, is both a wonderful singer and a fine musician. An accomplished player of fiddle, accordion and tin whistle, he is very much committed to learning and passing on the traditional music of Newfoundland and Labrador. As an actor, Daniel has appeared in the CBC-TV Mini Series “Random Passage” and in a variety of productions with Artistic Fraud of Newfoundland, Rising Tide Theatre, and Jack-Five-Oh Productions. He kindly agreed to an e-mail interview about some of his musical influences and projects.

Marnie: I know, Daniel, from that wonderful letter that you wrote for Mrs. Becky Bennett (in support of her nomination for last year’s Lifetime Achievement Award) that she was a considerable influence for you. And I know, from the great praises of friends here, that you have taught yourself many songs from Genevieve Lehr and Anita Best's collection Come and I Will Sing You. What other influences do you credit your love of traditional song to?

Daniel: My father pretty much introduced me to music. He would sing to us every night to put us to sleep. He has a beautiful voice and a great attention to detail in his singing; I remember hearing him singing the same line of a song over and over again till it sounded right - I think that impressed on me a desire to be precise. The Wild Colonial Boy, Harbour Le Cou, Bold Wolfe, those were a few of the ballads he'd sing, but there was also a lot of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Peter Paul and Mary. Some of it was quite heavy, especially some of the rueful love songs That's What You Get For Loving Me and Ribbon of Darkness. He doesn't sing as much now, although he should (we keep telling him!). My uncles play and sing too, mostly on my father's side except for one on my mother's side. I know I soaked up a lot of music as a toddler listening to them drinking and singing with my father. After that, let's see...I started really singing when I discovered Stan Rogers – I learned everything I could find by him and I was really influenced by the strength and feeling in his singing. I still love Stan's music, although I don't sing it much any more. While I was going through a case of Dad's old tapes I came across a cassette of Figgy Duff and that really got me going, both on the singing side of things and on the instrumental. I LOVED that stuff, After The Tempest, that was the first album of theirs I heard. They just kicked ass; they had so much going on and there was such a depth to it, it had magic and enigma and it was real. Get's me excited again just thinking of it. Pam and Anita's album The Color of Amber – that’s way up there; I think that's one of the best things done in Newfoundland. There's so many more. Aunt Becky, as you've mentioned, has been a huge inspiration to me. I love Des Walsh's singing. Fergus O'Byrne and Dermot O'Reilly are such powerhouses; I always enjoy hearing them. All the older singers I've visited and collected songs from – I’m grateful to all of them. It gives me such a charge to hear them, that old style and approach to the songs, and also the whole patient quiet air of listening and appreciation that you feel when you're singing with or for these older people, that's what I love. And of course the published collections, they have been a big influence on the songs I've ended up singing. Except Maud Karpeles. Still don't have that one (hint hint). My copy of Come and I Will Sing You has been on a sort of extended loan from my high school library for about ten years now. That's going to get me in trouble.

M: Who else do you look to as a mentor?

D: I don't know if I'd consider them mentors, but I've gotten a lot of good advice and support from Jean Hewson and Christina Smith. Also Eric West. We've taught together at the Vinland Music Camp for the last few summers. There's always good conversation flowing around the dinner table or campfire or down the Sea Breeze Lounge and I've always felt buoyed by their energy and enthusiasm. I've called all of them at different occasions for advice. Pamela Morgan and Anita Best have also been extremely supportive over the years. Even though it's not specifically for music, my Uncle Kevin Redmond has also been a real mentor to me. He actually introduced me to Eric way, way back.

M: Who do you love to listen to?

D: The people I mentioned above. I always enjoy playing at the sessions in St. John's while I'm in. I've been very influenced on the instrumental side of things by the players I've heard there. I don't listen to enough music right now, which is unfortunate. I really need to change that. I was heavily into Irish music there for awhile - I've been getting more Nationalistic in my tastes over the years. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. I don't want to get narrow minded. Although there's something about the music of Newfoundland and Labrador - it's familiar, I feel like I belong to this tradition. The songs and tunes that I learn here from local people, they just mean something very different to me; they feel warmer, somehow. I have a connection to them. The other night I was at the house of an old gentleman from Cow Head who's living here in Corner Brook now, his name, funnily enough, is also Daniel Payne. There was a bunch of us in the living room just sort of quietly chatting, and every now and then he'd whistle me a tune and I'd see if I could play it on the fiddle. He mentioned The Wild Colonial Boy and I kind of began to piece it together from what my father had sung me and all of a sudden the whole living room piped in. It was this great sudden swell of music - it's moments like that that make me feel like I'm a part of something tangible and real and wonderful.

M: Who taught you fiddle?

D: I mostly taught myself. However, over the years I did some lessons with Kelly Russell, a few over in Ireland - and I've learned some REALLY helpful things from Christina Smith. Also my friend Miranda Mulholland, a great singer and violinist from Ontario, she's given me some excellent tips. I learn by listening and observing mostly, and by trying lots of different things. I would advise anyone beginning fiddle to get some lessons from someone good, I spent a lot of time muddling about trying this and that, and while I don't regret it, I could have progressed much further much faster with just a few small pointers to start me off. Thankfully now I feel like I've got a good foundation under me.

M: And how long have you been playing?

D: About ten years now. I should be a lot better. I'm not fishing for compliments, it's true.

M: I know you are looking forward to having one of Colin Carrigan’s beautiful fiddles. What about your first fiddle? When did you get it? What was it like? And that one you play now, does it really date back from before the birth of the Olsen twins (as I believe you claimed that night at the Ship when you were performing with Angela Pickett)?

D: My first fiddle was loaned to me by my cousin Joe O'Dell from Capstan Island, Labrador. It had been in the family for ages, belonged to Uncle Joe Beals. Unfortunately it was in terrible shape when I got my hands on it and I don't know how I ever learned anything on it. It had been in an attic and had come all unglued and then been glued back together by someone in St. John's, and it really was a bit of a screecher. I got another for Christmas which was an improvement, although I will be so happy to get a fiddle from Colin – I’m overdue for a nice instrument. I don't think the one I'm playing now dates back that far, it's like 1993 or something. It's a pretty crappy fiddle. But it's served me well.

M: What projects have you got on the go these days?

D: Right now the biggest thing I'm working on is an album of accordion music I'm producing. I'm learning how to do it all, and I'm in over my head, but I'm learning to swim. It's exciting to be doing it myself. It features music from some great accordion players from the Northern Peninsula and Southern Labrador. Luke Payne, Calvin Payne, Kevin Bennett, and John Marshall. It's a lot of work, but it's a labour of love. After I cut my teeth on this one, I have an album of original tunes planned. I figure there are only so many tunes out there to find, so sooner or later we have to start writing new ones.